Sounds contradictory isn’t it, Relax & Manage your Time. How one can relax when you have to run with the clock, you would ask. The way Time Management has been preached to us, thus far, it has been propagating: being busy all the time. There have been so many Time Management theories and concepts that have come and gone. In fact the sheer amount of time that is needed to be committed for learning such theories in order to save some little time, is ridiculously long. At the end what is the point in learning a sort of Time management that preaches you to run helter and skelter, like chickens without head?

Well Time management as per the new concept of AcNOW® is far simpler and it offers a relaxed approach that offers results as by-products. To understand the importance of such relaxed way to successful Time Management the conventional pickle jar theory that almost every seeker on time management would have come across and of which internet has as many versions, is given a new twist below:

While giving out a seminar talk on Time Management an expert chose to sink the message with an interesting demonstration of sorts. He had a large sized pickle jar, about a dozen fist sized rocks, a bucket of small sized pebbles, some gravels, a little sand and a cup of coffee on the table.

Pointing at the merchandise on the table he asked the audience, we have to find out if all these things can be accommodated in to the pickle jar. Every one in the hall shouted “NO”. He said come on don’t be so negative minded, give it a try. So, prompted, one of the seminar participants came forward and began filling the jar. He poured the coffee in the jar and then put the sand in followed by gravels and the pebbles. By the time he came to the rocks he did not have enough room in the jar for all the rocks. All the participants smiled in agreement “we had already stated, it can not be done”.

He said this is how our life is without Time management; we are not able to fit in all the tasks within the available time. Or is there a way out?

Without any sign of disappointment the Time Management expert rolled in another table with exactly same set of Merchandise and announced “let’s give it another try”

He first took the dozen fist sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in the hall said, “Yes.”

Then he said, “Really?” He took from the table the bucket holding the pebbles. Then he dumped some pebbles in, every one could see the smooth pebbles to slide themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group again, “Is the jar full?”

By this time the participants were a little cautious and said: “Probably no.”

He said, that sounds diplomatic. Then, he lifted the bucket of gravels and dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to go down into the space between the big rocks and pebbles. Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?”

Every one answered “NO.”

“Good!” he replied. He then reached out for the bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks, pebbles and the gravel. This time he shook the jar well and filled the sand to the brim until no more sand could be admitted. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“Yes!” everyone shouted together.

He said but we have this cup of coffee still with us?Then he grabbed cup of coffee and poured it, in the jar. He looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this Demonstration?”

One eager participant quickly concluded, “No matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always squeeze some more things in it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point at all. That kind of stuffing will neither be called a good planning nor a good Time Management. The truth this demonstration teaches us is that:

‘If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.” Priority is the key. Good planning may not expand the time, but it definitely helps accommodating the tasks.

Finally quizzing the audience he again asked: is that all this illustration teaches us? There was a silence for a while. After which he proceeded to announce, the biggest lesson this example brings home is that “how-so-ever busy you are; you will always have time for a cup of coffee.” Even if your schedule looks full, you would always find time to relax. for what is a life if full of care, no time to stand and stare. Time management is not worth its salt if it takes awy your peace and doesn't allow you to relax.