Recently I visited an inspiring office, an interesting feature was that it had a rock on the desk. Believe it or not this was a time management and organising tool. So why would someone would have rocks on their desk?

An entertaining trick in workshops and time management schools has been the example of an empty jar. The workshop leader puts a big rock in this jar and asks if it is full; yes. He then places small rocks in it and asks if it is full, yes, sand is added - now the jar is really full but the workshop leader can still add water after which we have really pushed the boundaries as to how much we can put in a jar.

The rock highlights the important areas in our lives, the pebbles the important tasks, the sand and the water are fillers that can still be put in the jar. This example shows us however that we can easily fill the jar with either water or sand and if we do this we have nothing to show for it. Relating this idea to organising, if you could decipher the difference between the big rocks, the smaller pebbles, and the sand on your desk or in your life, you will become more productive.

I have used this concept both at home and in the office this week and although both places are a bit messy at the moment, I have achieved some amazing milestones so my big rocks are covered. I still need to allow a big portion of the time to the fillers but the big rocks have priorities. The actual rocks and pebbles are a visual reminder of this concept, so you might like to try and work with this suggestion in the coming week. I am off to find a nice rock and some nice pebbles for my office.