THE BIG ROCKS
Time Management for Principals
“The key is not to
prioritize what’s on your
schedule, but to schedule
your priorities.”
Covey, 1989
pg.161
What are the Big Rocks?
Big Rocks for any
principal
should be the
actions that drive
student
achievement.
10 Big Rocks for Principals

Mission





Giving staff members and students a clear sense of
direction
Climate

Making the school a safe place that runs smoothly

Meshing curriculum and assessments with state
standards
Alignment
Resources

Getting teachers the tools they need to be successful

Nurturing the best possible teaching in every
classroom
Instruction

Hiring


Interim Assessments


Fostering constant sharing of ideas and resources
Results


Using data to continuously improve teaching
Collaboration


Using every vacancy to bring in excellent teachers
Keeping supervision, professional development and
teams focused on outcomes
Parents

Maximizing family support to students’ education
Making it all work can be tough
The Jar Activity
Not an original idea but a terrific
visual aid to bring the point home
to truly prioritize to make room
for those Big Rocks!
The Empty Jar



The glass jar in the demonstration is the
amount of time available in a typical work
week.
No matter who you are, what you do, your
status, your fame, your power…we all
have the same size jar meaning we all
have the same amount of time in any
given day or week or month.
First fill that jar with Big Rocks that matter
the most.
The Big Rocks



The Big Rocks are those activities that
matter most in our lives.
They have the most profound
consequences, either good or bad, that
result from their completion or noncompletion.
In terms of our work in schools, these Big
Rocks drive student achievement.
The Pebbles

The pebbles are the little things that may
add up to be something significant at
some point down the line, but if we miss
one or two, no big deal.
The Sand


The sand represents all the non-essential
things that tend to fill up our days and our
work lives.
Sand represents wasteful, non-valueproducing activities that fill up our jar and
prevent us from fitting in the large rocks
that are meaningful for our work.
Remember the order
Remember


We talked at the orientation session about
deciding what is truly important and then
making those things your priority.
In terms of leading your staff, the following
suggestions will greatly aid in that effort
Set Clear Expectations
Making certain
everyone knows
your expectations
for their work
makes your work
that much easier
Decide on a Planning System
How you organize
your time will
decide both how
you will spend your
time and how
impactful that time
will be for those
around you.
Schedule Key Meetings
Unless you schedule
them first, your most
important meetings
(team meetings;
leadership teams;
planning period
meetings) they will get
lost in the shuffle.
Establish a “set” system
and stick to it!
Write It Down
You simply cannot
remember every
detail of every day so
you must have a
system for writing it
down!
Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
Hire good people,
nurture them,
turn them loose,
and get out of
their way.
Get Into Classrooms
Teachers thrive on
feedback and they
want to know “what
you think” of their
work. Schedule the
time to see them
and interact with
them.
Avoid Time Wasters
Your work usually falls into three piles:
Activities that add value and support
student achievement (planning
professional development)
Activities that are “behind the scene”
but keep the school running
(ordering supplies, managing
resources)
Activities that are a waste of time
(fixing something not done right
the first time)
Avoid the last one at all costs
Take Care of Yourself
In such a demanding job as that
of a principal, it is imperative to
schedule and honor time for
yourself, your family, your
hobbies, your peace of mind.
Take the time to take care of
yourself. The work will be there
when you return and you will be
in a better frame of mind to deal
with it all.
Take Stock
Regularly review and
revise your time
management until you
find the perfect system for
you. Perhaps it is color
coding your calendar or
revisiting your Big Rocks
weekly. No matter the
process, keep working on
it until you find one that
works for you!
“The key is not to
prioritize what’s on your
schedule, but to schedule
your priorities.”
Covey, 1989
pg.161
Big Rocks
Kentucky Principals’ Academy
Adapted from work by Stephen Covey and Kim Marshall