True story …
One morning I was observing the process my hubby uses to build his breakfast smoothie. Most days he struggles with getting all the yummy ingredients into the small container we use.
Consistently, he saves the big chunks of fruit for last, and then it’s battle-royal getting it all to fit into the container. By this point, he usually gets pretty frustrated as the smoothie drips down the side of the container and onto the counter.
The problem became very clear to me as I watched this unfold.
The fruit needs to be added much earlier in the process.
It’s kind of like The Big Rock Lesson – read it here or you can watch this short video by one of my Time Management Trainers, Julie Gray …
The lesson is that it’s important to get the big stuff – the big rocks – in first before life gets filled up with all the trivial stuff.
Which started me thinking …
What if you applied that Big Rock Lesson on a small scale and you used it to manage your workweek – or even your day – more effectively?
This begs the question then …
What are YOU doing right now to make sure you get your important stuff done?
Do you fill your week with little rocks and pebbles – endless email, surfing the net, working on unimportant minutia, responding to every unplanned interruption – so that the big important things become last minute nightmares?
And then you’re scrambling to slap something together?
Or worse, you stay late at the office to keep ahead of a looming deadline?
I see this all the time. It’s confession time dear reader … I’ve even been guilty of doing this myself.
So, what can you do to start getting your big important stuff done?
There’s no getting around it. You’ve got to make time ahead of time in order to get the big stuff done. These are your big rocks!
You need to block off chunks of uninterrupted time in your day.
First.
Before the little stuff takes over.
Easy to do?
It sure is.
It’s also just as easy not to do.
But imagine how great you’ll feel knowing you’re going to get that project done on time because YOU were smart enough to take a few moments ahead of time to make time in your week to get it done.
Change can be difficult, and it takes effort to do things differently but …
What have you got to lose by giving this an honest attempt?
Absolutely nothing!
You’ve got a lot to gain though – time mostly. And isn’t that what we’re all in search of – more time?
Get your big rocks in first … get more done.
Now, get on with your day!
