Boulders – #7
A professor stood before his class with an empty glass jar. He started by placing big rocks into the jar until no more could fit. He asked the class, "Is the jar full?" The students nodded—yes, it seemed full.
The professor then took a handful of small pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, allowing the pebbles to settle into the spaces between the larger rocks. Again, he asked, "Is the jar full?" The students nodded more hesitantly now, thinking the jar must surely be full.
Next, the professor poured sand into the jar. The fine grains of sand slipped into the remaining spaces between the rocks and pebbles, completely filling the jar. He asked once more, "Is the jar full?" Now the students agreed—it was full.
Finally, the professor explained: "The jar represents your life. The big rocks are the most important things—your family, your health, your passions, your personal growth—things that, if everything else were lost, and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and other responsibilities. The sand represents the small stuff—things that are minor and unimportant in the long run."
He continued, "If you put the sand into the jar first, there won’t be room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you’ll never have room for the things that truly matter. Focus on the big rocks first—take care of the important things. The rest is just sand."
Pebbles vs. Boulders
Think about the difference between pebbles and boulders in your life or work. Pebbles are those small, routine tasks that keep things running but don’t significantly contribute to your goals. Boulders, on the other hand, are the big, heavy, high-impact tasks that actually make a difference. It’s tempting to keep tackling the pebbles because they’re manageable and give you quick wins, but focusing there might leave you feeling busy but unproductive.
We all have likely found ourselves working through seamlessly endless administrative tasks which while need to be completed are just distractions we are using to stay busy and avoid the hard and likely more impactful tasks. Those large tasks continue to weigh on us and increase our stress levels. Don’t let that boulder crush you. Handle it first, then move the pebbles.
Pareto’s Law (80/20 rule)
80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts, the goal is to identify which efforts fall into that key 20%. Ask yourself:
What are the major tasks or goals that are going to have the highest impact?
Are there things that I’m spending time on that are distractions?
What would happen if I stopped focusing on the insignificant items for a while and gave my full attention to significant items?
Health and fitness falls into this same category. Yes, I have some strange routines such as cold plunging first thing in the morning, but I consider that a pebble. The boulder is showing up every day, putting in the work, and maintaining a healthy sustainable diet. The smaller things can still help, but they won’t be what give you success. You’ve got to focus on the core.
Key Takeaways
Identify Your Boulders: Recognize the 20% of activities that yield 80% of your results. These are your boulders.
Delegate or Eliminate Pebbles: Free up time and mental space by offloading tasks that don’t significantly contribute to your goals.
Focus Your Efforts: Direct your energy and time toward the most impactful activities, even if they’re harder or take longer to complete.
Avoid the Quick Fix: Resist the urge to prioritize easy tasks just for the satisfaction of checking them off the list. Choose the actions that will truly move you forward.
Additional Resources and Thoughts:
Book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less – Greg McKeown – Buy here
Podcast: Invest like the Best – Robert Greene – Optimizing Your Reality – Listen here
Stoicism of the Day: "It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth, for then you won’t tire and give up, if you aren’t busying yourself with lesser things beyond what should be allowed” - Marcus Aurelius, Mediations, 4.32b
Don’t sweat the small stuff...
Remember, moving the boulders is hard work, but that’s what leads to real progress.