How to Stop Procrastinating: a simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

Big Rocks and How to Focus on What’s Important
The story starts with a philosophy professor who stood up before his class
with a large empty jar. He filled the jar to the top with large rocks and
asked his students if they thought it was full.
The students said that yes, the jar was indeed full.
He then added small pebbles to the jar, giving the jar a bit of a shake so
the pebbles would disperse themselves among the larger rocks.

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“Is the jar full now?”
The students agreed that the jar was still full.
The professor then poured sand into the jar to fill up any remaining
empty space. The students then agreed that the jar was completely full.
The professor went on to explain that the jar represents everything that’s
in your life.
The rocks are equivalent to the most important projects and things you
have going on, such as spending time with your loved ones and
maintaining good health. This means that if the pebbles and the sand
were lost, the jar would still be full and your life would still have meaning.
The pebbles represent the things in your life that matter but that you
could live without. The pebbles certainly give your life meaning, such as
your job, house, and hobbies, but they aren’t critical for you to have a
meaningful life. These things often come and go and are not permanent
or essential to your overall well-being.
Finally, the sand represents the remaining “filler” things in your life and
material possessions. These could be small things, such as watching
television or running errands. They don’t mean much to your life and are
likely only done to waste time or get small tasks accomplished.
The metaphor here is that if you start by putting sand into the jar, you
will not have room for rocks or pebbles. If you spend all your time on the
small and insignificant things, you will run out of room for the things that
are actually important.
In order to have a more effective and efficient life, pay attention to the
“rocks,” because they are critical to your long-term well-being. These
should be activities that allow you to improve your career or your health
—activities like spending time with your family, exercising, and keeping
in touch with relatives that live far away.
While you can always find time to work or do chores, it is important to
manage the things that really matter first. The rocks are your priorities,
while the other things in your life are represented by pebbles and sand.

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