The Rock-Sand-Water Analogy
In my opinion, the Rock-Paper-Scissors Say Shoot Game is on luck. The Rock-Sand-Water Analogy (Game) is intentional for a Life to the Full! For Seasons of Love!
This blog is about how I ruin time management. I'm sick and tired of hearing some of my friends say they have no time and energy to take care of themselves and enjoy life.
Yes, you read correctly. Ruin time-management. Have you heard of the show "Adam Ruins Everything?" I love that show, especially the one on Fats; fats are an essential nutrient for humans to survive. So! The time management concept is one of those things that keep our society trapped! Most people think it's time we get to manage, and that's far from the truth. The truth is below:
We get to manage ourselves and our priorities!
And more specifically, our mind, our body, and our spirit. We all get 365 days, 12 months, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and 1,440 minutes a day. So yes, that is 525,600 minutes a year. Stop singing! It's hard not to continue a sentence without "Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes! How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes!
How do you measure a year in the life? How about LOVE? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of Love!" Okay, I'm done. How about that musical, heh! Side note, music is my life! Music impacts my subconscious and programming. My first product, the Journer (Journal & Planner), was motivated by "Seasons of Love" Go figure!
Life can get stressful when I measure my lifestyle with an agenda and to-do lists. In other words, time, as in a schedule. So I want to bring clarity to my Journer, measured in the Rocks-Sand-Water analogy. Rocks: Your most important task/event of the day that aligns with your Values. Sand: Regular tasks from admin, errands, and responsibilities. Water: Things/activities/people and moments you look forward to. So let's begin with a story about a professor. His story has golf balls and beer; however, the lesson remains the same.
How to Live a Happier Life
He started by placing a jar on the table, saying, "We all have one life to live…we can accomplish anything - Truly anything if we use our time wisely." He poured the golf balls first, asking if the jar was full, then poured small rocks, then Sand, and asked the same question. Then he took out two beers and also poured them into the jar.
Giggles and laughter followed.
The professor wanted his students to recognize the jar as representing their lives. Golf balls are important things such as family, friends, health, and passions. Or what we have been calling in this blog our Values. The pebbles are the other essential things, like cars, jobs, homes, etc. Sand being anything else, the small stuff.
And then he flipped the script.
He said that if we put the Sand first in the jar, we won't have room to put pebbles and golf balls, And he said the same thing is true for our lives. If we spend all our energy and time on the small stuff (Sand), we won't have time for the important things that matter to us. Then the professor said to pay special attention.
Attention to the things that are critical to our Happiness
He wanted his students to take care of their golf balls first, in my analogy, Rocks, aka Values. The really important things, the essentials. The professor wanted his students to set their priorities. And then, of course, a student had to ask what the beer was for. He replied “no matter how full our lives may be,
There's always room for a beer with a friend.”
I use the Water analogy since I'm a biology nerd and know that Water, as Fats, is an essential nutrient to survive. I love what the professor said about always having room for a beer with a friend. If you've been following this blog, that's coffee for me and my besties. Water is the joy in our lives, and I share “Finding Joy” here in three parts series.
So in recap, my Rock-Sand-Water Analogy comes down to the intention we set for ourselves to live life to the Full. And I want to clarify the importance of reflecting on your Rocks first. You may miss the point if you come up with Rock items daily. Rocks, what is important to you, are based on your Values. It's asking ourselves better questions that help us get there.
It's approaching our Rocks with curiosity and grace.
I go into details on Benefits of Living by Your Values, here. Rocks, Sand, and Water are equal. What we get to pay attention to is the order of it. Rocks first so you can be grounded in your Values. So you can decrease the guilt and shame for not doing what you desire. Therefore, it's not about time management; it's about managing what is important first. It's asking ourselves better reflection questions.
What do I desire? What brings me, Joy?
I understand that if we don't take care of the Sand, that small stuff on our to-do lists can become an even higher priority later. Again, it's the order that matters. It feels awesome when I target my Rock early in the morning, followed by finances and errands (Sand), and then I get to reward my morning with ice cream or call someone (Water). The Rock-Sand-Water is a Game for me because I play it every day, and my Journer has these concepts alongside each other for a reason .
It's bringing attention to the front of our minds. I am starting with Rocks from left to right because, as you know, out of sight - out of mind. It's a kind and gentle reminder of the significance of your Rocks-Sand-Water. I have moms that passionately tell me how important their Sand (To-do lists) are, and I agree. I'm talking about how your Rocks (Values) and Water (Joy) are equally important with the same responsibility. You know, like the "Three Amigos." Hey! Arriba!
Go ahead, make the moves with me!
The beauty in the Journer setup is that it takes trial and error, some hits and misses, to land on what is important and what brings you joy. The key thing about managing ourselves is in our reflection and re-assessment. And remember, the order is essential. I shared the professor's video because our society has it all backward. As a blog, company, and personally, it's about putting the mask tightly secure on us first, then our children.
You are the most critical asset to your family.
And that is true of your community too. A healthy community is the result of healthy individuals. Yes, it comes back to us first. When we are intentional about our desires and Happiness, we live life to the full. Our days get measured in seasons of Love, aligning with our Values and the joys of life.
Let me know if you want a list of ideas for your Water section. Keep an eye out for the upcoming blog. Thank you for reading through this blog post. If you love our content, please leave a message below and share it with a friend and on social media (#ysuperstarsblog)
Love,
Me.
