Today's guide is a summary of the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey and was inspired by this post of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Summary.

The principle behind the book is that, in order to achieve great results both from a professional and a personal point of view, it is absolutely necessary to change the way we perceive ourselves and the outside world and then implement fairly important changes.

The seven habits are just for this

• Habits 1, 2, 3 are focused on our own person, to make us move from a state of dependence to one of independence.
• Habits 4, 5 and 6 will help us develop the ability to work in groups, collaborate and communicate effectively.
• Habit 7 is instead the one that allows you to continue to grow and improve and is based on the other 6 habits.

We, therefore, begin to deepen individual habits:

Habit 1: Be proactive

In approaching life, both professionally and personally, two types of approach can be adopted: a passive and one - in fact - proactive approach. In the book, Stephen Covey also reflects on the meaning of the word responsibility, as a response-ability. People have the opportunity to choose how to react in different situations.

Those who adopt a passive approach focus on the so-called Circle of Concerns. On the other hand, those who adopt a proactive approach focus their energies on the Influenza Circle - that is, on what can actually generate change.

Being proactive means responding actively to events, not being mere witnesses.

Habit 2: Keep the final goal in mind

There is no doubt that everyone's life is full of commitments and that often, unexpected or even positive surprises distract us from what we have set ourselves to achieve. Stephen Covey suggests undertaking any activity with the ultimate goal in mind - this will help us maintain our focus and remember the motivations that led us to undertake a project. In doing so, we must also identify our values and a so-called center, which will be our source of security and stability. The center could be ourselves, our partner, friends, a place ... although Covey advises us to have the center of the principles, which are stable and timeless.

Habit 3: Prioritize the most important things

With the ultimate goal in mind, you need to learn how to handle daily activities properly. According to Covey, activities can be of two types: important and urgent.

From these two characteristics, four groups are born:

• Important and urgent activities, such as sudden problems, crises, etc.
• Important but not urgent activities, such as strategic activities, collaborations, etc.
• Non-Important but Urgent Activities, such as phone calls, emails, etc.
• Non-important and non-urgent activities, such as leisure activities, hobbies, etc.

If you want to be able to get more out of your days, you will have to try to prioritize the activities that fall into the second group or - then invest your energy on what can bring results in the long term.

Habit 4: Think about what is beneficial for everyone

When you are in a situation of collaboration and/or negotiation with others, there are six different types of cases:

• The situation is advantageous for both;
• The situation is advantageous for you but disadvantageous for the other person;
• The situation is disadvantageous to you but advantageous for the other person;
• The situation is disadvantageous for both;
• The situation is advantageous to you - and you do not care about the outcome for the other person;
• An agreement is not found.

Without a doubt, it is important to try and reach a point where the situation is beneficial for both parties involved. In any case, it is important to keep open the possibility also that you cannot reach an agreement: it is a clearly better option than a situation that is disadvantageous for one of the parties involved. Also, be careful to limit your competitive spirit. Clearly, trying to reach a win-win situation does not give room for competition.

Habit 5: Try to understand, before wanting to be understood

To improve your communication, try to understand as much as possible the person in front of you, before trying to be understood. For example, before offering advice, make an effort to listen carefully to your interlocutor and try to put yourself in his shoes. Learning to listen is essential. If you put this habit into practice, you will certainly limit the number of misunderstandings and problems with the people you interface with.

Habit 6: Create synergies

Working on the habits 4 and 5, you will have the necessary tools to create the habit 6. When you are willing to create advantageous situations for all the parties involved and to listen carefully to the people you work with, you will be able to create synergies.

Creating a synergy means working to satisfy the desires of all the people involved. The transformation takes place when it is possible to make the most of all the various capacities and points of view, in order to achieve a common goal.

Habit 7: Take care of yourself

Finally, if you want to achieve great results, you will need to be willing to devote some time and energy to taking care of yourself. As human beings, we always need to renew ourselves from a physical, mental, spiritual and social point of view.

Then try to:

• Take care of your body, eating healthily, exercising and resting sufficiently;
• Take care of the spiritual dimension by practicing meditation, immersing yourself in nature and dedicating time to reading and music;
• Take care of yourself from a mental point of view, read books, write a diary and try to limit the time you spend watching television.
• Finally, also making sure to take care of your social life, dedicating part of your time to friends and family.

Taking care of yourself, you will embark on a path of continuous growth and you will manage to get more and more.
These are the 7 habits presented by Stephen R Covey to be able to be more effective and achieve great results, both from a personal and professional point of view. Now you just have to put them into practice and let me know what changes known. As usual, let's talk about it in the comments.

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