This is without a doubt the most important (in my opinion) aspect of productivity and fulfillment. For many of you the term Big Rocks is not a new one and you may even live by it. If so, Rock On! You have grabbed the bull by the horns.
Big Rocks are those things that mean the most to you in life and are the roles that are unique to only you. In order to know what things you should give your time to, you have to first identify the things that only you can do, the things that get the best results for you, and the things you value most.
Here are some examples of Big Rocks:
- Follower of Christ
- Husband
- Father
- Worker
- Son
- Leader
Your list will be different and I suggest that you don’t have more than 6 or 7 things. If you have more than 7, you are being to specific.
This is the most important thing that I have posted this week. Now that you have your list of Big Rocks you can now start to schedule your week. Usually we just put our to-do’s on our weekly list. This is a mistake. This will keep us running in survival mode. The things on your to-do list are usually the things that appear to be urgent yet there are so many important things that get over looked because there is no red flag waving (like taking your wife out, spending time with each of your kids, reading a book that will help you be a better worker or leader).
Here is the difference maker. Look at your Big Rock list at the beginning of each week and say what is the most important thing that I can do in this role this week and schedule it BEFORE any of your to-do’s. This will allow you to do the important things and the things that will bear fruit in your life and you will begin to see that when the Big Rocks go in first, all of the other stuff will fit in as well.
Lastly (I learned this one from Franklin Covey and yes I know he is a Mormon) . One of your Big Rocks has to be a thing called Sharpen The Saw. Many of us spend most of our time swinging a dull ax. Sharpen The Saw is about personal renewal and improvement. There are several aspects for Sharpening The Saw and here they are.
- Mental – What makes you fresh mentally? (reading, a quite place)
- Physical – You have to make time for you health, so set some goals
- Social – You were not made to do life alone. Other people make us stronger.
- Spiritual – If this isn’t a priority everything else will be useless.
This sounds simple but making a plan and following it are to different things. You have to make your plan on Monday and you have to fight for it daily. There will be emergencies and other things that sidetrack you but you have to fight relentlessly to stay on track. The daily discipline of making a plan happen is what will set you apart and help you to be successful in the most important areas of your life.
Daryl Strickland 