Saima Ashraf

Book Review :THE 7 key habits of highly effective people THE 7 key habits of highly effective people was written by Late Mr. Stephen R.Covey more than 50 years back , but its teachings, applications & practicability is very much valid even till today. Covey believes that the way we see things in the world is entirely based on our own perceptions and beliefs. So In order to change something we must change our selves and even the way we see things. He talks about the 7 habits which are below. *Habit 1*: Be Proactive. Being proactive does not mean grabbing life by the horns. It means focusing only on events that are within your realm of control and not worrying about the things that you cannot change. *Habit 2:* Begin with the End in Mind. the second habit you develop is to learn how to plan your goals. This habit is a method of psychological creation and when it is mastered, it makes the physical creation of your goals much easier. *Habit 3:* Put First Things First. Habit 3 is all about prioritization, it is essential that you develop your habits and your priorities to meet your own goals. This follows habit 2 because it is the physical creation of your goals. It cuts out needless work, or at least, puts it off until it is absolutely necessary. According to Covey, prioritization is not about learning how to manage your time. It is about learning how to manage yourself. *Habit 4:* Think Win-win When you were developing the habits that lead to personal victory, you learned how to create a winning situation for yourself. You can use these skills to translate that “win” into a public victory. When you are creating a winning scenario in a public setting, you would call it a “win/win.” *Habit 5:* Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood Listening is one of those habits that needs to be constantly developed. Because it feels counterintuitive to listen to another person just for the sake of empathizing with them, it makes it hard to find the benefit of listening. Covey says that the value of listening is more powerful than many give it credit for because it allows you to gather real data rather than perceived data. *Habit 6:* Synergize. This is in your best interest because when you have a bigger network of effective people working on a problem, you are more likely to come up with a viable, creative solution while expending less energy. The knowhow that each person brings to the table can be fostered to create a scenario in which you do not have several individuals on a team but one team made up of several individuals. Covey believes that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Encouraging positive responses to individual contributions and providing recognition for the individual is an effective habit. *Habit 7:* Sharpen the Saw. Covey describes this as self-renewal and he believes that it is this habit that makes everything else possible. To make sure that you cover all four bases, you might consider the following habits: Physical Self. Proper exercising and nutrition as well as stress management Mental Self. Reading, studying and writing as well as visualizing and planning your goals Social Self. Serve others, practice empathy, and work towards synergy Spiritual Self. Meditation as well as spiritual reading and study If i summarize everything in one sentence, the seven habits of highly effective people is a principle-centered, character-based, inside-out approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness.