Rocks, Pebbles, Sand: A Story-bite about the Important Things in Life
Fill Your Life Jar with the Big Rocks
A teacher walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the table. He silently places 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and they agree it is. He says, “Really,” and pulls out a pile of small pebbles, adding them to the jar, shaking it slightly until they fill the spaces between the rocks. He asks again, “Is the jar full?” They agree. So next, he adds a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the pebbles and asks the question again. This time, the class is divided, some feeling that the jar is obviously full, but others are wary of another trick. So he grabs a pitcher of water and fills the jar to the brim, saying, “If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?” A bold student replies, “No matter how busy you think you are, you can always take on more.” “That is one view,” he replies. Then he looks out at the class making eye contact with everyone, “The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your family, your partner, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams. The pebbles are the other things in your life that give it meaning, like your job, your house, your hobbies, your friendships. The sand and water represent the ‘small stuff’ that fills our time, like watching TV or running errands.” Looking out at the class again, he asks, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?”
No matter how many times I hear this popular story, which is widely circulated and told in many ways, I am reminded about what is important in my life and work: if I solve the big issues first, the small ones will fall into place, but the reverse is not the case.
I have found myself working with teams who focus on the pebbles. They stay very busy, counting tactical accomplishments as successes. But at the end of the day, their work begs the question: “Despite all this activity, what does it mean?” I’ve also fallen prey to petty distractions, like sand, that creep into the extra spaces of my life and paralyze me from moving forward. Some sand helps to cement our boulders, but if we let too much fill our jars, we have no room for the BIG things. So what does this have to do with health and innovation? EVERYTHING!
As health counselors/coaches, we can share this story to help our clients focus on the most important diet, exercise, and life issues to tackle. Eliminating gluten may not help if their issue is really calorie management. Or counting calories won’t work if binge eating is an outlet for unresolved emotional issues. Focusing their attention and energy on the big issues is critical, even if it means that we need to refer them to another specialist who is better equipped to deal with their “big rocks.”
Innovation is all about placing bets. But many innovation teams get paralyzed trying to move the BIG, unwieldy rocks and instead get caught up moving piles of pebbles from one jar to another. Injecting the discipline of asking the “rock, pebbles, sand” question early and often can help teams stay focused on the BIG opportunities. Just because the BIG rocks are heavy, we shouldn’t turn our attention to pebbles and sand.
Deez Nuts
What I found from this story is that, it’s good to focus on small problems in life. But people tend to not focus on the bigger problems that we need to deal with. It is important to fix the bigger problems.
WOW what a story, so what I got from this is that not only should we focus on the big things in life and stay close with them, but also that we can tackle a lot more than we think we can.
I love this story because it is a very effective lesson on time management and I need to do a better job tackling the rocks in my life.
Hi we made a video about the Rocks Pebbles and Sand story https://youtu.be/ozTL7P9LJJI and thought you and your readers might find it interesting.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for sharing your video. Very nicely done!
Jean
very nice storie
[…] or will have to address in the near future. Now, what makes me think I can just add these new rocks to my jar—without taking some others out? Yet, what could I take out? Full-time job? Nope, don't want […]
I have never thought about life this way before. I think it makes sense to prioritize things and find what is important to you. Slowing down and realising what your big rocks and pebbles are is beneficial for you to become more successful.
I relate. I think prioritizing things in your life will help your have a more fulfilled life. Being in the present will help you not want to stay in the past and will help you move on and be more successful
My big rocks, pebbles and sand are also very similar to yours. Another of my rocks would be tennis.
Filling up your “jar of life” as much as you can and enjoying every little moment is very important and beneficial but we have to find balance on what we fill our jar with or we will miss out on something or not have the right balance of activities and experiences.
I agree, I think that enjoying every moment is very rewarding. It is easy to get overwhelmed and having balance is necessary. You make a good point.
This article bases on balance for your life and how certain things play its roles. For me, my big rocks would be family, health, and happiness. As we move on down, my pebbles would have to be friends, grades, and outside tasks. As we get to the sand, its minor personal things as going out. To balance on how I will spend my time, I plan things out on a calendar and I make sure I can do as much things I can possibly can effectively to benefit myself.
My big rocks, pebbles and sand seem very similar to yours. I would also add Church to my big rocks.
Learning to balance everything is important, like your health and school work or job.
I agree with what you said. Also I love how the author gave a visual and explained why everything has to be in the order that they are.
Yes! I agree that balance is key to success.
This story was so very well written, it totally provides an insight to have really is structured. It is also a wakeup call to how many distractions “sand” really take up out daily lives. We should be focusing on our family and health. However most of us seem to prioritize other things in this day and age.
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This is advice you can use for the rest of your life, this story is very helpful today with all the distractions social media offers
Very nice inspirational story
This story is nice …………….real truth of enjoying life can be understandable by this story
This is a very nice story it can change so many minds by understanding what is important first in ur life and it will give inspiration
This is a nice story, it can also be a warning to what not let take control of our lives
This is a very nice story it can change so many minds by understanding what is important first in ur life
I agree with what you said.
[…] I feel like we get that empty jar every day, and for some reason we can only fill it with pebbles, even though we know what the big […]
Hello Dr. Larson,
Congratulations on your new position!
Thank you for your very thought- provoking story.
When life is constantly challenging us – death of a spouse, loss of a job and financial strains….or all at the same time….it is important to step back and remind of ourselves of our blessings.
That the key…..God know your life and your plans ,what better ways to have God help you. God want to help you with your life to make an better life
I used this analogy for a teen church lesson about hope and it worked very well. thank you,
Shannon,
It is a very powerful story that can teach many life lessons. Thanks for the feedback!
Jean
[…] I’m sure you’ve probably heard the story before, but in case you haven’t you can read it here. […]
[…] general principles / points: Learn to think if your time as rocks, pebbles, sand and water. Start with the rocks. If we do not get the rocks done, but we answer lots of emails / do lots of […]
[…] remember hearing this famous story about a management professor talking about goals, vision, and the effective management of time. […]
Yes, applies to both work and life! Now how to recognize those big rocks vs the pebbles that urgently get in your shoes … 😉
I’m going to fix our boat so out daughter can take it out tomorrow. It may feel like a pebble but rewarding her for working 9 days in a row feels like a rock to me!
Great reminder, Jean. Thank you! Life and work get so much easier when we stay focused on our “Big Rocks” and don’t mistake activity for progress.