The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People : Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of the most popular books ever. And there is a very good reason for this. 7 Habits is a very good book. While the ideas of the book are simple, many people overlook the simple and need to be reminded of it. If you follow his seven habits, you will experience a more fulfilling personal life.

One demonstration that Covey likes to make is pouring sand into a jar. Then he holds up a few larger rocks and shows that there is no more room in the jar for the big rocks. First, you put the bigger, more important, rocks in the jar. Only then do you add whatever sand will fill in the space.

Similarly, most people live their lives not doing what is really most important to them, but rather they do whatever issue is pressing them the most at present. Often, upon reflection we see that the issues that are so strongly consuming our time do not warrent the large mental energy and time we devote to them. They are like the sand preventing us from focusing upon what is important to us.

This book is much better than Covey's second book, First Things First which we do not recommend. If you bought First Things First and based upon this have decided not to read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, we urge you to reconsider. Read Stephen Covey's best book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.