The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 3 –Â Put First Things First
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a self-improvement book, which emphasizes our perceptions about everything around us and how it affects a situation, a person, and how we must be open to change them.
A Brief Summary:
It starts with a very interesting exercise which helps you evaluate yourself. Habit 3 is a personal fruit and a practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2.
In habit 3 we deal with many of the questions addressed in the field of life and time management. Organize and execute around priorities. That phrase represents the evolution of three generations of time management theory, and how to best do it is the focus of a wide variety of approaches and materials.
It talks about Quadrants and how we experience that we cannot move to another quadrants ignoring important activities of other quadrants. To make each quadrant work for you , you have to work on each of them proactively.
You will understand what it takes to say NO if you don’t have a bigger yes to replace it. It is only when you have the self-awareness to examine your program and the imagination to create a new principle-centered program for you, then you can confidently say no to things and people.
Key Lessons:
1.) Organising work/goals/tasks.
2.) Time management
3.) Commit yourself and setup a regular time to finish your tasks.
In my last post, I had shared a brief summary of the habit number one out of the seven habits this wonderful book talks about.
So here is the second habit which is surely going to help you to change your perspective. I hope this will save some time and give you some value addition 🙂
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 2 – Begin With The End in Mind
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a self-improvement book, which emphasizes our perceptions about everything around us and how it affects a situation, a person, and how we must be open to change them.
A Brief Summary:
It is highly recommended that you find a quiet place for yourself before you begin to read this chapter. Empty your mind and begin with the end in mind.
You go through the process of VISUALIZATION. And you should be able to establish a contact with the inner guidance system at the heart of your circle of influence.
To begin with the end of the mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination, which we all lack. We all lack that clarity, we just want to achieve something but we lack the vision.
How defining a personal mission statement is the effective way to proceed in you life and towards your destination. It might help you to define certain standards to live.
Key Lessons:
We are responsible for our own effectiveness, for our own happiness, and ultimately, for most of our circumstances.
What is that one habit that you want to change for yourself? That one thing which holds you back and you want to overcome it?
Dr. Stepehen R.Covey’s, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is as relevant and timely today as it was when it was first published 25 years ago. This book is helpful when we read it and use what it says.
So here is my small attempt to bring out these 7 Mind-blowing habits in a summarised form to you for the 7 days starting today. I hope this will save some time and give you something meaningful 🙂
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 1 – Be Proactive
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a self-improvement book, which emphasizes our perceptions about everything around us and how it affects a situation, a person, and how we must be open to change them.
A Brief Summary:
Can you look at yourself almost through you were someone else? How would you describe yourself? Can you detach you from self and then try to describe you?
This divine ability is called “self-awareness” which we are blessed with. This is how we can be a constant learner from all our rich and lame experiences in our life.
Self-awareness not only enables us to see ourselves from a different perspective but it also helps us to evaluate how we see other people around us.
In short, in order to be effective one must be proactive.
Usually we are too reactive to situations and people, and we lose our stance. We lose control of ourselves and our thought process.
Covey defines responsibility as the ability to choose how you will respond to a given stimulus or situation, “response-ability”.
This chapter talks about stimulus, response, independent will, conscience. It is not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us. We have all known individuals in very different circumstances, perhaps with a terminal illness or physical injury, who maintains magnificient emotional strength.
It talks about how our circle of concern and circle of influence is responsible for our own degree of proactiveness. How are positive energy enlarges the circle of influence.
Key Lessons:
We are responsible for our own effectiveness, for our own happiness, and ultimately , for most of our circumstances.
1.) We can start replacing reactive language with proactive language.
2.) We can focus on our positive energy.
3.) We can choose to be more self-aware.
4.) Review you past and present sitaution, how reacting differently would have put you in different situation.
5.) Know that you are responsible, “response-able”.
