Habit Three – Put First Things First: I understand that one of the most important questions I can ask myself is what I can change in order to make a positive difference in my life. This is the core of habit three, which is the practical fulfillment of the first two habits. Habit one makes me realize that I am in charge, while habit two puts me in charge of the first, mental creation. Habit three is the second creation, the physical creation. I can only become principle centered by being aware of and developing my own proactive nature. I can only be principle centered when I am aware of my own paradigms. Once I have a vision of and focus on the unique contribution I want to make, I am ready to begin the management process. Once I am on the right path, my management skills make all the difference. It is independent will that makes self management possible. Independent will allows me to make decisions and choices and act in accordance with them. My independent will is determined by my personal integrity, which is the value I place on myself and the way I keep commitments to myself. This is the key to effective management. Effective management is putting first things first. Leadership determines what first things are, and management carries those first things out. The key to effective management is discipline, and an effective manager’s discipline comes from within. The direction I get from habit two allows me to have a focus, as well as a will that pushes me forward when a task is difficult or undesirable. Effective time management is one of the keys to successful management, and there are four generations of time management that build on each other. The first is notes and checklists, to help me organize the many demands placed on my time and energy. The second is calendars and appointment books, to help me begin to plan ahead. The third generation reflects the values and relative worth of activities and how I prioritize them. The fourth generation allows me to realize that the challenge is not to manage time, but to manage myself. Rather than focusing on things and time, the fourth generation focuses on enhancing relationships and accomplishing results. To manage my time effectively, I divide my responsibilities into four quadrants. Those that are important and not important, and those that are urgent and not urgent. Urgent matters are right in front of me and obvious. Importance, on the other hand, has to do with the results and whether it contributes to my high priority goals. The key is to spend as much time as possible on the tasks that are important but not urgent. These are the key tasks that help me better myself and to focus my efforts on what will make me truly fulfilled and successful. To manage my time effectively, I must be able to say no when faced with tasks that do not qualify as important to my goals, even if they appear urgent. I know I am always saying no to something, by choosing one priority over another. Thus, it is key that I say no to the right things. It is when I enter into the third and fourth generations of time management that I gain the ability to see what is important to me and to my goals. Each generation builds on each other. To identify the things that fit into Quadrant Two, that are important but not urgent, I seek to organize all the pressures and responsibilities in my life. To do this, I need a tool that has coherence, balance, a focus on Quadrant Two, an awareness of people, flexibility, and portability. With an organizer like this, I can become a quadrant two self manager. I identify my key roles and which hold the most importance to me. I look at my possible goals and select the ones I want to focus on. I adapt as situations change and alter my plans to keep them current and effective. I create daily and weekly plans that keep me on top of my goals at all times. Once I have my plan, I live it. I keep my plan in mind at all times, and don’t diverge from it when obstacles come up. By living my plan, it becomes second nature to me and is able to resist outside, distracting stimuli. The fourth generation of time management is superior to the third generation, because it is principle centered and conscience directed. It defines my unique mission, helps me balance my life by identifying roles, and gives me greater context through weekly organizing and daily adaptation. As I follow this plan, I know what my priorities are, and I am able to effectively delegate my less important tasks to other people or to time itself. By putting off the things that are less important or giving them away, I am able to devote the time I need to make real progress towards my personal vision. Delegation helps me increase both my productivity and my production capacity. The most effective method of delegation is to delegate stewardship. Stewardship delegation means to put someone I trust in charge of an area, and communicate effectively with them about desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability, and consequences. Then I let go of the area, and turn it over to them. Trust is the highest form of motivation, and brings out the best in people. When I trust people, I enable them to do their best work for me with the proper training and development. Both parties benefit from stewardship delegation. Delegation is one of the key elements of effective time management, and effective time management is the best way to work on creating the physical reality I visualize in my mission statement. I am in control of my time and my priorities, and I know the necessary steps I must take to get there. ~NEW RELEASE! Franklin Coveys The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Hero Notes Audiobook App The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People chapters have been condensed into only the core principles for a quick, precise and focused listening and learning experience. Use Hero Notes AUDIOS as an accelerated learning aid, a tool to help you understand the principles of the book. We have included the chapter TEXT so you can follow along with the narrator or just read the key principles of the book whenever you please. Download Today! Android Link: https://play.google/store/apps/details?id=com.bizooku.the7habits iPhone Link: bit.ly/1g5Sag3 #leadership #success #goals #life #StephenCovey #7Habits #Principles #Paradigms #meditative #ibm #microsoft #oracle #cisco #google #facebook #wallstreet
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 17:18:06 +0000
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