Having taught the 7 Habits in my Advisory class the past few years, I really appreciate the fresh new view I get from Dr. Pumpian. This week, I especially liked the idea of grouping these first 3 habits. Being Proactive, Starting with the End in Mind, and now Putting First Things First are all ways of creating independence for yourself. This is a powerful message for students as they learn these habits, that we are working for something that all of them crave.
This week was all about Big Rocks and Little Pebbles. To show the students a visual about the need to plan ahead, I brought in some golf balls, a jar, and some sand. If you plan ahead with the important things in your life, there will always be time to fit in the small things that will inevitably come along. When you put the golf balls in the jar first, the sand can fill up all of the crevices in between. However, if you just let all the small things pile up on you (filling your jar with sand) there is no room left for all of the important things that you care about (the golf balls). The golf balls do a very bad job of filling the crevices. Even though our lives might feel full when we put in the most important things, prioritizing helps us keep filling the jar without letting it overflow.
To keep this as a habit, and to practice what I have preached today, I will be giving the students in class the time and resources they need to prioritize their time. On top of taking 10-15 minutes at the beginning of each week, I will go over the Google Calendar functions that every student has with their school email. They are all on their laptops and phones most of the day already, so if they set reminders for themselves they can really make this habit a reality.
This week was all about Big Rocks and Little Pebbles. To show the students a visual about the need to plan ahead, I brought in some golf balls, a jar, and some sand. If you plan ahead with the important things in your life, there will always be time to fit in the small things that will inevitably come along. When you put the golf balls in the jar first, the sand can fill up all of the crevices in between. However, if you just let all the small things pile up on you (filling your jar with sand) there is no room left for all of the important things that you care about (the golf balls). The golf balls do a very bad job of filling the crevices. Even though our lives might feel full when we put in the most important things, prioritizing helps us keep filling the jar without letting it overflow.
To keep this as a habit, and to practice what I have preached today, I will be giving the students in class the time and resources they need to prioritize their time. On top of taking 10-15 minutes at the beginning of each week, I will go over the Google Calendar functions that every student has with their school email. They are all on their laptops and phones most of the day already, so if they set reminders for themselves they can really make this habit a reality.