Have you ever felt like you’re constantly busy but never quite achieving your big dreams? You’re not alone. For years, I bounced between projects and ambitions, working hard but not seeing the results I wanted.
“I’m really busy,” became my standard response whenever someone asked what I’d been up to. And it was true – I was always doing something. Always working on a side project, always helping friends, always learning something new.
But I wasn’t necessarily busy doing the right things.
That all changed when I discovered what I now call the POC Principle – a straightforward but powerful framework that transformed how I approach my goals, my time, and ultimately my life.
What Is the POC Principle?
POC stands for Priority, Order, and Consistency – three simple concepts that, when applied together, create a powerful system for actually achieving what matters most to you.
I developed this principle after years of watching talented people (including myself) struggle to convert their potential into real-world success. The problem wasn’t lack of ambition or work ethic – it was how we structured our approach.
The POC Principle isn’t another complex time management system. It’s a fundamental mindset shift about how you approach your goals and daily life.
The Big Rocks Demonstration
To understand the POC Principle, picture this scenario I often share in my workshops:
A university professor begins with a large, empty glass jar placed on a table. She pours sand to fill about one-third of the jar, explaining that the sand represents the small things in life – checking emails, scrolling social media, watching TV.
Next, she adds pebbles that fill another third of the jar. These pebbles represent the medium priorities – paying bills, routine work tasks, and daily chores.
Finally, she reveals three large rocks that represent your most important goals – starting a business, writing a book, deepening relationships with family.
You might also like
When she tries to add these large rocks to the jar, they don’t fit. The sand and pebbles have taken up all the space.
This visual perfectly captures why so many of us struggle to achieve our biggest goals. We fill our lives with small tasks first, leaving no room for what truly matters.
But what happens if we reverse the order?
The professor brings out another identical jar. This time, she places the big rocks in first. Then the pebbles, which tumble around the rocks, filling the gaps. Finally, the sand, which flows into all the remaining spaces.
Everything fits perfectly.
The message is clear: When you put your big priorities first, everything else finds its place around them.
Breaking Down the POC Principle
Priority: Know Your Big Rocks
The first step of the POC Principle is identifying what truly matters to you. These aren’t just tasks; they’re the meaningful goals and values that define your purpose.
For me, one big rock was writing my book on leadership. For you, it might be launching a business, improving your health, or strengthening family connections.
The key question to ask yourself: “If I could only accomplish three things this year, what would make the biggest positive impact on my life?”
Those are your big rocks. Everything else is pebbles and sand.
As I explain in my article about leading with purpose, when you’re clear about your priorities, decision-making becomes much simpler.
Order: First Things First
This is where most people struggle. They know their priorities but fail in execution.
The solution is simple but requires discipline: tackle your big rocks FIRST.
In my own journey, I realized my morning routine wasn’t serving my priorities. I’d wake up around 7:30 am and typically stay up until midnight or 1:00 am. “It is just how my body is wired,” I’d explain to myself and others.
But as I started striving for new goals in my life with little progress, I realized something needed to change. I tried carving out time after work, during lunch breaks, on weekends – but life would always interfere.
The breakthrough came when I decided to revolutionize my mornings. I now wake up at 5:30 am to work on my big rocks first – before emails, before obligations, before the world starts making demands on my time.
This shift wasn’t easy, but it transformed my productivity and, more importantly, my ability to make meaningful progress on what matters most.
Consistency: The Power of Habits
The final component of POC is arguably the most crucial – consistency.
As I discuss in 10 Leading Tools, consistency is like the vanilla bean in the spice world – often underrated but immensely valuable when you understand its power.
Producing vanilla takes patience and diligence. The vanilla plant takes years to produce an orchid that only flowers for a few hours once a year. Farmers must check crops daily, hand-pollinate each flower, and then spend months harvesting and preparing the beans.
Your big goals require the same patient consistency. Small, daily actions toward your priorities will always outperform sporadic bursts of effort.
How to Apply the POC Principle Today
Ready to put this framework into action? Here’s how to start:
- Identify your 3-5 big rocks – What truly matters most to you right now? Not what should matter, but what actually does.
- Restructure your day around these priorities – Schedule them first in your calendar, ideally during your peak energy hours.
- Create accountability – Share your commitments with someone who will hold you responsible.
- Track your consistency – Use a simple habit tracker to monitor your daily progress.
- Review and adjust regularly – Monthly reviews help ensure your big rocks still align with your evolving goals.
The POC Principle in Action: A Personal Story
When I finally committed to writing 10 Leading Tools, I knew it would require significant time and focus. Using the POC Principle, I:
- Made writing my #1 priority (Priority)
- Committed to writing first thing each morning before any other work (Order)
- Set a minimum daily word count and tracked it religiously (Consistency)
This structured approach allowed me to complete the manuscript while maintaining my consulting business and family responsibilities.
The book didn’t happen overnight, but the steady progress through POC made what once seemed impossible become inevitable.
Common POC Mistakes to Avoid
Even with the best intentions, implementing POC can come with challenges:
- Selecting too many “big rocks” – When everything is important, nothing is. Limit yourself to 3-5 true priorities.
- Not protecting your priority time – If you don’t fiercely guard time for your big rocks, other demands will consume it.
- Expecting perfection – Consistency doesn’t mean never missing a day. It means returning to your priorities even after disruptions.
- Forgetting to celebrate progress – Acknowledge your wins along the way to maintain motivation.
The Bottom Line: Your Life Is the Jar
The POC Principle reveals a profound truth: Your life has limited capacity. You can fill it with whatever you choose, but you cannot exceed the jar’s volume.
The question is not whether you can do everything – you can’t. The question is whether you’re filling your jar with what matters most to you.
As I discovered on my own leadership journey, when you commit to putting your big rocks in first, the pebbles and sand will find their place around them. But if you fill your days with sand first, your big rocks will forever remain outside the jar – dreams deferred, potential unrealized.
What will you put in your jar first today?
Remember: Focus on the big rocks. Everything else is just pebbles and sand.
Watch the full POC Principle video explanation
