The concept of time management is a misnomer. We can’t manage time.

We each have 24 hours in the day. There’s nothing we can do to change this. We just have to learn how to use the time we have in the most effective way.

In other words, we need to learn how to manage ourselves around how we use the time we have.

The end result – setting ourselves up for personal and professional success.

Big Rocks First…

If you’ve heard this story before, read it again and see if you’re living it…

Imagine that you are given a big jar, some big rocks and little rocks, sand and water. Your task is to fit everything inside the jar. In what order do you place each object in the jar?

The answer…

First you place the big rocks inside the jar. Then you place the little rocks. The sand goes in next as it neatly fills some of the spaces between the rocks. Finally you pour the water inside the jar.

Voila! You’ve done it.

So… how does this relate to your life?

Obviously the jar is your life and the big rocks are your most important priorities. The little rocks are your next most important priorities and so on.

The question is… are you taking care of your big priorities first? If not, how can you set up your day and week so that happens?

It may be beneficial to take a step back and re-evaluate your top priorities. Are your current top priorities going to bring you closer to your goals? Are they truly what you value in life?

Here are a couple of ways to ensure you take care of the big priorities first:

1.Write Down Your Top 4-6 Priorities

At the end of each day, write down the 4-6 top priorities for the next day, in order of importance. I find I’m much clearer about what needs to be done the next day when I do it this way. If I wait until morning I’ve forgotten and can get distracted by other things.

The next day, start at the top of your list and work your way down.

2. Do Income Producing Activities First

Only do your top two income producing activities before anything else, including email and phone calls. Income producing activities include delivering your services (ie. coaching, consulting etc), hosting teleseminars or webinars to sell a product or bring in leads, etc. Work on the first activity for 1-1.5 hours and then take a short break to stretch and move around. Then repeat this again. When you complete the first activity, move onto the second.

These are just two ways to get the big rocks done each day. Do you have any methods that work for you? If so – share them below!