We all want to be productive, but there is a massive difference between being busy and being effective. That's the junction where Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” enters.
If you are ready to stop reacting to life and start designing it, here are the 7 habits that changes everything:
1. Be Productive
Instead of waiting for things to happen, make them happen! People turn out to be effective when they realise they are the “programmers” of their own lives. It's true that you cannot control the natural calamities, but you can control how you respond to it. You should always focus on your “Circle of Influence”(things you can change) rather than your “Circle of Concern”(things you can't).
2. Begin With The End In Mind
Always start a plan by imagining your retirement from it. The most effective habit is about developing “personal leadership.” If you cannot set your own destination, you will always end up following someone else's path.
3. Put First Things First
Effective people prioritise those activities which are important in nature but not urgent. These include, planning, relationship building and personal growth. Always manage your things based on your priorities, not on the basis of your calendar.
4. Think Win-Win
Success doesn't have to come at someone else's expense. Whether the topic is personal or career related, try to seek solutions that benefits everyone involved. It's not being “nice,” it's about being interdependent and building long-term trust.
5. First Understand, Then Be Understood
Most people listen to other people only to reply and not understand their thoughts. When you truly listen to someone else's perspective first, they feel validated and feel comfortable in expressing themselves, making it much easier to reach a solution together.
6. Synergize
A complete and true synergy happens when you value the differences in people. By combining your strengths with someone else's, you create a third alternative that neither of you could have come up with alone.
7. Self-Renewal
It is true that you cannot continue sawing wood if the blade used is dull. This is what is indicative of “self-renewal.” You must take time to recharge in four areas:
Physical: Exercise and Nutrition
Social/Emotional: Meaningful Connections
Mental: Reading and Writing
Spiritual: Meditation or Nature.
Key takeaway: Becoming better or effective is not a magic; it's a continuous process of changing from dependence to independence and finally to interdependence.
