This week O’Reilly Media sent me a book entitled Your Money: The Missing Manual by JD Roth, the author of Getrichslowly.org. The book is chock-full of helpful money tips and resources. No matter what your level of financial management, the book has something useful for everyone. I’ll review the book in a later post, though wanted to share an anecdote in the book that applies to goal setting and how we spend our time.
Let’s say we have a mason jar, a few big stones, and a lot of gravel. We need to get all of the gravel and all of the stones into the jar. What should we do first? We could pour in all of the gravel to create a nice level surface and then try to stack the big stones on top of the gravel. If we take this approach, we find that the big stones don’t fit in the jar neatly. Now, let’s put the big stones in first and then pour the gravel on top of the big stones. This second approach allows the gravel to do what it does best – fill in the small little spaces around the big stones. Everything fits.
This analogy sheds light so many areas of our lives: how we set up our to-do lists, pack for vacation, design our living space or office, decide on a career or a job, and build relationships. We need big, clear priorities (the big stones) and then we have lower priorities (the gravel) that can fit in and around the bigger stones. Getting the big stones, our biggest priorities, placed first helps us meet with success, and ultimately drives our happiness.
On Friday afternoon, I started to feel overwhelmed with my weekend. I have friends in town, a birthday party tonight, and lots of personal things to get done on my to-do list. The jar analogy helped me organize my time:
Big stones
See my friends who are visiting
Finish the rough draft of a syllabus for a class I will teach in the Fall
Work on my e-book on entrepreneurship
Gravel
Friend’s birthday party – it’s an all-day / well-into-the-evening party so I have lots of options of how to attend
Clean my apartment for a friend who will be in town on Monday
Grocery shopping
Some blog writing
Planning for a SWSX presentation I plan to submit in the next few weeks
Get in some yoga
Doing some prep work for my Greece trip in a few weeks
and the list goes on…
Now I have a much clearer path to a successful happy weekend. Make progress on the big stones first, and then fill in with gravel when and where I can. I hope this analogy helps you, too!
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
This week O’Reilly Media sent me a book entitled Your Money: The Missing Manual by JD Roth, the author of Getrichslowly.org. The book is chock-full of helpful money tips and resources. No matter what your level of financial management, the book has something useful for everyone. I’ll review the book in a later post, though wanted to share an anecdote in the book that applies to goal setting and how we spend our time. 
This is really helpful Christa, thanks!
LikeLike
I’m so glad, Alex. It definitely helped me, too!
LikeLike