The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book by Stephen R. Covey. So, what are the seven habits?

1. Be Proactive

- Being proactive means "as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives."

- "Our behaviour is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen."

2. Begin with the end in mind

- "Begin with the end in mind is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things."

- "To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that the steps you take are always in the right direction."

3. Put first things first

- The ability of put first things first is the common denominator of success.

- "If you want to get something done, give it to a busy man."

4. Think win/win

- "Win/Win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial, mutually satisfying" for all parties.

- "Win/Win" is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everybody, that one person's success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others."

- "Win/Win" is a belief in the Third Alternative. It's not your way or my way; it's a better way, a higher way."

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

- "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply."

- "Diagnose before you prescribe."

- "When you can present your own ideas clearly, specifically, visually, and most important, contextually - in the context of a deep understanding of their paradigms and concerns - you significantly increase the credibility of your ideas."

6. Synergize

- Synergy means that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

- "The essence of synergy is to value differences - to respect them, to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses."

7. Sharpen the saw

- Habit 7 is "preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have - you."

- Habit 7 is "renewing the four dimensions of your nature - physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional."

- Sharpen the saw means "exercising all four dimensions of your nature, regularly and consistently in wise and balanced ways."

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