It’s About Time

I mentioned in my last post that I came across a great demonstration idea while conducting research for a presentation on Time Management.  Ten years later, this idea still influences how I evaluate new commitments in my life.  Although I am not sure who to credit for developing this concept, I am very grateful that he or she did.

I hope it helps you, too.

At the outset of the presentation, I began to fill a large plastic container with several LARGE rocks.  (Imagine traveling from Cleveland to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of business attire, too many pairs of shoes, and rocks.  Lots and lots of rocks).  I then asked the audience, “Does everyone agree this container is full?”  Several people responded in the affirmative.  I then pulled out a container of medium-sized rocks and began adding them to the container.   When finished, I asked the same question, but my audience was already beginning to catch on to me.  So, I went on to repeat the process with small pebbles, then sand, and finally, with water.

At the end of the presentation, I asked if anyone had any idea what the purpose was of this demonstration.  Someone responded, “It shows that if you really, really try…  you can fit in everything you need to get done.”

A plausible answer, but incorrect.

The point of this demonstration is this:  If you don’t put your big rocks in FIRST, you’ll never fit them in.

When it comes to managing your time – or business – the key is to identify your “big rocks” (top priorities).   Then, accept that it is not possible to manage more than 3 or 4 ‘big rocks” successfully at any one time.  Throughout your life, it is possible, even likely, that your “rocks” will change.  However, making the conscious decision to identify your true priorities will allow you to use the time you have available to the best possible advantage.

Setting priorities is THE key to successful time management.  When it comes to your business (and your marketing efforts), it is important to identify what your most important goals and activities are.  This is especially true if you are undertaking a time intensive undertaking like content marketing.  It takes time to uncover, research and then write about meaningful and worthwhile topics, not to mention the time it takes to submit your work to article directories or otherwise distribute your content.  I know from personal experience that if I don’t make an active commitment to creating content and distributing it for my own business, it will not get done.

For many entrepreneurs and business managers, it is easy to get lost working in your business vs. investing the time to work on your business.  Setting priorities and controlling how you use your time can help alleviate that.