Reflection on Habit 3 of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey !
I've been reading Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People over the last couple months. It discusses developing independence first, and then interdependence: and this can be accomplished by practicing 7 habits, namely:
Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
Put first things first
Seek first to understand
Think win-win
Synergise
Sharpen the saw
Recently, I've been practicing the habits of private victory, that is, the habits that constitute independence (Habits 1, 2, & 3).
Independence comes from focusing your attention to matters that are within your circle of influence, and accepting what is beyond your control.
It comes from recognising what truly matters to you, your inner values, and centring your resources and mental paradigms on fulfilling your inner compass. Basically, it means developing a mental map of the territory; navigating the world based on what matters to you.
It then comes from the application of your self-awareness for your deepest values: How can you allocate your time, energy, and focus to reach the goals that are most important to you? Covey reintroduces the Eisenhower Matrix by explaining what the four quadrants mean for true independence.
Source: Todoist
Focus on Quadrant II. That is, activities that aren't urgent, but are important and align with our inner values.
Individuals who focus too much on "putting out fires" in Quadrant I never have the time to allocate to the things that bring them closer to their long-term goals. That's many of us.
We aren't necessarily productive when we're busy; we're productive when we make progress towards our most important destinations.
This month, this is my priority. My focus has been on working on Habit 3: Put first things first. So here's how I applied it:
Screenshot of my notes app: Roles and Goals
These are some of my important roles in life, and some goals for each role that I feel align with what matters to me most.
I find self-improvement (and improvement in general) to be a key motivator in everything I do. This self-awareness produced goals that are representative of me as an individual, and not of external criteria for success.
Furthermore, Covey's concept of "Roles and Goals" is great because we can work on developing ourselves in a breadth of aspects -- not neglecting one when we focus on another!
I've condensed these long-term goals related to my roles in life into mini sub-goals that I can achieve on a day-to-day basis. These "mini goals" bring me closer to my long-term goals, but aren't overwhelming in any way.
I track these goals on my favorite task management app, Todoist!
These projects in Todoist allow me to organize my tasks based on what "Role" they are connected to.
I make sub-tasks to create the small steps that I can take to reach a bigger goal.
Lastly, I use Google Calendar to schedule all my Quadrant II activities for the week, so I don't procrastinate on the activities aligning with my principles. In the gaps, I can slot in activities that are urgent (coursework + deadlines + meetings). This way, we can handle urgent matters while also working on our long-term goals -- meaning sustainable progress!
I hope this reflection gives you the drive to introduce Habit 3: Put first things first in your own life. Try out the applications (Roles + Goals, Task management, Scheduling) that I've discussed in this post to take charge and achieve the goals that actually matter to you. In essence, find success by knowing how to prioritise your inner values instead of putting out fires that never mattered in the first place.
Thank you for reading!
Nicole