Habits of a Highly Effective Person – Part 3

Welcome back to the third of a seven-part series on Habits of Highly Effect People by Stephen R Covey.

In this series we will look at seven habits, identified by Covey, designed to help you to change your lifestyle, and in return, become a highly effective person. This resource intends to give a useful overview of these ideas, and will hopefully inspire you to read the book in full.

Habit 3. Put first things first. 

Whereas Habits 1 and 2 are about personal leadership – figuring out where you want to go and what you want to do in life. Habit 3 is about personal management. It’s about taking the big picture and turning it into the day-to-day. It’s about external actions that match your internal convictions.

“While leadership decides what ‘first things’ are, it is management that puts them first’ – Stephen R. Covey.

There is a great analogy that I’m sure most people will have heard of.

If you have a jar, and next to the jar you have big rocks, small rocks and sand. You need to put all of these things in the jar, you wouldn’t start with the sand, because it is the smallest and will take up a lot off the space quickly. Instead you would start with the big rocks. The big rocks are the most important things in your life. activities that don’t have deadlines; big rocks concern spirituality, health, relationships and professional purpose.

When you tackle these “big rocks” first, you will end up having time for the other other things in your life, as well as related and fun. But if you put “small rocks” first, the more important things in life get crowded out, and in return life feels super busy.

This is why it is important to put first (big rocks) things first.

You need to make your big rocks part of your daily routine. What you do first thing in the morning will dictate what you do for the rest of the day. When you wake up, is the first thing you do to look at your phone? Are you more focused on what is happening online than what is happening in front of you? In the morning start off with a workout, be it mentally, spiritually or physically.

I would recommend that even before a workout, make your bed. It may seem strange, but as soon as you are out of your bed, make it. Then that will already be one thing you have achieved. No matter how bad the rest of the day may go, you will start each day by being productive, even though it is a tiny task it will start your day off in the right way.

So, there we have it, the summary of the third habit of highly effective people, as identified by Stephen R Covey. In Part Three, we will look at:

• Think Win-Win

If you have enjoyed reading this, and are looking forward to the future parts of this series; then why not check out one of our personal development courses. We have an incredibly informative one: Personal Planning and Organisational Skills. Why not check it out here.