One of the first things I learned while studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition is something that has truly helped me shift focus in my day to day life. Known as Big Rocks, it’s a time management hack that is a way to reframe your everyday tasks and routines so that you can prioritize your biggest life goals.
For most of my 20s and 30s, I was in reactive mode. Yes, I had goals, but I didn’t have a sense of urgency in completing them and I spent far too much time thinking that “things will happen in their own time, trust the universe, etc.” While I still believe there’s truth in that, the old version of me was okay with letting life around me just happen. I would wake up, go to work, respond to emails, participate in work meetings, have dinner with friends, come home and watch tv, fall asleep. On the weekends, I would maybe schedule a workout class, but if I’m being honest, it was a lot more boozy brunches and late nights out. Don’t get me wrong, I have zero regrets about that time and appreciate all of the life lessons that came from being more of a night owl.
After a time however, and especially after I got married, I started to feel a shift in my priorities and started thinking about the big picture goals I had for myself. Things like having children, buying a home, and building a business are not things that “just happen.” I’ve had to rearrange my life to make them come to fruition and they’re clearly still a work in progress. But I knew that deep down, I had to really have a mindshift in order to live the life of my dreams.
But enough about me. Let me tell you what this Big Rocks thing is all about. If you have big life goals you want to accomplish, but find yourself stuck in the busyness of everyday life, then this post is for you.
Popularized by Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Big Rocks is a demonstration he gave to illustrate that the key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. Watch the video below to see how he explains it.
In the demonstration, the big rocks represent the important things in life. Depending on your own personal goals, they can mean time with family, community, relationships, children, business, volunteering, spirituality, etc. The smaller pebbles represent the small everyday things that come up, but aren’t necessarily contributing to your bigger life goals. Think work emails, errands, grocery runs, dinner with friends, etc. In another version of this, I’ve also seen sand being used to represent the everyday distractions we have, such as Instagram, Tik Tok, video games, TV, etc. Depending on what we prioritize, there is a chance that everything we want to accomplish or achieve in life may or may not fit into the jar, aka our life. Dr. Covey summarizes it like this:
“Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities. It is living and being driven by the principles you value most, not by the agendas and forces surrounding you.”
This also of course reminds me of another quote, this one by Annie Dillard, in her book The Writing Life.
“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and that one is what we are doing.”
When I find myself mindlessly scrolling on Instagram, I think to myself, is this how I want to live my life? Is this the legacy I want to leave for my child and family? Most of the time, it’s just the kick in the butt I need to get off my phone and get back to the things that I truly care about.
What about you? How do you prioritize your big life goals? Feel free to leave a comment below and share any other tips and tricks you may have. I’d love to hear from you.
Top photo by Edgar Moran on Unsplash.
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