One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of students and, to drive home（使人理解） a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

 

As he stood in front of the group of overachievers（成绩超过预料的学生） he said, OK, time for a quiz. He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar and set it on the table in front of him.

 

He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, Is this jar full?

 

Everyone in the class yelled, Yes. The time management expert replied, Really? He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel¹. He dumped some gravel（碎石，砂砾） in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

 

He then asked the group once more, Is this jar full?

 

By this time the class was on to him. Probably not, one of them answered. Good! he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, Is this jar full?

 

No! the class shouted. Once again he said, Good. Then he grabbed a pitcher² of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, What is the point of this illustration? One eager student raised his hand and said, The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!

 

No, the speaker replied, thats not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is if you dont put the big rocks in first, youll never get them in at all. What are the big rocks in your life? Time with your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy³ cause, teaching or mentoring⁴ others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or youll never get them in at all.

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