A professor was standing in a classroom, and some things were placed in front of him. When the lesson began, he silently picked up a large, empty container and began to fill it with tennis balls.
Then he asked the students if the container was full. The students said it was full.
Then the professor took a box of pebbles and poured the pebbles into the container and shook it gently. The pebbles filled the spaces between the tennis balls. Then he asked the students again if the container was full. The students agreed that it was full.
Then the professor took a box of sand and emptied the contents into the container. Naturally, the sand filled the remaining space and asked again if the container was full. The students answered, yes.
The professor took two cups of coffee from under the table and emptied them into the container, filling the spaces between the grains of sand. The students laughed.
“Now,” the teacher said, “I want you to understand that the jar represents your life. The tennis balls are the most important things—your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite hobby—the things that would make your life complete if you had nothing else. The pebbles are the other things that matter to you—your job, your house, your car, and the grains of sand represent the rest of the little things.”
“If you had filled the jar with sand first,” he continued, “there would be no room for the pebbles or the tennis balls. It’s the same in our lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the little things, you’ll never have time for the important things. Focus on what’s important to your happiness. Play with your kids, make time to see the doctor, take your wife out to dinner. After all that, there will always be time to do housework. Take care of the tennis balls first. The things that really matter. Prioritize yourself. The rest is just sand.
A student raised his hand and asked what the significance of coffee was.
The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show that no matter how busy life may seem, there's always room for a cup of coffee with your friend."