Size I.Liv. Rocks

When adding Rocks, you get to size the effort required for each Rock to identify how much of Jar will be taken up this accomplishment today? In other words, is the Rock approximately XS, S, M, L or XL in terms of the energy needed to complete it? This helps to be realistic with our time and effort so that we can set realistic priorities that can be achieved!

Practical sizing of planned intention efforts becomes a key tool in our daily Intentional Living practices. Rock sizes have associated values that lead to defining your personal daily velocity:

• XS = 1 point
• Small = 3 points
• Medium = 5 points
• Large = 8 points
• XL = 16 points

We do not track sand!

Key factors to take into account when sizing rocks:

• Priority – Higher the importance, higher the size to ensure room for completion and any contingency required.
• Complexity – Higher the complexity, higher the size of the rock. Key factors to drive complexity:
  • Straight forward activities (lower complexity) vs strategic/thinking tasks (higher complexity)?
  • Is the execution known (lower complexity) or new (higher complexity)?
  • Is there a dependency on other people/tasks (dependencies increase complexity)?
• Uncertainty – Higher the uncertainly of how to proceed, with who, when increases the sizing of the rock. If we have to figure out what to do to reach the outcome that will take more time and/or energy, so let’s plan accordingly.
• Time – Time can be helpful in sizing our effort, but it is just one key factor. Rock planning should not be same as time-blocking.

It will take some time to develop a personal sizing approach that works for each of us. This is definitely an area where practise makes perfect (in support for our individual practise). A key goal is to be internally consistent with sizing over time.