The “Big Rocks” First (Part 1)

Sometimes, a task is so great, or of such importance, that you do not know where to begin. We all can find examples of this instance in everyday life, but especially in regards to SEO.

When not knowing where to begin strikes me, I like to turn to a process I learned from a Stephen Covey seminar.

While giving a lecture to a room full of college students, he used a large glass container and filled it with several large rocks until he could fit no more. He asked, “Is it full?” to the audience, and they hesitantly answered, “Yes”. He then began to fill the container of large rocks with small gravel-like pebbles. The pebbles start filling the spaces between the larger rocks, and soon, he could fit no more. Next, he poured sand into the container, and finally, water….all the way to the top until he could fit no more.

The audience, at first, believed that the time-management demonstration was intended to prove that there is usually leftover time in one’s schedule, even when it appears to be full. Mr. Covey pointed out that this was NOT the point of the exercise. He concluded by stating, “If I had not placed the large rocks in the container first, I would never have fit them in”.

In this demonstration, he likens the larger rocks to the elements in our life, or business, or campaign that are most important. If you establish the things that mean the most to you, and make time for those elements first, then handling everything else becomes easier and more manageable.

So with optimizing your website, what are the ‘big rocks’? We will discuss this in a few days.

……..Stay tuned…….