July 6, 2021 13 minutes readThis article was translated using AI technology from the Spanish edition. This process may cause errors.Entrepreneur contributors do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed.This book has been a bestseller for years. It is still a favorite of mine. It teaches us everything we need to be a productive, effective person capable of imagining the life we want.Stephen Covey published "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Persons" in 1989. Each edition sold out.He was an international leader authority, educator, consultant and writer who passed away in 2012. His life was dedicated to teaching principles and leadership that would help families and organizations.He has distilled his experiences to make it easy for people no matter their current location to be effective. These 7 habits can be cultivated over time to help you achieve your goals of high productivity and personal and professional efficiency.Being proactive is the first habit of highly productive people.Covey refers to the first step as fundamental. It is in "private victory", which Covey describes as a complete victory for those who depend only on you. According to the author, there are two ways of living life: proactive and reactive. Reactive people are those who react to external stimuli and constantly wait for the answer. This type of acting is never satisfied because they are constantly being pushed.This may interest you: How can I take control of my life?There are also proactive people. Once you make a decision, you can start to exercise total freedom over your life.You must take complete responsibility for your own life and be proactive to become a proactive person. According to the author, there are two types psychological spheres you can live in: the circle or circle of influence and the circle of concern.The worry circle contains all the things you care about, even the things that make your angry, but which you cannot control.The circle of influence, on the other hand is comprised of relevant information that you have control over.You may be seeing on social media that there are many issues in the world. The vast majority of the time, you cannot do anything about it. There is just too much information out there that can make your life miserable and cause unnecessary worry.Proactive vision is about focusing your attention on the areas of influence that you can influence. For example, your financial situation depends on your growth. If you want to improve your financial position, you must create a strategy to get the results you desire.When your vision and goals are more important than your frustrations and problems, your proactive mind will kick in.The second habit starts with an end in your mindTo determine what you want in your life, you need to ask many questions. A vision is a mental picture that represents your goals and dreams. It will be easier to achieve your vision if it is clearer and more concrete. You must know where you want it to be before you can decide which direction to take.Start by creating a vision for the future to help you understand where you are at this moment. To get started, consider your life as an art piece. You will know the best technique and colors to use. It is important to have a clear picture of the final result.Third, it is important to put first things firstThe previous point is where you can start to create a detailed action plan, and then implement it in the most effective way. This is when you can start to manage your day.As you've read, the first habit is taking responsibility. The second habit is creating an ideal vision for your future. The third habit is to make that vision a reality and to start building it.As an example, let's say you want to build your own house. The first habit is to decide to start. The second habit is to create the house plans, imagine it, and then to build it. Once you have all the details in your head, it's time to start building. The third habit is to begin laying bricks and forming the foundation for the house.At this stage in your development, your principles and values must be a priority. It is therefore important that you become aware of how you manage the time that you have.Stephen Covey suggests a four-block structure, in which your activities are arranged according to importance and urgency.Image courtesy Daniel ColomboThe most urgent tasks are in the first quadrant. This is your top priority. You must complete certain activities in a legally required manner, such as solving a problem, making payments, or completing projects that have a deadline.The second quadrant includes activities that are not essential but important to your vision. This is where you will find the information that is relevant to making decisions and moving forward with your project. This includes things such as reading, learning, planning and building relationships. All things that are related to continuing improving.The activities that are important but not urgent are in the third quadrant. These include interruptions, unnecessary meetings, lost time, loss of focus on the essentials, and anything else that requires your attention. Even if they are not relevant to your life project, it should be done. Effective delegation is key.The fourth quadrant includes activities that are not urgent or important. This quadrant could ruin your life. This quadrant is not a way to escape. It contains all the bad habits and distractions that can distract us from the life we want. It is about getting rid of all distractions and interruptions.Covey suggests that you make a schedule that includes important activities. That is, you should spend at least half of your time in activities you consider quadrant one and two, and as few as possible in quadrants third and fourth.Start slowly and manage your time according to what is most important to yourself.Moving towards effectivenessTo return to Covey's 7 Habits, you can start the next 3 habits once you have mastered those three habits. These habits are considered "public victory," meaning that once you've learned how to manage yourself, you can start to lead others.The idea is that if you are able to create a vision and then commit to it, others will be inspired to follow your lead towards a common vision.Fourth, think win-winYou have learned how to win for yourself by developing the habits that allow you to win privately. Now it is time to make situations where everyone can win.We are used to destructive paradigms in which one person has to lose to allow another to win. This is the easy way. Many relationships are very unevenly balanced. This new paradigm allows you to approach an activity not only with the intention of getting maximum benefit, but also for both you and the other party.That will allow you to build strong relationships where trust is the glue that binds them together.The fifth habit is to first understand, then to be understood.Listening is one of your most important skills. Without the ability to listen, it is impossible to build a relationship. To be a good listener, you must not want to interrupt another person but instead keep a deep curiosity to learn more.Understanding someone will take effort and consideration. However, understanding yourself requires courage and precision to express your true thoughts.Empathy is the ability to see and understand another person's point-of-view when solving a problem. It is of paramount importance.Communication is the ability to communicate and listen to others. It is a bad habit to try to solve problems we don't hear. This can cause communication issues and compromise your relationships. It is crucial to first understand the person you are talking to and then, once you have a better understanding, you can help them find a solution.The sixth habit is to use synergyThis is how you can coexist with other effective people.Trust and accountability are the foundation of your professional and personal relationships. This is when you can surround yourself with people who share your desire for creative solutions. You can accomplish much more by working together.You now know that you don't understand everything and also have an understanding of your limitations. However, you can find people who can help you transcend these limitations and expand your influence.This book focuses on the idea that everyone is different and that it can be celebrated.There are many talents, ideas, and abilities. Therefore, it is always better to work in teams with effective people.The seventh and final habit is to sharpen the saw.Stephen Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" outlines the steps needed to complete this cycle. Focus on improvement every day and perseverance to help you develop all aspects in your life.This part is described by the author as a balanced process of self-renewal that is comprised of four interconnected and complementary parts.You must feed 4 vital dimensions: The physical, or everything that affects your body, and the mental, or reading, writing, and planning goals. The social, or the service you give others, trust, and empathy. And the spiritual, which refers to your core values and deepest beliefs.If you can dedicate your time to these four areas, you will experience a constant growth. You will soon see the benefits and feel more fulfilled.Recapitulating your winsThis is the final habit of the 7 habits that Steven Covey has outlined: In the beginning, you began with the private victory. It consisted of one, be proactive, two, have an end in sight, and three, put first things first.You can now begin to look at the "public victory" after this initial stage. It consists of the following: fourth, think win-win; fifth and sixth, seek first understanding and then be understood; and sixth and seventh, use synergy.These six habits are powerful and can help you to renew your outlook on the world. It is time to learn, grow, and improve every day. You will remember habit seven (continue to sharpen the saw), and create a system that allows you make the best decisions for your life. Also, think about how you can benefit others. Your environment.What do you think about this book? Have you read it or will you be reading it?
