Big Rocks, Small Rocks, and Sand: How Will You Fill Your Year?

Hi! It’s Joel from Lofizen. Let me share a thought-provoking metaphor I picked up from Jesse Itzler that has reshaped how I think about time and priorities.

Imagine a big glass jar in front of you. This jar represents one year of your life.

As the year progresses, the jar fills up with rocks. But here’s the catch: you get to decide what kind of rocks end up in the jar.

The big rocks are your meaningful goals and achievements — the things that truly matter to you. Think about a backpacking trip through Asia, reaching a personal record in your hobby, or finally fixing that nagging knee problem.

But here’s the problem: life doesn’t only hand you big rocks. There are small rocks, sand, and even twigs. These represent the endless stream of distractions and meaningless tasks that sneak in:

• The below-average Netflix movie you watched out of boredom

• The meeting you agreed to because saying "no" felt awkward

• The hours lost chasing the bottom of your social media feed

If you start with the small rocks and sand, they fill up the jar quickly, leaving no room for the big rocks. The result? A jar filled with things that don’t move the needle on your happiness or growth.

The Secret to a Fulfilled Year

It’s early in the year, and now is the perfect time to make a conscious choice: put the big rocks in first.

Prioritize the meaningful things. Schedule them. Work toward them. Once the big rocks are in place, the smaller stuff will either fit around them or won’t fit at all — and that’s okay.

Big Rocks First

Time will pass, and your jar will fill, whether you’re intentional about it or not. So, decide now: What are your big rocks this year?

Once they’re in place, the sand will take care of itself. You’ll find that the small stuff isn’t as urgent as it seems, and what’s left is a year filled with purpose and progress.

Stay focused. Stay intentional.
And if you need help staying in the zone, Lofizen.co is here to help you work and study better.

Big rocks first,
Joel & Olli