You've probably hit a point in your life where you find yourself struggling with a jumble of conflicting priorities.

It feels like pushing a heavy boulder up a steep incline. The more you push the more fatigue you feel. But stopping is not an option, because you'll end up regressing and moving backwards.

Initially you think it's a time management or efficiency problem. You tighten up your task and to-do lists, only to get back to the same feeling -- there's just not enough hours in the day to get it all done.

The problem might not even be with the tasks themselves, but how you're prioritizing them. The key to productivity and effectiveness lies in a shift in the way you prioritize.

Imagine filling up your daily schedule like filling up an empty jar. Right now you're filling the jar with small pebbles on the bottom, and trying to fit big rocks on top. They don't fit. Yeah, each pebble is small and can easily fit into a confined space. But, the accumulation of these tiny pebbles ends up taking up a substantial amount of room.

But if you put the big rocks first, and then pour in the pebbles, everything falls into its rightful place – this analogy from '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' perfectly illustrates the idea of prioritization in action.
The 'big rocks' symbolize your most important priorities, the tasks that contribute significantly to your long-term goals and values. These are the tasks that yield significant results and should ideally consume the bulk of your energy and efforts.

The 'pebbles' are the secondary activities that often consume most of our time and energy but don't significantly contribute towards our goals.

To achieve meaningful success, it's critical to start the day with your 'big rocks' – focusing first on high-impact tasks. This allows you to make significant progress towards your goals before the day gets busy with 'pebbles,' i.e., lower-priority tasks.

Remember, the aim isn't to build the perfect schedule, where each moment is accounted for. It's about teaching yourself to do less better by focusing on what truly matters.

This paradigm shift empowers you to prioritize effectiveness over mere efficiency. It enables you to strive for growth while also incorporating the flexibility to respond to challenges with a level of grace that grants yourself the benefit of doubt.

Creating a routine that prioritizes the important things first is a blueprint for effectiveness that leads to success. Start by identifying your 'big rocks' or the tasks that align with your long-term goals and values. Then, schedule time to work on these before anything else each day.

It may seem challenging at first, but once you make this a habit, you'll find yourself making leaps of progress. You'll notice an increase in productivity, achievement and, most importantly, fulfillment from knowing you're spending your time on the things that truly matter.

Remember, time is like a jar, and you're the only one with the ability to fill it. Prioritize your big rocks first and then let the pebbles fall into place. Do it consistently and witness the transformative effect it will have on your professional success.