Have you heard the story about the jar of rocks? It’s an age-old story.

You start with a jar and start filling it with big rocks. Is the jar full? Yes, you say, because you can’t fit any more big rocks in the jar. Now take some pebbles and pour them into the jar. They shuffle down and settle in between those big rocks. Is the jar full now?

You’re starting to think no. Take some sand and pour it into the jar. Watch the sand also fit into the jar as it falls down between the rocks and pebbles. Now, surely it’s full…

Lastly, pour water into the jar, and you’ll find the already “full” jar can fit much more.

What’s the moral of this story? Many guess that it means you can always get more done or be more productive.

But not so. The moral of this story is that if you don’t put your big rocks in first, they won’t fit at all.

We all fill our days and weeks. We can fill them with big rocks, or we can let our days get away from us with too many pebbles and sand – things that we’re busy doing, but not getting us the life we want. And worst of all, we could be filling our jars with too much water – and not in the good ‘8 glasses a day’ way, but time-wasting activities (think too much screen time). Be very choosy about what you put in your jar.

The jar of big rocks is a constant reminder to focus on what’s really important, the things that make you … you!