Todd Tucker | Family Issue 2018

In life things can be pressing
and there are always bigger
fish to fry. You may have a
to-do-list of several things,
and might on accomplish
the most important first,
which you’d want to attack
those and start tackling the
“smaller rocks.” Personally,
everyone isn’t as organized
or some don’t know how to
prioritize a to-do-list or even
a honey-do-list. For the man
that’s having a hard time
with a busy lifestyle Baker
shared how he does it by suggesting,
“I get the big rocks
in first. Truly, I believe that to
have focus you have to know
your priorities. It all starts
with knowing what is important.
A lot of people make a to
do list with 20 things on it.
If they cross off 15 of those
things they feel pretty good
about themselves. I start to
tackle my list by asking, what
is the one thing on this list
that if I complete will be the
most significant of the day?
Then go from there.”
That balance can be difficult
for many, and tips from someone
who’s knocking those
rocks out of the park are in
most cases always helpful.
A. Donahue gave three most
timely tips for every man that
may be struggling with a successful
work life balance, first
also admitting, “I must admit
I am not the best example of
the work life balance. I am
still a work in progress.” I admire
his honesty that even in
the midst of making it work
and finding that balance, he’s
still figuring it out.
“My 3 tips would be:
1. Set a certain time of the
day/week/year for family
time or time to relax and recharge.
2. It’s awesome to work hard
but understand that we are all
human and the human body
only can work hard but for so
long. Work hard and smart
on projects that pay you residual
income from a single
effort. That’s why I love real
estate because I can work
hard in the acquisition phase
and it pays me for life. I have
the time to afford to stop and
be 100% in control of my day
if I so chose.
3. My final work life balance
tip “Get the big rocks in first”.
This tip is about time
management.”
Bottomline is that it can be
done, although it may be a
challenge. Baker elaborates
on the story and what it
means to, “get the big rocks
in first,” for which he does
personally and advises everyone
else to.
“There is a story about rock,
pebbles, and sand. A philosophy
professor once stood up
before his class with a large
empty mayonnaise jar. He
filled the jar to the top with
large rocks and asked his students
if the jar was full. The
students said that yes, the
jar was indeed full. He then
added small pebbles to the
jar and gave the jar a bit of a
shake, so the pebbles could
disperse themselves among
the larger rocks. Then he
asked again, “Is the jar full
now?” The students agreed
that the jar was still full. The
professor then poured sand
into the jar to fill up any remaining
empty space. The
students then agreed that
the jar was completely full.
The professor went on to explain
that the jar represents
everything that is in one’s
life. The rocks are equivalent
to the most important
projects and things you have
going on, such as spending
time with your family and
maintaining proper health.
This means that if the pebbles
and the sand were lost,
the jar would still be full,
and your life would still have
meaning. The pebbles represent
the things in your life
that matter, but that you
could live without. The pebbles
are certainly things that
give your life meaning (such
as your job, house, hobbies,
and friendships), but they are
not critical for you to have a
meaningful life. These things
often come and go and are
not permanent or essential
to your overall well-being. Finally,
the sand represents the
remaining filler things in
your life, and material possessions.
This could be trivial
things such as watching television
or running errands.
These things don’t mean
much to your life and are likely
only done to waste time or
get small tasks accomplished.
The metaphor here is that if
you start with putting sand
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