[Monica]

Who is ready to dive deep into productivity? We are discussing the Stephen Covey’s bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. This book steers clear from a lot of psychology’s trends and self help techniques and takes an active stance to prove that behavioural changes have the most powerful results in our lives.

If you read the book, that is awesome! If you haven’t and don’t own it, you can have a quick recap of the 7 habits here: https://www.blinkist.com/magazine/posts/read-seven-habits-highly-effective-people-3-minutes

OPEN DISCUSSION

1 – Out of these habits, is there any that you already apply to your daily life? If so, what impact has it caused since you implemented it?

2- What is an habit that you would like to adopt and what would it change in your life?

[Cathryn Unverricht]

1. I have currently started working on number 4, putting first things first, and have previously applied number 6, seek first to understand, then be understood. I have been focusing a lot lately on prioritizing the things I find very important in my life. This has impacted my relationships with family and friends as I have focused on them more than I used to and therefore I feel more connected to my friends and family and have been feeling much happier in my overall life. I have always been good at listening to others and this has impacted my life as people are more likely to talk to me as they know I will listen.

2. I would like to focus on number 3, begin with an end in mind. I have worked a lot of jobs and done a lot of volunteering, but I haven’t really taken the time to think about and focus on what I want for the future, and make meaningful steps to actually get myself closer to that end goal.

[Ashley Irizarry]

1. I am currently working on habit number 2: Be Proactive. I have always had a natural gravitation to helping others by sharing my ideas, stories and opinions in a creative and unique way. I have went back and forth debating on whether I would like to branch out of the corporate office and invest in my creative endeavor. Covid-19, as terrible as it has been, has granted me the opportunity of time to focus on pursing the establishment of my blog.

2. The habit I would like to adopt would be number #4. It would change my life by allowing me to take the time to focus my thoughts and ideas and mold them in to a streamlined chronicle for my blog. Ultimately, if all things become successful, could lead to a potential book.

[Sherri Cummings]

1. I have been trying to work on 3. Begin with an end in mind. The family seems supportive. Just trying to become more disciplined and that is on e of my struggles.

2. I would like to start number 2. Be proactive- take charge and assume responsibility for my life with my blog.

[Anonymous]

Number 1, Don’t work yourself to death, is my mantra, hand-in hand with the adage, work smarter, not harder. It seems to be the overarching principle of the list, in that a sustainable, recuperative and effective lifestyle will be ensured by adhering to habits 2-7 also. I read Covey’s book quite a while ago but I saw it as a road map and began steering my lifeboat in a different direction. Two years ago I quit my day job, started my own business and resolved to get my first book published, so I took habits 2-4 to heart. A couple of courses in collaboration and conflict management tuned me in to #5-7, helped me to focus on group dynamics and fostered my natural respect for and appreciation of other people.

[Francis Proctor]

1. I think #6 is one I do fairly often, could probably improve, but generally speaking, I do try and listen to people when they come to me with concerns and not try and give them an immediate solution.

2. I definitely need to work on being proactive. I have spells where I can be very proactive, but I know I could be even more so,

[Deborah Ramsey Proctor]

This is a great book! I really like it, but it would do me good to re-read it!

[Dani Laurin]

1. Number 1 (Sharpen the saw). I seem to be able to do this well in life. I live an organized life that allows me time for all the important things, rather than feeling burnt out all the time.

2. Number 3( Begin with an end in mind). I believe if I work actively toward a goal it will be achieved faster. I think too much about the possible journey rather than knowing what I want to achieve and just going for it

[Lisa.kinoti]

This is a book that is in the line-up in my audible app. Day 2 of the Blog course has inspired me to go ahead and get that book done. From the 3 minute read however, I am finding that these are the principles that I have been learning from life experiences so far. The habit that jumped out at me the most that I feel I need to work on more is #6) Seek first to understand, then to be understood. I find that naturally as a human I may find myself craving other people’s understanding. We like to be validated. It makes us feel good and worthy. Today’s read has challenged me to change this mindset and to turn it all around. To be a better listener, to ask questions, and to seek to truly understand the person I am communicating with. This is something I will begin to practice right away both in person-to-person conversations and in writing.

[Maureen.petersen]

1-This is such a great book. I am attempting to apply number 4. I have developed the habit of writing down my goals daily to provide me with a daily reminder of my vision for the future.

2- I am working on being proactive. Unfortunately with the current state of our COVID-19 world, I have been forced to be reactionary. I am hopeful that this can change.

[Christine.earle]

I’m only a newbie so I guess #1 is on the cards for me I’ve always worked hard & tried to fit family in where I can … unfortunately all my kids have grown up with me not being 100% present… but lucky for me they understand … well things are changing I’m putting the ones I luv first from now on ! 👍

[Anonymous]

1. I already prioritizing my tasks and compromising with others. I has helped me be able to get things done and know that both of us are willing to do our part.

2. I want to apply sharpening the saw method. Sometimes I tend to try to do all of the work at once without giving myself time to recuperate. Applying this one would help me enjoy being productive during the day. Synergize is an interesting one that I would like to learn more about and apply. Usually, I do not expect much from the individuals that I work with. I think applying this method might help me see the difference.in accomplishing goals.

[Cassandra.carpenter]

I have read this book several times over the years and thought it had a lot of great insights, but unfortunately I was always one that lived under the motto “If you work hard, you will be recognized and reach your goals”. After years and years of work being my life, I realized that this was not the case. I watched people who did as little as possible get promoted and win awards. As time ticked away and I got older, that to became a hindrance to my career growth. After feeling sorry for myself (for a little bit) I realized that I need to change the way I think and the way I approach tasks. So, I am now working on several of these key points:

First, No.1 – Don’t work yourself to death. I am actively trying to do more things that I enjoy and see the world through a different perspective than work, work, work.

Second, No.3 – Begin with an end in mind. I have always had goals and thought I was working toward them, but I was doing it in all the wrong ways. Now I am trying to be more attuned to what will actually move me a step closer to what I want to do and where I want to be, and even how I feel about life in general.

Things I have done: No. 2 – Be Proactive. I have generally looked for ways that can prevent problems or issues before they happen, and I am sure I have avoided many issues by doing this. We do however, live in a society of Reactiveness and it can make it difficult in the workforce to get people to understand that if you fix the issue now, it will not become a bigger problem later.

No.6 – I try to think of a way that both parties can benefit. But this is one that I continue to work on because it usually ends up with the other party having the better outcome.

So, many things to work on and the time is now.

Good Luck everyone.

[Bryanna.forest]

• 1 – Out of these habits, is there any that you already apply to your daily life? If so, what impact has it caused since you implemented it?

• I am pleasantly surprised to find I already do a lot of these! I can stand to practice them more intensely but at least I was on the right track.

  #1:, I make sure to get enough sleep, eat well enough, and take breaks when I need to in order to remain feeling good. I wish I didn’t need as much sleep and as many breaks as I take, but I remember what it was like to be absolutely burnt out in college and it took me 4 years to recover. I know that I can function at 100% when I am feeling good, and at only about 30-50% when I do not. So instead of half-assing 2 things, I try to whole-ass 1 thing.

  #2: This is newer in my life, as before about a year and a half ago, I really didn’t have a strong direction and was waiting to see what came my way. I didn’t feel confident making a choice because I was thinking of all the things I might miss by making that choice. So I was stagnant. Finally I decided I needed to take the reins and so I signed up for yoga teacher training. Since then, I have felt confidence like never before and am more comfortable seeking out changes and making decisions in my life on my own terms and with a goal in mind.

  #3: Hand-in-hand with #2, I now spend time, energy, and money on things I want to do and achieve. I am looking to the future and even though it isn’t crystal clear, it is so much clearer than it was before my “enlightenment” that I can actually move toward actual goals.

  #5: ~I’m a Libra~ I am always thinking of balance and striving for the outcome that satisfies all parties. Not necessarily because I want to gain allies, but because I believe everyone deserves fairness. And I walk the walk.

[Jeshin.chun]

I loved reading this book. I just finished my first round of reading it. I plan to start reading it again, this time focusing on the application as I go. The first round, I just wanted to familiarize myself with all of the concepts.

I really want to work on the whole concept of the quadrants. I always find myself working on the urgent tasks and constantly putting the tasks that are very important but not immediately critical on the back burner and essentially never getting to it. Because of this I typically operate under a lot of stress and putting out fires. I really want to practice prioritizing the tasks that will help in the bigger picture and long run.

I also want to work on listening and coming up with win-win solutions in all of my important relationships.

[Julian]

I definitely apply the #1 the opposite way; habits #2 to #6 are in my mind and I try to apply them as much as I can, and the last one is a work in progress.

Putting first things first is by far the one that changed me the most by not focusing on tasks that seem important but often are just to fulfil the ego.

[Donielle.showvay]

I used to “work myself to death” and never take time for myself. If there were minutes left in the day, they should be used to be productive.

But I’ve recently learned that a balance is much healthier and can actually cause me to be even more productive than when I was working, working, working with no breaks.

So Habit #1 has become a reality for me recently and I’m really enjoying the reduced stress it has caused in my life.

I also have recently begun practicing Habits #3 and #4. Prioritizing and setting a clear goal in mind for the next day each night has enabled me to be more focused in what I do during work hours and has allowed me to reward myself when I accomplish those tasks by stopping and enjoying a break.

Habit #2 is something I need to try to do more of. I tend to be more reactive rather than proactive and I want to start showing up as a leader. So this is important for me to start practicing in my personal life as well as in my business and my blogging.

[Stephanie.ao]

1 – Out of these habits, is there any that you already apply to your daily life? If so, what impact has it caused since you implemented it?

Often I’ve been described as a good listener, its been always instilled in me. The impact that this habit has had on my life is that people will often come to me for advice or to have a deep and meaningful conversation. People are emotional and enjoy being listened to.

2- What is an habit that you would like to adopt and what would it change in your life?

Being proactive, most circumstances I am but some I’m not and sometimes I let that get in the way of my potential and where I want to go. Being proactive in all aspects of my life will get me one step further in achieving my life goals.

[Stephanie]

Seek first to understand, then be understood is one that I would like to adopt more of, it would create opportunity for me to take in more meaningful information rather than jumping to a conclusion.

Be proactive is one that I have lived by for a while now, it has created many opportunities and allowed me to be involved in so many events and activities which create an atmosphere for change.

[Vijaya]

Among these seven habits, I am already working on number 2: Be Proactive, When I was in my teenage and young adulthood, I used to react on each and everything . That gave me title of arrogant and foulmouthed. Even though, I was good by heart and had very helping nature; my short tempered behavior always crated problem for me. when I started meditating and learnt to control my reactions, people’s opinion changed towards me and they became more approachable and welcoming.

I would like to work on number 6: seek to understand first. Even though, over a period I have altered my behavior but, still I feel there is a need for me to give and take extra time to understand when someone is discussing their personal matter. Especially, when people seek my advice for their personal affairs. I do not overreact. But at times, I judged them in my mind which I feel I have to work on more.