The 7 habits of really effective people

How to be more effective on a daily basis and make good decisions?

Nowadays, due to the competition that exists in the working world the world of work, companies pay a lot of attention tocompanies pay a lot of attention to the effectiveness of their employees. But being effective is not only important if you work for someone, because if you want to undertake a project or if you are a student, being effective will be decisive in achieving success in any task you propose.

Have you ever done a lot of things but you don't seem to make any progress? Do you spend a lot of time on a task and you don't manage to finish it on time? Do you think you are very active but not very productive? If so, you may not be as effective as you thought you were.

Habits to be more effective at work and in life

In today's article, and inspired by the book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. CoveyIn this article, we are going to review the most outstanding habits of people who are highly effective in their daily lives.

1. Being proactive

The proactive person assumes conscious control and responsibility for his or her own life, sets realistic goals and never stopsThey set realistic objectives and never stop working to achieve their goals. Being proactive has to do with going out to look for opportunities, since the proactive person understands that these opportunities are unlikely to come by themselves. Therefore, the proactive person creates his own destiny by responding to his ambitions and challenges.

2. Start with an end in mind

This habit is closely related to personal development and motivation. motivation of individuals. It refers to personal leadership and action, as a proper vision of the future can have positive consequences for an individual's emotional health.

It is important to understand that the end in mind must be realistic. Any goal we set for ourselves must follow the SMART rule (they must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and must be achieved within a specific time frame), because unrealistic goals negatively affect individual well-being..

3. Putting first things first

This point refers to the management of one's own resources and their rational application, and allows individuals to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.. One can have many objectives, but priorities must always be established. Therefore, having a well-defined plan of action and prioritizing each objective or goal will be crucial to avoid doing a thousand things at once and not finishing any of them.

4. Thinking win / win (mutual benefit)

This habit refers to the mutual benefit and is beneficial for the balance in interpersonal relationships, as it promotes the common good and equity. Cooperation and teamwork can bring many benefits: increased productivitystress reduction, increased creativity and learning, etc.

This habit is based on the study of human interaction paradigms, which are 6:

• win / win;
• win / lose
• lose / win;
• I lose / you lose
• I win
• win / win or no deal

The first of these paradigms is the important one to be effective, and is the opposite of win-lose, which is common in many people because we have grown up in a society that values competition.

5. Seek first to understand and then to be understood

This habit also refers to cooperation and effective communication. effective communicationIt is based on the benefits of emotional intelligence. It is also important for a good social climate and for mutual respect and coexistence. Effective people have developed a capacity for empathy and active listening, in order to later be understood. In this way they build successful and constructive interpersonal relationships.

6. Synergize

This principle also refers to teamwork and collaboration. The synergy refers to the fact that by working together as a team (adding talent) the collective result is greater than the sum of the team members.. In other words, teamwork allows the talents of each individual to complement each other to create a final product that could not have been achieved individually.

7. Sharpening the saw

Sharpening the saw refers to continuous improvement and personal development in all areas of the personality.and has to do with well-being. For the author of the book, sharpening the saw is based on the metaphor of a lumberjack. The woodcutter may use the saw for a while, but then needs to stop and sharpen it to be able to continue his work.

Effective people use the break (sharpening the saw) productively, since taking a vacation, reading or training, meditating, exercising, etc., helps to be able to continue giving good service. When people are not able to take a break in their life and recharge their batteries, they suffer negative consequences in their personality: physical, mental and socio-emotional.