Stones in Your Life

One day an expert in “Time Management” talk in front of a group of college student, and he made an illustration which cannot be forget easily by his students.

When he stands in front, he place a large jar on the table. And he also takes outside around a dozen of big stones, handful size, and put it in the jar, one by one, carefully. When the stones have made the jar full, till the neck, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

All the students immediately answer : “Yes” Then he said, “Really?” After that he grab from under the table, a bunch of gravel and put it in the jar, shaking the jar a little, so the gravel get its own space between the stones.

Then he asked to the students once again “Is this jar full?” This time the students stupefied, “Maybe not”, one of the students answer.

“Good!!”, he said.

Once again he reached to under the table, and take out a basket of sands. He started to put the sands into the jar, and the sands immediately fill the spaces between the gravels and the stones.

Once again he asked, “Is this jar full?”

All at once, the student answered “No, not yet” And once again he said “Good!!”

Then again he grabbed a bottle of water and started to pour the water to the jar, till the jar is full to the top. Then the “time management experts” starring at the students, and ask “what is the meaning of this illustration?”

An enthusiastic student straightly answered “The point is, no matter how full is your schedule, if you try then you still can insert other schedule in there”


“No” the expert said, “The point is not that. Actually this illustration teach us that if you don’t put in the stones the first time, then you will never can put in the stones to the jar”

What are the stones in your life? Maybe your children, your spouse, the one you loved, your friendship, your health, your dreams. The things you consider the most precious thing in your life. Remember to always put the stones in the first place, or you will never have time to pay attention to them. If you put small things in your time priority, you will never have time to do the big and valuable things in your life.

Author unknown