How Can You Be More Effective?
A compilation of some of the most important lessons found in this book for busy people who do not have the time to read it themselves.
How many of you want to have better relationships with the people around you? How many of you want to learn more tips on time management? How many of you want to become more effective in your daily life?
If you answered “I do” to any of these questions, then you should read continue reading this article to learn about some of the key ideas presented by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has long been regarded as one of the most impactful books for personal growth. Covey presents numerous strategies and ideas that can help a person become more efficient.
The seven habits presented by Covey are split into three categories. Habits 1, 2, and 3 are private victories, while habits 4, 5, and 6 are public victories. Habit 7, which is called “Sharpen The Saw” stands alone.
Private and Public Victories
Six of the habits are broken down into two categories: Private victories and public victories. So, what are these?
Private Victories
Encompassing habits 1, 2, and 3, a private victory is directly tied to personal growth. We cannot expect to improve our relationships with other people before we improve ourselves.
Public Victories
Habits 4, 5, and 6, which are public victories, foster mentalities of teamwork and cooperation in a person. For truly effective communication with other people, a person needs to willing to learn from the people around them.
Think of it this way: Two groups are working together on a project. Both groups include people who know their stuff and others whose focus is on design. Which project will turn out better? The one in which the group communicated effectively? Or the group who talks to each other only on the day the project is due?
The team that communicated will have a much more cohesive presentation. This is because they were open with one another and truly cooperated. After practicing habits 4, 5, and 6, a person can reach a state where they primarily have meaningful interactions with other people.
Understanding your goals and taking initiative
What does this mean?
In the book, Covey includes an exercise that asks readers to visualize a funeral — their funeral — taking place three years in the future. What would you want your parents to say about you? Your siblings? Your friends? Your office colleagues? What impact do you want to make on the people around you?
How many of you have ever uttered the phrase “someone else will do it?” Or “why should I make sure this happens?” Most people have.
We need to avoid that mentality. It is our responsibility to make things happen. We cannot rely on other people to give us every resource or opportunity that we are looking for.
How Can You Apply This?
- Start reaching out to people. Stop waiting for them to reach out to you. As a high school student, I am attempting to reach out to fellow peers, especially in this time of distance learning. Of course, this can also apply to work colleagues or friends in general.
- If something does not go your way, do not automatically blame others. We are all guilty of this. Ask yourself, what more could I have done? Next time you encounter a problem, make sure that you do all that you can to accomplish your goal.
The Time Management Matrix
What is it?
The Time Management Matrix is a simple organizer that separates all of our activities into four quadrants. To determine what quadrant an activity falls under, determine whether a task is important and whether a task is urgent.
If an activity is both urgent and important, it falls into Quadrant 1. Tasks that are important but not urgent fall into Quadrant 2, while urgent tasks that are not important are Quadrant 3 activities. If a task is neither urgent nor important, it is in Quadrant 4. Some examples of activities that fall into each category can be found below.
Covey believes that we should increase the time that we spend doing Quadrant 2 activities. I imagine that many people, including myself, often push off non-urgent activities to accommodate urgent tasks. But this is the wrong move.
By focusing attention on Quadrant 2, a person becomes better prepared to deal with any situation that comes their way.
Quadrant 2 activities focus on planning, preparation, and relationship building. By focusing on these events, a person is less likely to have an influx of Quadrant 1 activities because they have already planned for them.
There will always be situations that come up that are both urgent and important, but our goal is to limit the amount of those that come up. So, we need to focus on Quadrant 2.
How should we implement it?
Everyone is busy nowadays, so where can we make the time for Quadrant 2 tasks? Our time needs to come from Quadrant 3 and 4 activities. Quadrant 4 activities are useless, so we need to cut them out of our schedules first.
After eliminating a majority of your Quadrant 4 activities (this might take a little bit of time), move on to Quadrant 3. These activities are urgent, so we cannot just do away with them. Rather, we need to come up with strategies to limit the amount of time that needs to be spent on these tasks.
One way to do this is to use a daily or weekly planner. With the help of a planner, one can write down all of their Quadrant 3 tasks and check them off when they finish them. When people have everything laid out in front of me, they can power through these tasks much faster.
Time blocking can also be super helpful in limiting the amount of time you spend in this quadrant.
By limiting the amount of time we spend in Quadrant 3, we can create more time for Quadrant 2.
Understanding the Point of View of the Other Person, Before Sharing Your Own
What does this mean?
Imagine that you are discussing an issue with someone and you have conflicting opinions. What is your instinct?
If you are anything like most people, you try and push the other person to see your point of view. You list the reasons behind your opinion, before letting the other person speak. When you finally give them a chance to say something, you constantly interrupt to refute their opinion.
This is simply not productive.
Though it may be hard, we must first listen to the other person. We need to listen and actively try to understand their opinion. Why do they hold that opinion? What previous experiences have caused them to adopt that point of view?
“Seek first to understand…then to be understood.”
-Stephen Covey
Why is this so important?
Without this fundamental understanding, no conversation can ever be meaningful. I understand that this can be super hard to put aside. It is human nature.
However, we must overcome it. Look at it this way. How can you accurately try and persuade people to support your opinion if you do not understand their preliminary objections first?
For example, say that someone was trying to convince their sister that purple is the best color. Instead of listening to the reason that she disagrees with them, the person starts listing off a whole bunch of items that are purple to try and convince her of their point.
But, if they had listened to her, the person would have known that the reason she disagrees with them is because she likes roses, which are usually red. Now their original argument was completely useless. Instead, they need to tailor their response to what she previously said, by showing her pictures of tinted purple roses.
This is a basic example, but the principle is still the same. We must always understand the point of view of the opposition before we try and prove our own.
How can I apply this?
- Start applying this principle in all of the conversations that you have with people. Whether it be with family or with friends, this principle can help foster meaningful communication.
- Next time you are in a disagreement, make sure that you fully understand the other person’s argument, before trying to prove your own. Ask questions if you need clarification on something. Your defense will be far more effective if you actively listen to what they are saying.
So, the question is…do you want to be someone who manages their time effectively? Do you want to have meaningful conversations with your peers and family members? Do you want to accomplish your goals, whatever they may be?
Adopting these strategies can help you become that person. Ultimately though, it is up to you. What kind of life do you want to live?
Key Takeaways
- Take initiative to accomplish your goals. Stop relying on other people to do things for you.
- Start allocating time for activities that lie in Quadrant 2 of the Time Management Matrix to create a more well-balanced life.
- Before you try and get other people to understand your point of view on a topic, aim to understand their point of view first.
Next Steps
- Try and utilize these tactics and strategies in your own life. They will help you become more effective in your conversations and actions.
- If the topics covered in this article interested you, you might want to consider reading the actual book. There are numerous other strategies in the book that can make you a more effective individual. You can also check out franklincovey.com for more resources!
Nikitha Ambatipudi is a 10th grade student at Glendale High School in Glendale, CA. She is also currently an Innovator at The Knowledge Society. Feel free to reach out to her on LinkedIn or email her at nikitha.ambatipudi@gmail.com.
