7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Chapter Name: Sharpen Your Saw (7th Habit)

Submitted to: Prof. Gaurav Tandon

Submitted by: Disha Shah (14)

Monit Panchal (23)

Vasim Sama (45)

IntroductionThe book first introduces the concept of Paradigm Shift and prepares for a change in mindset. It helps the understand that a different perspective exists, a viewpoint that may be different from his or her own, and asserts that two people can see the same thing and yet differ with each other. Once they prepared for this, it introduces the seven habits in a proper order.

Each chapter is dedicated to one of the habits, which are represented by the following imperatives:

1st to 3rd Habit:-The First Three Habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e., self-mastery):

Habit 1: Be ProactiveTake initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life's principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in MindSelf-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life.

Habit 3: Put First Things FirstA manager must manage his own person personally and managers should implement activities that aim to reach the values and life goals.

4th to 6th habit:-The next three habits talk about Interdependence (e.g. working with others):

Habit 4: Think Win-WinGenuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Value and respect people by understanding a "WIN" for all is ultimately a better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had got his way.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be UnderstoodUse empathic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving.

Habit 6: SynergizeCombine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could have done alone.

7th Habit:-The final habit is that of continuous improvement in both the personal and interpersonal spheres of influence.

Habit 7: Sharpen the SawBalance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes exercise for physical renewal, prayer (meditation, yoga, etc.) and good reading for mental renewal. It also mentions service to society for spiritual renewal.

Covey explains the "Upward Spiral" model in the sharpening the saw section. Through our conscience, along with meaningful and consistent progress, the spiral will result in growth, change, and constant improvement. In essence, one is always attempting to integrate and master the principles outlined in The 7 Habits at progressively higher levels at each iteration. Subsequent development on any habit will render a different experience and you will learn the principles with a deeper understanding. The Upward Spiral model consists of three parts: Learn, Commit, and Do. According to Covey, one must be increasingly educating the conscience in order to grow and develop on the upward spiral. The idea of renewal by education will propel one along the path of personal freedom, security, wisdom, and power.

Sharpen Your SawHabit-7 Steve Covey’s the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is called “Sharpen the Saw”. Covey uses the common analogy of a woodcutter who is sawing for several days straight and is becoming less and less productive. The process of cutting dulls the blade. So the solution is to periodically sharpen the saw.

Most people fail to understand what sharpening the saw really means. If you’re overworking yourself and your productivity begins to fall off, common wisdom says to take a break, maybe even go on vacation. However, that isn’t sharpening the saw — that’s putting the saw down. When you put down a dull blade for a while, the blade will still be dull when you pick it up again.

Sharpening the saw is actually an activity, just as the analogy suggests. Think about what it would mean to sharpen the saw of your life. Here are some saw-sharpening ideas:

1. Exercise2. Improve your diet3. Educate yourself (read, listen to audio programs, attend a seminar)4. Learn a new skill5. Join a club6. Meditation7. Write in your journal8. Have a deep conversation with someone9. Set some new goals or review/update your old goals10.Organize your home or office11.Go out on a date12.Clear out a bunch of little tasks that you’ve been putting off13.Read this blog 

Our Group Views:

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some examples of activities:

Physical: Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting

Social/Emotional:Making social and meaningful connections with others

Mental: Learning, reading, writing, and teaching

Spiritual:Spending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service

As you renew yourself in each of the four areas, you create growth and change in your life. Sharpen the Saw keeps you fresh so you can continue to practice the other six habits. You increase your capacity to produce and handle the challenges around you. Without this renewal, the body becomes weak, the mind mechanical, the emotions raw, the spirit insensitive, and the person selfish. Feeling good doesn’t just happen. Living a life in balance means taking the necessary time to renew yourself. It’s all up to you. You can renew yourself through relaxation. Or you can totally burn yourself out by overdoing everything. You can pamper yourself mentally and spiritually or you can go through life oblivious to your well-being. You can experience vibrant energy or you can procrastinate and miss out on the benefits of good health and exercise. You can revitalize yourself and face a new day in peace and harmony or you can wake up in the morning full of apathy because your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone. Just remember that every day provides a new opportunity for renewal–a new opportunity to recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. All it takes is the desire, knowledge, and skill.”