In theory, the pickle jar idea can be useful for most people. That said, it’s important to remember that ideas like this tend not to work alone, something Sonya Barlow, an entrepreneur and founder of LFM Network, has discovered.

“The pickle jar is a metaphor for life. It reminds us that to fill our jar, we need to focus on the largest, more impactful items, which, when done, we can see results,” she tells Stylist. “The sand is a cool way of visualising distraction, which may look like us being productive in the moment and may bring our human side out, but too much can be gritty and fill up the space with no real tangible hold or value. Either way, this time management tool requires motivation, effort and alignment.

“As someone with ADHD, I have used a modified version of the pickle jar theory to focus on tasks, schedule my day and ensure that I am not only feeling productive but also being productive. I also find that complementing this with working tasks around my energy schedules helps me to align my week, and trains my brain to focus.”

So it seems with the pickle jar theory, self-awareness is the key to success. There’s little point in scheduling a huge task for 5am if you struggle to get motivated in the mornings. Likewise, don’t cram in lots of rocks on a day when you know you’re going to be tired or stressed by outside factors.

Ultimately, only you can decide the size and amount of your rocks, pebbles and sand, but visualising your work in this way can help to focus your mind on what really needs to be done. “It’s about realising and accepting that life is limited and short and we need to make decisions,” says van den Akker. “And that’s incredibly freeing.”

Could the ‘pickle jar’ theory be the key to improved productivity and reduced work stress?