Put the Big Rocks First

Do you end each day exhausted from putting out fires but frustrated by how little forward progress you made?

The urgent has a way of demanding your attention while the important quietly waits. Unless you deliberately protect time for what matters most, smaller demands will consume the time your major priorities require.

Like many people, I have always had big dreams for what I wanted to accomplish.

I learned early in life to make a list of the tasks that needed to get done. I was diligent about creating that list, and checking off each completed task felt good.

There was only one problem.

I began going after the easiest items first because I enjoyed the small rush that came from checking something off. I became so addicted to that feeling that if I completed a task that had not been on my list, I would add it afterward just so I could check it off.

I was getting plenty done—or at least it looked that way.

In reality, I was becoming exceptional at majoring in minor things while my biggest dreams were falling by the wayside.

Stephen Covey popularized the big-rocks illustration: if we fill our container with little rocks first, we leave no room for the big rocks that matter most.

That was exactly what I was doing. I was filling my days with minor tasks and leaving no room for the major initiatives that could help my organization grow.

It was only when I began setting aside quality time each day for the important work—my big rocks—that I started feeling as though I was making meaningful progress.

I needed to get off the urgent treadmill and begin moving forward.

Then an amazing thing happened. As I completed more of the important work, many of the urgent tasks either disappeared or were handled by others. That gave me more time to develop leaders—which I believe is the number one responsibility of any leader.

Execution is not measured by how many items we check off a list. It is measured by whether our time and effort advance the priorities that matter most.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• Do your biggest dreams still feel out of reach?
• Are daily fire drills sapping your energy and enthusiasm?
• Which minor tasks are consuming time that your major priorities require?

CHALLENGE
Today, set aside a protected block of time—even if it is a small one—to work on one important priority. Put one big rock first and begin moving it forward.