The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
This classic self-help book from 1989 by Stephen R. Covey teaches you how to change the way you view the world and properly understand your own definition of success in order to become a more productive person in all aspects of your life, not just in business.
According to Covey, our perceptions are the only factors influencing how we perceive the world. We must change ourselves in order to change a situation, and in order to change ourselves, we must be capable of changing our perceptions.
1. Be proactive
Being proactive is the first habit that Covey discusses. Many people, as per Covey, are reactive; they let outside factors define their behavior instead of being proactive and taking ownership of their choices and actions. Focusing on the things you can truly control and not worrying yourself with things you can’t change or influence can help you be a more productive person than blaming the outside world for your problems, allowing other people’s behavior to control your mood, or even letting bad weather define your mood.
Our inherent capacity to assess our own character, choose how to interpret ourselves and our circumstances, and control our own performance sets humans apart from all other creatures. We are in control. The rules by which we live our lives are the ones we choose. To be proactive and accept responsibility for your decisions, use this self-awareness.
2. Begin with the end in mind
Start out with a certain endpoint in mind. We should start every project with the end in mind. According to Covey, we may use our imagination to create a vision of who we want to be and our consciousness to choose the values that will direct us.
Most people find it rather simple to keep themselves busy. We put together a lot of effort to succeed and gain raises, more wealth, and more fame. However, we rarely think about the meaning of this effort or the relevance of these accomplishments. We also rarely consider if the things we pay such close attention to are indeed important to us.
3. Put first things first
This habit is all about prioritization. Decide what matters most, then prioritize those tasks over everything else. Our daily tasks must be prioritized according to what is most important, not what is most urgent. To accomplish this, we must have the discipline to do so.
We must possess the willpower to act even when we don’t want to in order to preserve the discipline and commitment necessary to move forward with our goals. We must always behave in accordance with our objectives rather than our desires or emotions.
4. Think “win-win”
Living is a negotiation. Many people look for a “win-lose” result when they interact with others; they view every interaction as a competition. On the other side, effective individuals understand the value of distributing the plate evenly and encouraging enduring, fruitful connections.
Relationships, according to Covey, are like “emotional banking accounts” that you can either paying into or withdraw from them. The most important payment you can make into someone’s emotional bank account is by making an effort to truly comprehend them and understand what is important to them.
We must commit to establishing Win-Win situations that are mutually beneficial and satisfying to each side if we are to develop productive interdependent relationships.
Covey explains that there are six paradigms of human interaction, go here…
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Covey explains that a lot of the time we don’t really listen to people, but instead project our own situation onto them and assume that what they’re thinking and feeling are the same.
You need to emphatically listen to others and get inside their frame of reference to understand them intellectually and emotionally. Before we can offer advice, suggest solutions take note of what they’re saying, deeply understand them and their perspective through empathic listening.
He says that we must seek first to understand, then to be understood. In order to seek to understand, we must learn to listen.
6. Synergise
In short, synergy means that when two things are united, the result is greater than the sum of the two individual parts. It’s always preferable for individuals to cooperate and use one another’s unique abilities to overcome a task than to quarrel and try to do it alone. You must respect, trust, and comprehend one another in order to do this.
We have the chance to develop synergy, which enables us to discover new possibilities via openness and creativity, through appreciating and embracing the differences in the opinions of others.
7. Sharpen the saw if you want to keep sawing
Self-improvement or taking the time to “sharpen the saw” is the focus of the seventh habit. Covey uses the example of a lumberjack chopping down trees: if he keeps sawing without pausing to sharpen his saw, ultimately it will get dull and he won’t be able to cut down trees anymore.
The major point from this is that in order to be productive, we must make the time to renew ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. In the long term, you’ll be a lot more productive if you give yourself a chance to relax rather than work continuously.
Key Takeaways from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People…
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