Are You Making Time for What Matters Most? 

Are You Making Time for What Matters Most?

It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon, and your mind begins to wander. You imagine all the things you’d love to accomplish—going back to school, running a marathon, learning to sail, getting in shape, writing a book. The list may vary based on your age, your goals, or the season of life you’re in—but the desire to grow, to achieve something meaningful, is almost universal.

Then suddenly, five years pass. You're still in the same job, feeling stuck. Your dreams? Still dreams. What happened?

Most of us don’t fail because of a lack of ambition—we fail because of the Time Thief. It's that sneaky pull of distractions: a few minutes scrolling social media, checking your email, watching a show you’ve already seen a dozen times. You meant to check your bank account or look up a recipe, but somehow an hour has passed. You’ve fallen down the rabbit hole, again.

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “I wish I had time to learn __” or “I never have time for my goals,” you’re not alone. The problem isn’t a lack of time—it’s how we’re choosing to spend it.

The Rocks, Pebbles, and Water of Life

The SOAR® Study Skills program (Kruger, 2007) offers a simple but powerful way to think about time:

• The Rocks – These are the big, meaningful goals that give life purpose: finishing your degree, pursuing a new hobby, traveling, building strong relationships, improving your health.

• The Pebbles – These are your daily responsibilities: working, attending school, commuting, cooking, sleeping. Necessary and time-consuming, but often non-negotiable.

• The Water – This is everything else: social media, streaming shows, gaming, online shopping. These activities can be relaxing and fun—but they fill in the gaps of our time and can easily spill over.

When you fill your time with "water" first, there’s no space left for the “rocks.” But if you start with the rocks—your big goals—and fit the pebbles around them, you’ll be surprised how much more room you have. The key is to be intentional.

Make Room for Your Rocks

When you look back on your life, will you remember the TV shows you watched or the games you played on your phone? Probably not. But you will remember the major goals you pursued—or the ones you let pass you by.

That doesn’t mean you have to give up relaxation. It just means making conscious choices about how you use your time. Start by:

• Identifying your Rocks – What matters most to you? What do you want to look back on with pride?

• Reassessing your Water – Where are you losing time that could be better spent on something meaningful?

• Creating a Plan – Set realistic goals and carve out small, consistent blocks of time to move toward them.

Even 20–30 minutes a day can have a significant impact over time.