A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if
the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the
open spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if
the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the
jar was full. The students agreed with a unanimous -- "Yes!"

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and
proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling
the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," the professor said, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things -- your family, your partner, your health, your children,
your friends, your favorite passions --things that if everything else was
lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles
are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The
sand is everything else -- the small stuff! If you put the sand into the
jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf
balls. The same goes for your life."

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never
have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the
things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take
time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out dancing. Play another
18 holes of golf. There will always be time to go to work, clean the
house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf
balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The
rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer
represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to
show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room
for a couple of beers."

=======================

On a personal note - don't take this too literally. When you know that
certain things like labs have to be done by a certain date, I find that it
does help to get them done as soon as you can. Then you will be able to do
the other things things that you only "should" do, like maybe studying for
an exam. You will have a lighter heart and can take real pleasure in
knowing that the "must do" things are done.

Indeed, life is short, and there are many pleasures that one should find
time for. It has been said that no person ever approached death and said
"I wish I had spent more time at the office instead of wasting it with my
family."