The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. Habit 1: Be Proactive Focus and act on what you can control and influence instead of what you can’t. In order to be proactive, we must focus on the Circle of Influence that lies within our Circle of Concern. The positive energy we exert will cause our Circle of Influence to expand. Reactive people, on the other hand, focus on things that are in their Circle of Concern but not in their Circle of Influence, which leads to blaming external factors, emanating negative energy, and causing their Circle of Influence to shrink. Key Lessons: Challenge yourself to test the principle of pro activity by doing the following:

1. Start replacing reactive language with proactive language. Reactive = "He makes me so mad." Proactive = "I control my own feelings."
2. Convert reactive tasks into proactive ones. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind Define clear measures of success and a plan to achieve them. Key Lessons: Challenge yourself to test the principle of beginning with the end in mind by doing the following:
3. Visualize in rich detail your own funeral. Who is there? What are they saying about you? About how you lived your life? About the relationships you had? What do you want them to say? Think about how your priorities would change if you only had 30 more days to live. Start living by these priorities.
4. Break down different roles in your life — whether professional, personal, or community — and list three to five goals you want to achieve for each.
5. Define what scares you. Public speaking? Critical feedback after writing a book? Write down the worst-case scenario for your biggest fear, then visualize how you'll handle this situation. Write down exactly how you'll handle it. Habit 3: Put First Things First Prioritize and achieve your most important goals instead of constantly reacting to urgencies. All activities can be categorized based on two factors: Urgent and important. We react to urgent matters. We spend our time doing things that are not important. That means that we neglect Quadrant II, which is the actually most crucial of them all. If we focus on Quadrant I and spend our time managing crises and problems, it keeps getting bigger and bigger until it consumes us. This leads to stress, burnout, and constantly putting out fires. If we focus on Quadrant III, we spend most of our time reacting to matters that seem urgent, when the reality is their perceived urgency is based on the priorities and expectations of others. This leads to short-term focus, feeling out of control, and shallow or broken relationships. If we focus on Quadrant IV, we are basically leading an irresponsible life. This often leads to getting fired from jobs and being highly dependent on others. Quadrant II is at the heart of effective personal management. It deals with things like building relationships, long-term planning, exercising, preparation — all things we know we need to do but somehow seldom get around to actually doing because they don't feel urgent. In order to focus our time in Quadrant II, we have to learn how to say "no" to other activities, sometimes ones that seem urgent. We also need to be able to delegate effectively. when we focus on Quadrant II, it means we're thinking ahead, working on the roots, and preventing crises from happening in the first place! This helps us implement the Pareto Principle — 80% of your results come from 20% of your time. We should always maintain a primary focus on relationships and results, and a secondary focus on time. "Think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things." —Stephen Covey Key Lessons: Here are some ways you can practice putting first things first:
6. Identify a Quadrant II activity you've been neglecting. Write it down and commit to implementing it.
7. Create your own time management matrix to start prioritizing.
8. Estimate how much time you spend in each quadrant. Then log your time over 3 days. How accurate was your estimate? How much time did you spend in Quadrant II (the most important quadrant)? Habit 4: Think Win-Win Collaborate more effectively by building high-trust relationships Covey explains that there are six paradigms of human interaction:
9. Win-Win: Both people win. Agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying to both parties.
10. Win-Lose: "If I win, you lose." Win-Lose people are prone to use position, power, credentials, and personality to get their way.
11. Lose-Win: "I lose, you win." Lose-Win people are quick to please and appease, and seek strength from popularity or acceptance.

12. Lose-Lose: Both people lose. When two Win-Lose people get together — that is, when two, determined, stubborn, ego-invested individuals interact — the result will be Lose-Lose.

13. Win: People with the Win mentality don't necessarily want someone else to lose — that's irrelevant. What matters is that they get what they want.

14. Win-Win or No Deal: If you can't reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial, there is no deal. Key Lessons: Get yourself to start thinking Win-Win with these challenges:

15. Think about an upcoming interaction where you'll be attempting to reach an agreement or solution. Write down a list of what the other person is looking for. Next, write a list next to that of how you can make an offer to meet those needs.
16. Identify three important relationships in your life. Think about what you feel the balance is in each of those relationships. Do you give more than you take? Take more than you give? Write down 10 ways to always give more than you take with each one.
17. Deeply consider your own interaction tendencies. Are they Win-Lose? How does that affect your interactions with others? Can you identify the source of that approach? Determine whether or not this approach serves you well in your relationships. Write all of this down. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to Be Understood Influence others by developing a deep understanding of their needs and perspectives.When we listen autobiographically — in other words, with our own perspective as our frame of reference — we tend to respond in one of four ways:
18. Evaluate: Agree or disagree with what is said
19. Probe: Ask questions from our own frame of reference
20. Advise: Give counsel based on our own experience
21. Interpret: Try to figure out the person's motives and behavior based on our own motives and behavior When we're able to present our ideas clearly, and in the context of a deep understanding of the other person's needs and concerns, we significantly increase the credibility of your ideas. Key Lessons: Here are a few ways to get yourself in the habit of seeking first to understand:
22. Next time you're watching two people communicating, cover your ears and watch. What emotions are being communicated that might not come across through words alone? Was one person or the other more interested in the conversation? Write down what you noticed.
23. Next time you give a presentation, root it in empathy. Begin by describing the audience's point of view in great detail. What problems are they facing? How is what you're about to say offering a solution to their problems Habit 6: Synergize Develop innovative solutions that leverage differences and satisfy all key stakeholders. When we listen autobiographically — in other words, with our own perspective as our frame of reference — we tend to respond in one of four ways: Synergy allows you to: .Value the differences in other people as a way to expand your perspective .Sidestep negative energy and look for the good in others .Exercise courage in interdependent situations to be open and encourage others to be open .Catalyze creativity and find a solution that will be better for everyone by looking for a third alternative Key Lessons:
24. Make a list of people who irritate you. Now choose just one person. How are their views different? Put yourself in their shoes for one minute. Think and pretend how it feels to be them. Does this help you understand them better? Now next time you're in a disagreement with that person, try to understand their concerns and why they disagree with you. The better you can understand them, the easier it will be to change their mind — or change yours.
25. Make a list of people with whom you get along well. Now choose just one person. How are their views different? Now write down a situation where you had excellent teamwork and synergy. Why? What conditions were met to reach such fluidity in your interactions? How can you recreate those conditions again? Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Increase motivation, energy, and work/life balance by making time for renewing activities. There are four dimensions of our nature, and each must be exercised regularly, and in balanced ways: 1)Physical Dimension:- The goal of continuous physical improvement is to exercise our body in a way that will enhance our capacity to work, adapt, and enjoy. To renew ourselves physically, we must: Eat well Get sufficient rest and relaxation Exercise on a regular basis to build endurance, flexibility, and strength Focusing on the physical dimension helps develop Habit 1 muscles of proactivity. We act based on the value of well-being instead of reacting to the forces that keep us from fitness. 2)Spiritual Dimension:- The goal of renewing our spiritual self is to provide leadership to our life and reinforce your commitment to our value system. To renew yourself spiritually, you can: Practice daily meditation Communicate with nature Immerse yourself in great literature or music A focus on our spiritual dimension helps us practice Habit 2, as we continuously revise and commit ourselves to our values, so we can begin with the end in mind. 3)Mental Dimension: The goal of renewing our mental health is to continue expanding our mind. To renew yourself mentally, you can: Read good literature Keep a journal of your thoughts, experiences, and insights Limit television watching to only those programs that enrich your life and mind Focusing on our mental dimension helps us practice Habit 3 by managing ourselves effectively to maximize the use of our time and resources. 4)Social/Emotional Dimension:- The goal of renewing ourselves socially is to develop meaningful relationships. To renew yourself emotionally, you can: Seek to deeply understand other people Make contributions to meaningful projects that improve the lives of others Maintain an Abundance Mentality, and seek to help others find success