Habit 1 says,
“you‘re the creator. You are in charge.”
Habit 2 is
the first or mental creation- to envision, to see the potential. [P146]

Habit 3, then, is
the second creation,
the physical creation,
practicing effective self-management. [P147]

The 4th human endowment,
independent will,
makes effective self-management possible.
Independent will is to be a function of your values
rather than a function of the impulse or desire of any given moment.
Independent will
is the power to act with integrity to your proactive first creation. [P147-149]

New generation of time management:
organize and execute around priorities;
deal with things that are not urgent but important
- long time investment in productivity capacity;
e.g. building relationships, writing a personal mission statement, exercising, preparation, … [P149-158]

The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”
Even the urgent is good, the good can keep you from your best.
Learn to say “no”, with a genuine smile, to the unimportant. [P156-158]

Moving to IMPORTANT but NOT URGENT:
Balance: success in one area can NOT compensate for failure in other areas of life.
Focus on Prevention: not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
People Dimension: think of efficiency in dealing with time, effectiveness in dealing with people.
Flexibility: your planning tool should be your servant, never your master.
Portability: important data is always within reach. [P160-162]

Becoming a Self-Manager:
1, Identifying Roles;
2, Selecting Goals;
3, Scheduling;
4, Daily Adapting. [P162-168]

Stewardship Delegation
means a job with a trust.
“Trust in the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people.”
[P173-179]

Every one deals with fundamentally important things that, if done on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive different in our lives.


[Personal notes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People –Stephen R. Covey]