The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook

By Stephen R. Covey

Stephen Covey's THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE took the self-help market by storm in 1990 and has enjoyed phenomenal sales ever since. With over 15 million copies in print, the book has become a classic. Now a touchstone for millions of individuals, as well as for families and businesses, the integrated, principle-centered 7 Habits philosophy has helped readers find solutions to their personal and professional problems, and achieve a life characterized by fairness, integrity, honesty, and dignity. Covey's tried and true step-by-step approach can now be even more thoroughly explored in this new workbook.

With the same clarity and assurance that Covey's readers have come to know and love, the workbook helps readers further understand, appreciate, and internalize the power of the 7 Habits. These engaging, in-depth exercises allow readers - both devotees and newcomers - to get their hands dirty as they develop a philosophy for success, set personal goals, and improve their relationships.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Sep 4, 2008
• ISBN: 9781847375179

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, business leader, and author. His books have sold more than 40 million copies (print, digital, and audio) in more than fifty languages throughout the world and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the 20th Century. After receiving an MBA from Harvard University and a doctorate from Brigham Young University, he became the cofounder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, the most trusted leadership company in the world.

Reviews for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook

[antao-3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

(original review, 2004)"To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.""Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is the fruit of love the verb or our loving actions. So love her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her.""At some time in your life, you probably had someone believe in you when you didn't believe in yourself."In “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. CoveyThe above-mentioned quotes are some of the pearls of wisdom we can find in the book.There's a story, probably apocryphal, about an Amazonian tribe's reaction to a group of Westerners (possibly miners or farmers or similar) who had created a settlement close to their village some time in the 1960s. The settlers built a makeshift runway, and the tribe watched from afar in amazement as, shortly after the runway was complete, a plane arrived carrying supplies. The tribe immediately set about building a runway beside their village, believing that once it was complete, a plane would arrive on it with supplies. They had a long, fruitless wait. Obviously, there's a lot that doesn't ring true about this story, however it illustrates well the fruitlessness of adopting other people's actions in the hope of replicating their results, without really sharing or understanding their motivations. Presumably most of the rituals described above have one thing in common; they're the author's own.That's why they worked, they were what the author genuinely felt worked for them, they weren't adopted in an attempt to recreate the conditions of someone else's success. I've a creative friend who drinks whisky in the mornings when he's writing, because that's what Hunter S. Thompson did. He is not and never will be anything like Hunter S. Thompson. The overarching advice from this book should be: find your OWN rituals and routines. Forget about crappy books like these.A friend of mine used to say he could write at any time of the day or night, but there came a point - after about three hours - when he didn't achieve much more by working longer. The best time, he said, is early morning, 5 or 6am. He could look again at something that seemed hard to write the previous evening, and suddenly everything just fell into place... As for myself, I can write any time I'm awake, but nobody would want to read it. Seriously now, I have realised that my most creative and productive hours are 3 -6 am. This is when my genius will fizz and pop, worlds are created, and my art manifests itself, seemingly without effort. At these magical hours, I will become a conduit for creative forces beyond my ken. At this special time, unfortunately, I always seem to be unconscious and dribbling, stretched out amongst bottles, filth and pools of damp... But at the end, don't forget that: "quod natura non dat, Salmantica non praestat". Who could ever forget that...?LOL

[thewalkinggirl · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I can't take any more. Yes, despite how little effort this takes to read, it's DNF.Maybe because all the good ideas have already been stolen by other books and leadership seminars I've been to?Maybe because so much of it seems like the author took a lot of techniques and discrete skills, understood that they need to be tied together and the closest tie he could identify was character? It feels looking at a puzzle after someone put it together in the dark: all I can see are the missing and misplaced pieces and it distracts me from the whole.Also, it's a lot more Jesus-y than I was expecting. Which I could deal with, if the rest of it was better, but it's not, so... I'm done. That said, if you like Jesus-y stuff, you might like this entire thing more than I did.

[mommabroom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful self-help book with a Christian focus. But even if you are not Christian, the basic concepts are still worthwhile. Covey requires you to really look inside yourself and discipline yourself. I could only read the book in short spurts because he makes you THINK!! And not only think, but to apply these concepts takes serious focus and determination.

[apartmentcarpet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is always a good one to re-read. The habits are really common sense, but sometimes you need to sit down and remember them.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - What a friggin' snoozefest full of tautologies, mis-quoted quotes by famous people, and the most painfully boring, rambling anecdotes.

[pussreboots · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've been working an a pair of books and this might be an interesting read for character types.

[spaceyacey · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I haven't finished this book yet. I want to know how he got to his position of IBM CEO, not about his mid life crisis.

[bbrown1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great book, really helped me realize i could take better control of my life

[jeaneva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In these days, a lot of people are wondering what Mormons' religious beliefs lead to as a philosophy of life. Read Covey. Wholesome, motivating, inspiring.

[davraena · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful! Very practical, and useful, personally applicable.

[danielalgara · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book with valuable, motivating info. A little heavy on the case studies, but otherwise very helpful.

[pavelm_19 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book started a transformation in my life. I look at the world with a different set of eyes now thanks to that book.

[temsmail · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is the main text of a secular religion. Stephen Covey is/was a practicing Mormon; this, however, is his personal religion and faith. Reading his preface, Covey says that the more he practices his own principles, the more he realizes that he has not actually put his own principles into practice. This is a religion of salvation by works, though Covey does not say that in so many words. On page 11, Covey wrote that the ultimate source of his principles is God.I say this is a secular religion because there are scant references to God or Scripture, but each principle is referred to as an ultimate principle. A Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Mormon, Catholic, Unitarian, or Baptist could all equally practice Covey's principles without equivocation. So, the principles are useful insofar as they are also utilitarian; Covey's ideas are dangerous insofar as they place human effort above God's Sovereignty and Grace. There is no mercy here, only work and self effort.Be careful reading and implementing the principles of this books to not lose sight of Whose we are, and Who is really in control.

[cherilnc_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is simply amazing. I'm even inclined to say that I enjoyed it more than "Think and Grow Rich," which I thought was impossible to beat. I highly recommend it. Full of wisdom, insights on family values, personal leadership and so much more, this book should be required reading for all.

[neale_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If I was asked to recommend one self help book to improve your whole life this would be it. Its easy to read and the suggestions are not hard to implement. It deserves a couple of reads one, to get and overview and another slower read to implement change.

[damienfranco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a classic. So many books have been based off of the core values set in this book so if you've read any productivity, self help, leadership, or anything similar you're likely to know some of the content in this book.

I like to occasionally go "back to the basics" or hit the classics as a reminder of some of the things I can/should be doing to be a better business person or a family man and I tend to find this book helps me reset my habits. That's not a bad thing at all.

[fluffyblue_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book which really makes you feel positive and like you can become a better, more organised and happier person.

[bhwong_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got this book about 15 years ago as a gift from a publisher, lend it to a friend who lost it and brought a new copy for me. Still, I didn't touch it until I am searching for important answers to life this year.In summary, the author believes that to be truly effective, our center of life must be based on timeless principles, because money, church, friends, family, work, pleasure or even self are inconsistent and unreliable. If you depend on these insecured sources as your center, you will end up reacting according to their ever changing action upon you. You feel good only when these factors are in good conditions.In time management, there are quadrants:1. Important and Urgent (Deadline-driven projects)2. Important but Not Urgent (Relationship building)3. Not Important but Urgent (Phone calls)4. Not Important and Not Urgent (Pleasant activities)We always end up busy in Quadrant 1 and 3 because these are urgents. Yet to be truly effective, we need to invest time in the important Quadrant 2 activities. In fact, by investing in Quadrant 2, we are preparing ourselves to handle future Quadrant 1 activities. For example, if we invest in building up our knowledge and upgrading our skills (Quadrant 2 activities), we can avoid making ignorance mistakes that will lead us into handling Quadrant 1 activities such as correcting those mistakes.The author gave a very good example :-Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree and asked him "What are you doing? You look exhausted!". He replied "Can't you see? I'm sawing down this tree for over five hours!". You suggested him to take a break and sharpen that saw, but he replied "I don't have time to sharpen the saw, I'm too busy sawing!"Sharpening the saw is Quadrant 2 activity that will prepare you to work more effectively in sawing down that tree, which is a Quadrant 1 activity.

[fist_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

My dad recommended this to me as a must-read. It had been a revelation for him. But contrary to my dad, who has been a teacher all his life, I've been working in corporate serfdom up to now. And I've been exposed to too many corporate seminars, away days, retreats and other HR outings to find anything in this book a revelation. Maybe all those well-meaning presenters got their input from this very book (in fact, I suspect that a large part of them did), and so I maybe should have read it earlier in my life for me to find it useful. I'd recommend it to people between 25 and 35 who work in large professional environments and score relatively low on emotional intelligence (that would have been me, back in the day). Being over 40, I found the book had a handful of good ideas, but those were eclipsed by the author's style, which I found a little repetitive, trite and sanctimonious. As it stands, I got my main life lessons not from self-help books like this, but from walls (by butting my head repeatedly into them, a slightly more unpleasant but fairly efficient learning method).

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't normally read self-help books, partly because I didn't need any help, but after I picked up The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and read through it, I realized it wasn't all just self-help.In Seven Habits, Covey doesn't give a feel-good panacea for all your troubles. Instead, he introduces habits that you must develop if you want to improve your interpersonal skills.The habits themselves make sense, but applying them to your daily life is the challenge. Though, if you're applying them just to be more effective, and not to actually be a better person, you're missing the point.Recommended for business managers and others who wish to make people feel good in their presence.

[wifilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There's some solid advice here. Even if Covey was a Morman, and there is a bit in this book about "natural laws" as set up by God. I still think there's some useful tools in the 7 habits. I feel I got something good out of this book, especially about seeking first to understand.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This version of The 7 Habits was the first of many, many iterations that Stephen Covey published under the 7 Habits umbrella. No doubt due to the success of the franchise. As a self-help reader I can vouch for the worth of the original though I have not read any of the others.It's too easy to scoff at the habits as obvious, just as it's too easy to scoff at self-help in general. Actions speak louder than words, and putting habits like Covey's into practice is hard work. If you're curious about self-help, or maybe a little skeptical about its usefulness, then I recommend starting here.

[aarondesk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great book on how to live the good life. The principles really get to the heart of the human experience and go beyond quick and easy measures to increase one's productivity. If you want to maintain a happy, peaceful balanced life in an increasingly chaotic world, then this book is for you.

[pat_f. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Deserved Classic

I somehow managed to miss this one. So far, it's really thought-provoking. I'm a big believer in taking responsibility for your own life, so lots of it is resonating with me.

Update: finished it yesterday. Some real pearls of wisdom here. I'm already putting some of the listening techniques to good use. A bit repetitive in places, but I can see why it's a classic.

[6boysandme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Let's face it. Apply every true principle in this book and you can't help but be living life to it's very fullest. This book will be just as true and important 100 years from now as it is today.

[xprsg_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Hmmm .. not quite what I expected, but a good reminder.

[maryann12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good Book!

[bookbizmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Learn a lot about being a better business person AND a better person in general.

[micheaun · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book!!! A book that will change the way you work and operate in general.

[sprite_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I deduct a half-star because the word paradigm makes me itch, but I would have to grant that it is in some sense the very type of a life-altering book. You could definitely trim some fat and read it in "princess bride, the good parts" mode though.