the 7 habits of highly effective people: summary review of key points

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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A book review and summary of the best-selling work by Stephen Covey.

Rating: Highly recommended.

Stephen Covey’s book on personal development has been a bestseller worldwide for decades.

Mr. Covey would have been 81 years old this week, so to celebrate his birthday and his memory, here’s a summary of the key insights he shared.

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You are not your habits. Change your habits and you will change your life.

To change your habits, you must change the way you see the world.

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Be ProactiveHABIT ONE

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Be proactive.Use your uniquely human ability to differentiate what

is and is not within your control.

Then, take the initiative and focus ONLY on solving problems within your control.

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Begin with theEnd in Mind

HABIT TWO

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Begin with the end in mind.Prepare your personal mission statement by thinking,

“What will people say about me when I die?”

Live your life so the legacy you leave is one you have proactively chosen.

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Put First Things FirstHABIT THREE

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Put first things first.Don’t prioritize your schedule, schedule priorities.

Determine true priorities by categorizing daily activities as: • Important and urgent (food, shelter, transportation)

• Important, but not urgent (exercise, quality time with family)• Not Important, but feels urgent (email)

• Not important, but not urgent (TV)

Put First Things First

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Think Win-WinHABIT FOUR

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Think win-win.Cooperation is a fundamentally better strategy for life

and work than competition.

Replace a zero-sum mentality with a win-win mindset to achieve maximum success.

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Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

HABIT FIVE

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Seek first to understand, then to be understood.Listening is the most important communication skill.

Only once you truly understand the other person, can true communication begin.

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SynergizeHABIT SIX

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Synergize.The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Cooperate with others to achieve more successful outcomes than either of you can achieve alone.

Synergize

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Sharpen Your SawHABIT SEVEN

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Sharpen your saw.Take enough time to work on yourself–physically,

mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Effective living is directly proportional to the investment you make in yourself.

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Learn more about the work collaboration tool chosen by millions of highly effective people at www.smartsheet.com.

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