By Sandra Naranjo Bautista
One characteristic of the public sector is dealing with competing priorities when everything is due yesterday. How do you choose what to do and what to delegate? Is it possible to be more efficient going forward? This simple tool will help you decide what to prioritize.
The Jar of Life
Have you heard the story of the Jar of Life? There are many versions around, this is a short one I like.
A professor stood in front of the class with an empty jar. She first filled it with rocks. Then, she asked the students if the jar was full and they agreed it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. After shaking the jar lightly, more pebbles rolled into the open areas. She asked again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor then poured a box of sand into the jar which filled everything else. Once more she asked if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.” She finally added two cups of coffee, filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
The professor then explained the jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your health, your friends– and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, or your car. The sand is everything else – the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. One of the students asked, “what about the coffee?” She replied it’s a reminder that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a cup of coffee with a friend.”
How does this apply to the public sector?
I added this story because the analogy is very easy to understand. The principles apply not only to life but also at work. Let’s explore how this could look like in the public sector, in your daily life.
Your ‘rocks’ are the most important projects or tasks you have. If you couldn’t do anything else, what would be the 3 to 5 things that would make a difference, the bigger impact.
The pebbles are the other tasks that you have to do, those are important but not essential, like your ‘rocks’. The sand represents the daily activities, that often consume most of our time. The coffee is a reminder that relationships matter too and it’s worth giving them time.
Having clear priorities will help you be more efficient. Consciously giving them value will also make your job more enjoyable, which is an antidote for procrastination. Avoiding tasks that are not a priority for you will help you eliminate distractions and free your time.
A practical tool to address your priorities
You know that at Better Govs we are fans of making things as simple as possible but not simpler. The Eisenhower Matrix, attributed to President Eisenhower and popularized by Stephen Covey is a practical tool for time and task management. The principle behind it is the same as in the Jar of Life. Make sure to do the right things, not only more things. It’s about being effective, not only productive.
The matrix divides your tasks into urgent, those that require immediate action, and important, those that contribute to your goals. Your rocks will be at the top of your list of important tasks. A course of action is suggested for each quadrant (figure 1).
Do: Tasks in quadrant 1 are urgent and important, they require quick action. Not all the tasks in this quadrant are necessarily your ‘rocks’, but they require your action. These were all the things required for ‘yesterday’, and if you’re not cautious you’ll end up putting off fires all the time.
Schedule: This is the quadrant that is often overlooked. The things that are important, but not urgent. With the jar analogy, it would be the equivalent of putting the sand and pebbles first, leaving no space for t ‘rocks’. The best solution for that is to schedule a time to tackles these tasks beforehand. There will never be enough time, so make sure to make the time. (More tips on how to make time here)
Delegate: Quadrant 3 has tasks that are urgent but not important, at least not to you. The fact that they are urgent can impose on us the need to do something. However, it doesn’t have to be like that. When possible, try to avoid these tasks, if not delegate them. If you have to do it, be mindful of your time. Again, think of the sand.
Delete: Those are the tasks that are neither important nor urgent. Yet, they end up filling our time. Sometimes due to confusion when we accept a task without any further thought, guilt, or the fear of missing out on a good opportunity.
This framework is easy to understand and apply. But it does require a different way of working which starts with clear priorities. Take the time to define those, since it will be your guiding star. Greg McKeown sums it up well if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will. Mark your priorities because no one else will do it for you.
