Author: Maria Chzhen
Date: 25 May 2020
Before you skip to the 7 habits, please read the first paragraph and be honest with yourself.
Have you found yourself in a situation where it feels like you have no foundation? There aren't unchanging principles to hold on tightly to. You feel like the daily mundane tasks are going to eat you whole, and you don't have the time to think about the big picture of our life. The planners and trackers you use stop working after a week - they are too restricting! If you caught yourself thinking: "Why is Maria describing my life right now?", then congratulations! I have found the right book for you.
Stephen R. Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" (1989) addresses issues related to your private and public life, gives easy-to-follow advice, and is a valuable and interesting book on self-development. For me, it felt like Stephen Covey's book took all aspects of life and said: "This is good, but it isn't organized and goal-oriented." Here are the seven habits that are capable of creating a real change in your life.
The problems, opportunities, and obstacles people face can be divided into two areas - Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence. The Circle of Concern deals with problems, issues that you are preoccupied with. The Circle of Influence deals with people and events that you have at least some control over. For most people, their Circle of Influence is smaller than their Circle of Concern. For billionaires, it's often vice versa. Proactive people focus on what they can control, their Circle of Influence. They use most of their time and energy on family, health, problems at work, and others. Reactive people are concentrated on the Circle of Concern - issues over which they have very little power. Such problems are terrorism, the national debt, or the weather. Stephen Covey says that the first step to becoming a proactive human being is gaining an insight into what you spend your time and energy on.
Covey based the second habit on imagination. These days, people grind and work hard. Because of a lack of vision, clarity, and the inability to stop and think, these workers aren't getting successful. They aren't focusing their efforts on things that are important to them. It is a helpful idea to build a personal mission statement to avoid making this error and going further down the unimportant road. To build yours on Franklin Covey's tool, tap here.
A part of my mission statement goes as follows:
Defend those who are absent. Plan tomorrow's work today. Concentrate all abilities and efforts on the task at hand. Maintain contact with people from your life. Stay physically active. Hear both sides before judging.
After you finish reading this article, you can create your personal mission statement, post it on Instagram, and tag our Instagram @readermaria.reviews. It is a great way to keep yourself accountable, and additionally, we would love to see your statements, too!
.Plan every week. There are several ways to manage your time. I know a few that every person has tried at least once: to-do list, calendar organizer, and a schedule that is a mix of to-do, priorities, and calendar. While these all sound great at first, they have irreparable flaws. A to-do list won't organize your tasks by priorities. It may make you feel like a champ (you are proud you accomplished at least something!). A calendar organizer won't give structure to your life. It is just enough, but it won't bring you much success. And the third option, a plan, makes you lose motivation. You may feel dependent on it; the schedule will be controlling you and your life, not vice versa. The best option is the one that will be most suitable for you personally. You will know which option I am talking about by reading the book or watching my review on YouTube.
Many of us were brought up with a competitive mindset. Many managers often create competitive, hostile environments that make employees selfish and unwilling to work. But the truth is that people don't need that much competition. Too much of it can become inefficient. People with competitive mindsets are thinking Win-Lose. Thinking win-win isn't just about being nice and letting people step on you (that would be thinking Lose-Win). It also isn't a manipulative, quick-fix technique. It is like a code for human collaboration. Both parties consider the feelings of each other. In the end, there is either an awesome deal or no deal (which saves both parties lots of pain in the long run).
If you're like most people, you will likely seek to get your point across first. While doing that, you may ignore the other person, pretend to listen, or focus on the words said, not their meaning. Most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. And then, you decide, in advance, what the other person meant before he/she finishes explaining. You might be saying at the moment, "Hold up. I'm only attempting to understand the person's point of view by remembering any similar experience I have had. How is that bad or wrong?" What you need to understand is that responses like these may be appropriate in some situations, but only when your relationship is established or when the person specifically asks for your advice. But in others, it is just better to listen and understand.
Synergizing is about creating a productive, trusting environment in a business or group in which creativity thrives. The main idea of synergy is that two heads are better than one. It means to innovate and create with those that have different opinions; to be supported and listened to. If you can create an atmosphere like that by investing in people and making the first step, you will discover great things together!
Sharpening the saw means seeking continuous renewal and improvement personally and professionally. The story behind the name of the habit is as follows: a man was chopping a tree. He has spent 5 hours hitting the tree with a bad saw. When asked about why he wouldn't sharpen his tool, the man said he was too busy. The action that would take 10 minutes and save a couple of hours was too much for him. Unlike this man, Covey suggests that you sharpen (renew) your tools and ways.
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey is a must-read for all people above the age of 13. It is an outstanding leadership bestselling book. Although, if you are a teenager, you may find "7 habits for highly effective teens" by Sean Covey more interesting. If you want to lead an organized, successful life, read the book and take notes. My rating for the book is five out of five
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