7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

Are you looking to reshape your habits to achieve more success, happiness, and a healthier life? We exhaust ourselves chasing success but sometimes don’t take note of whether our habits are helping us, or our bad habits are pushing us further from that goal. Here we will look at the habits of effective people - and how they reshape their behaviors and perspectives to achieve lasting success.

This article will give you a summary of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and a guide on how to implement these effective habits into your life!

Habits 101

Today there are a lot of different habits being thrown at us which can make it difficult to know which ones to implement. Also, we often overlook some of our bad habits - the atomic habits that get in the way of our long term goals. Bad habits can be hard to kick as sometimes they produce immediate gratification. To help eliminate bad habits, we need to become aware of them and shift our focus to habits that align with our desired future.

When you are going to a new location that you’ve never been to before, you probably don't just drive around aimlessly hoping you will find it. You will likely plug the address into your GPS and follow the guided directions - well your life is the same way! We need to be intentional about the goals we are working towards and create habits that will get us there. Use habit trackers like this one to stay motivated and on track.

There are a lot of things in our life that we cannot control, but 2 things we can control are our mindset and behaviors. Focus on eliminating bad habits and create habits that will shape your mindset and behaviors in a positive way. Use the SMART goals framework to ensure you are creating goals and habits that are easier to achieve. Once you apply these principles, you will be working towards a happier and healthier life!

Personality vs. Character Ethic

Stephen Covey examined literature from over 200 years of self-help advice and found that people’s definitions of success fell under either the personality ethic or the character ethic paradigm.

The personality ethic defines success as a result of implementing specific techniques or actions. Think of these as public image, attitude, and personality. Although this can lead to small changes, it does not produce a lasting transformation in your life. The character ethic defines success as a result of underlying principles. If we align our inner character with these values and principles, we will achieve lasting results.

To create an inner character based on good principles, you need to change the way you approach and perceive the world. To do this, you need to work hard on yourself and kick the bad habits getting in your way. If you can align your principles to the following 7 effective habits, you will be on your way to achieving success!

The 7 Habits:

PROACTIVE

Life can be overwhelming and we waste time stressing over things that are out of our control. This can be an unconscious bad habit within itself. According to Covey, effective people are proactive and focus on what they CAN control. This habit involves self-awareness and being intentional about our actions. Effective people understand the impact that their actions have on their future outcomes. They don’t just sit back and let things happen to them but take responsibility for their life.

Victor Frankl was a perfect example of choosing your response, even in the most challenging situations. Frankl spent his time in a concentration camp dreaming about his future of teaching people how he survived. Adopting this mindset not only led to his survival but later, was able to teach others about his experience.

How to apply this habit: When you encounter an obstacle or challenging situation, don’t act on your first instincts instead, be intentional and make calculated decisions based on how they will impact your future. Kick the bad habits of being reactive and waiting for things to happen - take control of your life!

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

After you pass away, how will you be remembered? In a morbid but powerful exercise, Covey recommends thinking about your future eulogy and what people will say about you. Effective people think things through and begin each task with a desired outcome in mind. To do this, create habits that align with your long-term vision and make intentional decisions that align with that desired future.

How to apply this habit: Create a personal mission statement based on your desired future - what you want to achieve, your core values, and how you define success. Once you have created your “roadmap”, create habits that move you closer to that goal. Kick the bad habits by becoming aware of the actions and behaviors that push you farther away from your desired future.

PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST

It can be overwhelming to have a lengthy to-do list and not know which tasks to focus on. Also, checking off items on a to-do list can be satisfying so sometimes we focus too much of our time on the easy, but less important tasks. Effective people use the time management matrix (below) to prioritize their tasks based on urgency and importance. Time management and prioritization are habits that effective people use to increase productivity both at work and in life.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to use this matrix all time, use it more as a framework to help you prioritize.

How to apply this habit: To organize your tasks, use the time management matrix to identify which tasks to focus on. To kick the bad habits, try to delegate or outsource tasks that are neither important nor urgent. Also, don't underestimate the tasks that are important but not urgent, as they will still move you closer to your long term vision.

THINK WIN/WIN

When you make a decision, do you consider how the outcome might impact someone else? According to Covey, effective people take actions that ensure everyone has a positive outcome. Most people look at scenarios in their life from a competitive lens. This perspective can cause tension in relationships both at work and in life.

Effective people adopt an abundance mentality and believe there are plenty of positive outcomes and success for everyone. For example, sales teams that give a bonus to only the top seller will NOT perform as well as teams that give bonuses only when each person exceeds their goal. Instead of creating an environment that promotes selfishness and distrust, adopting a win-win mentality will strengthen your trusted relationships.

How to apply this habit: Take a collaborative approach and consider others when making decisions. Kick the bad habits by believing there is enough success to go around to everyone!

SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN BE UNDERSTOOD

Good communication is at the heart of any trusted relationship. Effective people build this habit using empathetic listening - they seek to understand the other person’s perspective before they talk. This habit requires self-awareness and being intentional during your conversations. People want to be heard - so keep the conversation on them.

How to apply this habit: Try to genuinely understand the other person's perspective and problem before offering advice. Kick the bad habits by identifying and addressing the feelings they are experiencing (ex: “That sounds frustrating!”) By doing this, you will build mutual respect and empathy in your relationships.

SYNERGIZE

Synergy is the concept, “the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts.” Effective people create powerful synergies by encouraging the open exchange of ideas and capitalizing on the strengths of each person in the group. Every person has their own strengths and weaknesses so focus on fostering each other’s positive attributes while mitigating the negative ones.

This habit requires taking a collaborative and teamwork approach. Creating a group of multiple differing opinions will challenge each person to think in new ways and consider alternative perspectives. By adopting this habit, you will achieve goals together that nobody could have accomplished alone.

How to apply this habit: Use the previous habits (win/win thinking and empathetic listening) to create an environment where everyone feels trusted and respected to share their perspectives. Kick the bad habits by valuing the skills of others and playing to their strengths.

SHARPEN THE SAW

Just as a lumberjack has to constantly sharpen his axe to cut trees down, you also need to consistently sharpen your tools and skills. Effective people do this by taking care of themselves, recharging, and investing in their well-being. Life can be overwhelming but neglecting to prioritize rest and renewal can lead to burnout and other negative impacts on our health.

Covey emphasizes the importance of investing in all 4 of the following categories. Physical - develop healthy habits that encourage exercise, nutrition, and sleep. Spiritual - align your habits with your core values (mindfulness/meditation). Mental - keep your mind sharp by continuously learning new skills. Social - invest in your personal and professional relationships (check in with friends, play with your kids, etc.)

How to apply this habit: Allocate time and energy into renewing yourself continually. Kick the bad habits of neglecting self care and prioritize all 4 of the above categories.

ONE MORE THING

Now you know the 7 habits of highly effective people, but how do you stay consistent with implementing them? Tracking your success is a vital part of staying consistent. Write down the qualities and habits you want to implement and note your progress week after week. Eventually, these habits will become automatic and habitual. Investing in this will keep your motivation high and keep you moving forward.

How to apply this habit: Use a habit tracker like this one to keep you motivated. Kick the bad habits of focusing on the wrong tasks by leveraging the time management matrix to stay on track.

WRAP IT UP

Effective people continuously invest in themselves and build lasting habits that will keep them productive and successful. To do this, focus on things you can control and make decisions that align with your end goal, or long-term vision. Stay organized by prioritizing your tasks by urgency and importance.

To build stronger relationships, adopt a win/win mindset, seek to understand people before offering advice, and create powerful synergies that foster the strengths of each person. Most importantly, take time for yourself and create habits that encourage physical, spiritual, mental, and social well-being.

Effective people adopt all of these habits and you can too. You are already on the right path by researching these habits! Focus on implementing them and get the happy healthy life you deserve!