First Things First

Written by Stephen R. Covey

Narrated by Stephen R. Covey

From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to prioritizing your personal and professional goals.

I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?

Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why we so often prioritize things that are unimportant to both our larger goals and our inner happiness. From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to building your work on the principles of effectiveness so that your life can spent cultivating genuine relationships, investing in pursuits you enjoy, and achieving balance in both your personal and professional lives.

In First Things First, Stephen M. R. Covey advocates categorizing tasks by urgency and importance so that you can focus on what actually needs to be done in the limited amount of time that you have. Using personal examples and insight from years of business experience, he argues for a new way of looking at your “to-do” list. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781442350878

Stephen R. Covey

Recognized as one of Time magazine’s twenty-five most influential Americans, Stephen R. Covey (1932–2012) was an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and author. His books have sold more than twenty-five million copies in thirty-eight languages, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century. After receiving an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate degree from Brigham Young University, he became the cofounder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, a leading global training firm.

Reviews for First Things First

[LESTTAT VON · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Many advices for applied, wonderful book.
The audio sound pretty good.
Thanks.

[jpsnow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A deeper reflection on one of the 7 Habits, this book develops the "4th generation" of time management. Such skill involves knowing inherently one's value and then creating quadrant II space to achieve what is most important. The Laws of Life, such as the principle of the Farm and emotional bank accounts must be considered. The book frequently challenges the paradigm that busy = success and instead replaces it with the value of the compass over the clock, i.e. why scramble in the wrong direction. A key element of 4th generation planning involves starting with roles, listing important objectives, and then scheduling the week around them. The analogy is drawn of putting rocks (important things), gravel, sand, and water (urgent details) into a glass jar. The principle of interdependence is also emphasized.

[823icc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books written on how to manage your time and your life.

[dbeveridge_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent discussion of a terrifically useful concept. Finding a way to move from what's urgent to what's important. Like all such books, it goes on too much, but get the key idea and it's (barely) worth slogging through the inevitable self-congratulatory/evangelical dross.

[pghdragonman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I still don't like living by a system, but this one makes sense.

[aarondesk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A tie-in with the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People on how to manage time. Puts forth ideas and methods for ensuring that the important things in life get taken care of. Great book for examining your life and where you should be taking it.

[MaxMultiplier · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's more like a summary of the written book, which is a rich and powerful tool. I wish this audiobook were unabridged and like the original book.

[David Anderson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent self help book by a legend in the field

[Michael Gerity · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hugely abridged. The book is 433 pages, but the audiobook version is only an hour.