When Life Gets In The Way [LNIM187]

by | Oct 24, 2019 | Podcast | 0 comments

When Life Gets In The Way [LNIM187]

Life has a way of derailing your business plans. Between the day job, basketball practice, dinner, homework, and everything else, your entrepreneurial dreams can feel permanently on hold. In this episode, Mark shares his own recent setbacks and walks you through Stephen Covey's “Big Rocks” framework to help you prioritize what actually matters.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

  • Why busy entrepreneurs let small tasks crowd out their most important goals
  • Stephen Covey's Big Rocks framework and how to apply it to your side hustle
  • A simple three-step exercise for identifying your personal big rocks
  • How to stop using “too busy” as an excuse and start making real progress

Episode Summary

Mark gets personal in this episode, sharing that he has been dealing with the same struggle his listeners face: life getting in the way of business goals. Between day job stress, family commitments, and the everyday chaos of life, it is easy to tag yourself as “too busy” and put your dreams on the back burner.

But Mark challenges that thinking. The question is not whether life will get in the way. It will. The question is whether you will let it permanently derail your progress.

He introduces Stephen R. Covey's Big Rocks concept from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The framework uses a simple analogy: imagine a jar that represents your available time. Big rocks represent your most important goals and dreams. Pebbles represent the small daily tasks and obligations. If you fill the jar with pebbles first, there is no room for the big rocks. But if you put the big rocks in first, the pebbles naturally fill in the gaps around them.

The problem most part-time entrepreneurs face is that they start with the small stuff, hoping to clear it all away before tackling the important things. But the small stuff never ends. It just keeps piling up until there is no time, focus, or energy left for the big dreams.

Mark offers a practical three-step exercise for identifying your big rocks:

Step 1: Sit down and write 25 things you really want in your life. Do not overthink it. An amazing car, a long vacation, college savings for your kids, paying off all debt, anything goes.

Step 2: Read them back and identify the most important ones. Your actual big rocks will either be on that list or will reveal themselves through patterns in what you wrote.

Step 3: Start putting your big rocks first. Set aside the small pebbles and focus on action items that move you toward those priorities.

Mark closes with encouragement: whatever you decide your big rocks are, they are completely valid. Continue putting in the work, manage the small stuff around it, and do not forget to have fun along the way. The journey and the lessons learned matter as much as reaching the destination.

Key Takeaways

  • Everyone deals with life getting in the way of business goals, and you are not alone
  • Putting small tasks first guarantees your big dreams get crowded out
  • Covey's Big Rocks framework: prioritize what matters most, then fit smaller tasks around it
  • Write down 25 things you want in life to discover what your true priorities are
  • Your big rocks are valid regardless of what anyone else thinks
  • The journey and lessons learned along the way are as valuable as the end goal

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this episode in October 2019, just months before the pandemic completely reshaped how people think about work and life balance. The 2020 lockdowns forced millions of people to confront their big rocks whether they wanted to or not. Many discovered that their day jobs were not as secure as they thought, which drove a massive surge in side hustle activity and online business creation.

Time management frameworks have evolved since Covey's original work. Tools like Cal Newport's time blocking, the Eisenhower Matrix, and digital planning systems make it easier than ever to protect your big-rock time. Apps like Notion, Todoist, and the Full Focus Planner digital edition can help you schedule and protect the time you dedicate to your business.

The concept of “going live” on Facebook that Mark briefly discusses has expanded significantly. Live video is now available on virtually every platform including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. The barrier to entry is lower than ever, and the fear Mark's friend expressed about going live is still common but increasingly unnecessary as audiences have grown more accepting of imperfect, authentic content.

Resources Mentioned

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Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.

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