Fill a jar with small things first and the big things never fit. Put the highest-priority items in first or they get crowded out.
Drag the three items into priority order: most important first.
Drop zone
1
1st priority
2
2nd priority
3
3rd priority
Items to order
Sand
Rocks
Pebbles
Core framework
Rocks, Pebbles, Sand
Put the big rocks in first
Your day is a jar. Sand first (email, admin) and the rocks never fit. Rocks first and everything else fills the gaps.
Core framework
Rocks, Pebbles, Sand
Name the 3 layers in order
Most important first.
Scenario
Help Marcus plan his Monday
Drag each task to the right slot.
Marcus: senior product manager, 8 hours, too many tasks.
TASKS
Status review
Slack and admin
Q4 Roadmap (deep work)
Email batch
Team stand-up
Place all 5 tasks.
MARCUS'S MONDAY
9am
10
11
12
1pm
2
3
4
5pm
9am-12pm
12-1pm
1-2pm
2-3pm
3-4pm
4-5pm
From the field
Why your planning choices matter
The 4-Hour Rule
Most people can sustain only four hours of genuine deep work per day. Those hours are your rocks.
Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work.
Marcus applies the 4-hour rule
BEFORE
6 meetings/day. Roadmap untouched for 2 weeks.
AFTER
9am-noon blocked: 3 deliverables in one week.
Attention Residue
Every task switch leaves attention on the previous task for up to 20 minutes. One context switch costs almost half an hour.
Leroy, S. (2009). Org. Behavior & Human Decision Processes.
Marcus reduces task switching
BEFORE
15 min meeting + 35 min to refocus = 50 min lost.
AFTER
Cuts check-ins where he adds nothing. Regains 35 min of focus.
Works with: Rocks, Pebbles and Sand
A second framework that pairs with this one
Rocks, Pebbles and Sand tells you what to protect. The Urgency-Importance Matrix tells you what to do with everything else: do it now, schedule it, delegate it, or cut it. Click to reveal each quadrant.
NOT IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
URGENT
DELEGATE
Pass it on
Felt urgent. Not your rock.
DO FIRST
Your rock.
Block time. Do it yourself.
NOT URGENT
ELIMINATE
Drop it
Your sand. Just say no.
SCHEDULE
Book the time
Your biggest rock. Protect it.
Exercise
Sort Sophie's tasks into the matrix
Drag each task to the right quadrant. Wrong placement returns it.
Tidy shared drive folder labels
Build team development plan
Respond to supplier invoice query
Board presentation due tomorrow
Optional company social event RSVP
Client crisis call (deadline today)
Update project status spreadsheet
Draft Q1 strategy document
NOT IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT
URGENT
Delegate
Urgent, Not Important
Do First
Urgent, Important
NOT URGENT
Eliminate
Not Urgent, Not Important
Schedule
Not Urgent, Important
Sort all 8 tasks.
Exercise 1
Now try it with a full task list
Drag each task to the right zone.
Optional team social event
One-on-one with direct report
Q4 strategy review
Project status update
Reply to company newsletter
New client proposal
Rocks
Pebbles
Sand
Exercise 2
Jasmine has the same problem you just solved
Jasmine
Head of marketing. Board presentation due tomorrow at 9am.
It is 2pm. Jasmine has not started the board presentation. She has three meeting invites: a supplier catch-up, a team stand-up, and an optional workshop.
ADecline all three meetings and block the afternoon for the board deck
BAttend all three meetings and work on the presentation tonight
CAsk the board for a deadline extension so the work is done properly
DAttend the 15-minute stand-up only, then block the remaining afternoon
Exercise 2 (continued)
It is 4:30pm. Jasmine gets a Slack message.
Jasmine
She has made progress but is not finished yet.
A colleague sends an urgent Slack: a client is unhappy and wants a response today. What does Jasmine do?
AIgnore the message until the presentation is done
BReply: "On deadline. Can we talk tomorrow?"
CStop the presentation and help the colleague immediately
Your path
Optimal path
Decline all meetings. Block the afternoon. At 4:30pm, acknowledge the Slack and reschedule for tomorrow. Rock done. Relationship intact.
Exercise 3
Now it is your turn: name your three rocks
What three outcomes would have the greatest impact right now? One per box.
Write at least one word in each box to continue.
Common mistakes
Spot the prioritisation mistake
Identify what went wrong in each scenario.
Scenario 1
Sophie lists 7 priorities. By Friday, none are done.
AHaving more than three rocks
BTreating all tasks equally
CFilling the jar with pebbles first
Scenario 2
David starts every morning with emails and small requests. His strategy deck has not been touched in 2 weeks.
AHaving more than three rocks
BSand before the big rocks
CTreating all tasks equally
Scenario 3
Jasmine works through 15 items in the order they arrived, ignoring importance.
ATreating all tasks equally
BHaving more than three rocks
CFilling the jar with pebbles first
Answer all 3 to continue.
What we covered
Complete the takeaways from memory
Type the missing word. The takeaway reveals when you get it right.
1.
Your day is a jar. Fill it with
first.
Rocks first. Name your three before the week fills up.
2.
Every task switch costs up to
minutes of recovery.
Question every urgent task. Most are sand dressed as rocks. Run it through the matrix.
3.
Use the matrix to sort tasks: do first, schedule, delegate, or
Defend the block. "Just 15 minutes" costs 35. The block is the work.
2 things to apply this week
1 open question
Assessment
Time to test what you know
Five questions. You need four out of five to pass.
Pass mark: 4 / 5
Question 1 of 5
Marcus
Marcus has a strategic roadmap due for the board, eight admin tasks, and five emails to answer. Which are his rocks?
AThe admin tasks: clearing them makes space for bigger work
BThe emails: prompt replies keep colleagues and clients happy
CThe strategic roadmap: highest long-term impact for the business
DTasks that take more than one hour: duration signals importance
Question 2 of 5
Sophie
Sophie needs to prepare a board presentation for next month. It is critical to securing budget. In the Urgency-Importance Matrix, where does it belong?
ANot urgent but important: schedule a deep work block for it now
BNot urgent and not important: the deadline is four weeks away
CUrgent and important: start immediately to get ahead of the deadline
DUrgent but not important: delegate the first draft to a colleague
Question 3 of 5
Marcus
Marcus blocks 9am to noon for deep work. A colleague asks him to join a daily 9:30am check-in. What should he do?
AJoin: team alignment should take priority over solo work
BAttend the check-in and move the deep work to the afternoon
CAsk his manager to decide which one should take priority
DDecline and propose another time that protects the block
Question 4 of 5
David
David has used the Rocks/Pebbles/Sand framework for two weeks. What is the most common mistake when applying it?
AScheduling rocks early, at the start of each morning
BLetting pebbles and sand crowd out the rocks each week
CReviewing rocks each week to check they are still relevant
DCapping yourself at three rocks per week to maintain focus
Question 5 of 5
Jasmine
Jasmine has 20 items on her list at the start of the week. What should she do first?
ASort by deadline and work through in chronological order
BClear quick tasks first, then focus on what is left
CIdentify her three rocks and block time for them
DAsk her manager to rank the list so she can follow it
Your result
0
out of 5
Reflection
Reflect on what you have learned
What was most useful to you in this module?
Write at least 3 words to continue.
You have completed Module 05
You have the tools to protect your most important work.
Reflection
Reflect on what you have learned
Rate the module and leave a note before submitting.
