As we enter a new week, I am reminded of the philosophy and guidance provided by Stephen Covey in his book "First Things First," and how important it is for all of us to schedule our BIG ROCKS on our calendar BEFORE we start the week and before we allow anything else to clutter up our schedule and weekly plan.

Your BIG ROCKS are those things that you KNOW are IMPORTANT and are key activities associated with accomplishment of your personal goals and work-related goals. Because these big rocks tend NOT to be URGENT, it is easy for us to set them aside or replace them WITH the urgent. The urgent MAY be important, but not necessarily so.

The simple message is if we do a better job of being proactive and consistent with scheduling our big rocks, a lot of the things that emerge as being urgent will disappear because we have done a much better job of advanced planning -- preempting many or most of those urgent matters and eliminating many or most of the daily "fire drills."

So what are some example of these Big Rocks?

• Scheduling time to plan your week -- an hour to 90 minutes to review your goals, your calendar, your to do lists, your inboxes, etc. and consciously map out your weekly game plan.

• Scheduling exercise time -- which tends to be the first thing we "let go" when things get busy. Put it on your calendar and schedule AROUND this time. Make it a priority.

• One-on-one time with team members -- spending quality time with key team members -- discussing their challenges, recognizing their efforts, supporting the work they do, providing coaching and mentoring.

• Quality time with family members -- getting involved in activities with family members -- immersing yourself in their lives.

• Reading and learning -- another activity that very easily falls by the wayside when things are hot and heavy. Schedule time for personal and professional development -- chunks of thirty minutes -- first thing in the morning, between meetings, etc.

• Networking and relationship development -- communicating with your business, professional and personal network -- giving, listening, sharing.

Make it a point this week to schedule time for YOUR big rocks. Communicate your intention to perform these "big rock" activities to others involved -- plant the flag by creating a commitment to someone else

Quick Exercise -- Identify at least THREE of your BIG ROCK activities and drop them on your calendar RIGHT NOW. Let the other person(s) know via email RIGHT NOW of your intention with respect to this activity. Create the commitment and STICK TO IT.

All the best for a productive week to you!