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Stephen Covey wrote a profoundly influential book which made a big impact on my life. At a time when most self-help authors were focused on improving your perso

Stephen Covey wrote a profoundly influential book which made a big impact on my life. At a time when most self-help authors were focused on improving your personality, Covey was concerned about your character. A quick summary of the habits: 1) Be Proactive - accept that while you can't control what happens to you, you can always control how you respond 2) Begin with the End in Mind - imagine what you'd like people to say about you at your funeral, live each day with that vision of your best self in mind 3) First things First - don't let the urgent take precedence over the important - make sure you devot time/energy to your highest priorities 4) Understand before Seeking to Be Understood - make sure you really listen to others, reflect what you hear, before trying to tell them anything 5) Think Win-Win - life works better when you don't see things as a battle, but as an opportunity to allow both/all parties to succeed 6) Synergy - ok, this was a little vague, but basically by working together you can achieve more 7) Sharpen the Saw - make sure to take time to renew yourself - exercise, sleep, recharge, learn new things, and keep yourself operating at the highest levels. RIP Stephen. Tremendous respect for what you've embodied.

nostromo 14y ago
Thanks for writing this. I must admit that I always dismissed 7 Habits as yet another business self-help book full of platitudes. (Without reading it, of course.) Based on the reaction to his death here on HN however I'll give it a shot.
- joshuahedlund 14y ago
  I had similarly dismissed it until a computer science professor allowed us to read and write about it to test out of a (boring) final. I had already been taught the 7 principles from a high school class, but the book itself far exceeded my expectations with its specific advice, anecdotes, and perspectives. I now own a copy for future reference.
- cpeterso 14y ago
  David Allen's "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" is a good companion to The Seven Habits. GTD focuses a little more on the geeky mechanics of self-organization/prioritization.
  - officemonkey 14y ago
    They are totally complimentary. 7 Habits concentrates on "What to do" and GTD concentrates on "How to do it." There are two other excellent "self-help" books that should be part of everyone's bookshelf. They are: * "Getting to Yes" which I think is the greatest book on negotiation. "How to deal" * "Sources of Power" by Gary Kline talks about how people make decisions. "How to decide" Give me these four books, and a firm place to stand, and I will move the world.
    - vidar 14y ago
      Are you moving the world right now? Because these books sure make you feel like you can but there is that small matter of actually doing it. (Not being snarky, I sincerely hope you are doing great things).
      - officemonkey 14y ago
        I was paraphrasing Archimedes. I'm pretty please with the impact I'm having on the world.
        vidar 14y ago
        Great to hear! (And not a bad original quote either)
    - etherextraction 14y ago
      Who are the authors of How to Deal and How to Decide?
      - officemonkey 14y ago
        "Getting to Yes" is basically "How to Deal." "Sources of Power" is "How to Decide." My lack of formatting skill makes it look like there are four books instead of two.
- 5xz41s0P8T5N 14y ago
  >Based on the reaction to his death here on HN however I'll give it a shot. This thread is affected by the Michael Jackson effect. I would get my reading advice from a less biased one.
  - Karunamon 14y ago
    Did you get your name confused with your password or something? (Just wondering about the name :))
    - 5xz41s0P8T5N 14y ago
      I use a random alias whenever I am not using my real name. The habit comes from a combination of laziness, paranoia, and dissatisfaction with various aliases I have past used. The downside is difficulty to login from other machines, though I could use something like lastpass. I use an Alfred plugin (http://trepmal.com/alfredapp/random-password/ http://trepmal.com/alfredapp/random-password/) to generate logins.
  - wallawe 14y ago
    Have you actually read the book? I think it's a bit insulting to relate his death to Michael Jackson's (or Whitney Houston's) death and the excessive ridiculousness that followed. This booked has helped a lot of people including myself, and no one should be deterred from reading it.
  - TeMPOraL 14y ago
    Isn't M.J. effect about the Internet slowing down (like HN/Reddit/Slashdot effect, but on a cross-website scale)? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Michael%20Jackson%20effect http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Michael%20Jac...
- jrs235 14y ago
  I just finished reading 7 Habits last week. A lot of it seems "intuitive and common sense"... it's just so much more powerful when read and "forced" to think about what's being said! I also just finished "It's Okay To Be The Boss" (different author)... I think one of the main takeaways from both books is: Focus. You need to focus and think about what you are trying to accomplish and manage yourself and others properly and proactively.
- saraid216 14y ago
  Yeah. One of the distinguishing features of 7 Habits is how old it is. While I'm not familiar enough with the market to verify this claim, I believe it was the first of its kind. As a result, most of the things it talks about are common parlance these days, because the people who read it 20 years ago have internalized it, remixed what they learned, mentored others, and otherwise disseminated its gems. That said, it remains on my list of books to generically recommend to anyone.
  - impendia 14y ago
    I'm not sure what "its kind" is, but self-help books go back a long way. Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People", recommended by PG, was written in 1936. "The Power of Positive Thinking" dates from 1952, etc. But I certainly agree that 7 Habits is an excellent book.
    - saraid216 14y ago
      I've actually never read either of those, which makes it hard for me to decide if they count as the same kind. If you think they do, that's enough for me. I amend my statement to merely indicate that it's really old.
joelhaus 14y ago
Have similar sentiments about Covey and 7 Habits, so thanks for your post. Wanted to also point out a follow-up book he wrote which I recommend. In "Principle-Centered Leadership"[1], Covey further demonstrates these principles at work. Like Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey's clear vision of the human condition will continue to have a positive impact on many lives far into the future. ADDED: I remember feeling compelled to get out a highlighter while reading both of these books (so many gems). Unfortunately, they're in storage, so won't be able to share the things that really stood out. However, there are excellent summaries of both books online if anyone is interested. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Principle-Centered-Leadership-Stephen-R-Covey/dp/1455893498 http://www.amazon.com/Principle-Centered-Leadership-Stephen-...
phylofx 14y ago
Thanks for summarizing the 7 principles here. I am familiar with the book as well. However, I am not sure if I should envy or pity the people who feel their lives so incredibly enriched by them, by the majority of accounts almost bordering on the religious. For myself, they are too obvious, shallow and trivial to really have that positive effect that apparently so many are experiencing.
- jasonshen 14y ago
  Most "profound truths" are fairly simple. But it's living those truths in your daily life that make them powerful. It's also about what you first encounter. I read 7 Habits when I was 13. I suspect if I had read it when I was 23, I would have had a different opinion of the book's insightfulness.
- impendia 14y ago
  When I was 25 or so, I realized that just because someone told me to do something in a loud, assertive voice, didn't mean I had to do it. I didn't even have to explain myself! I could just not do as I was told. By the time most people get to 25, this is mind-blowingly obvious. Yet for me it was profound...
- mmsmatt 14y ago
  I'll try to provide a secular account here ;) The principles are obvious, and Covey states this in his appendix of the Kindle edition. He claims credit only for packaging them in an accessible way. 7 Habits was effective for me because I answered the questions it posed throughout the text. The book presented a self-evident principle, such as "Put First Things First", then forced me to consider a dozen ways I could implement it. Then, all the positive effects those implementations would bring. I would try to put one of these ideas into practice each day I read. Repeat for 6 more principles. I put in a good deal of effort and got out a framework that slowly increased my output at work, my understanding at home, and my patience under stress. No road to Damascus here, just compounding interest over the months since I finished the book. I recommend it based on that.
jc123 14y ago
Another main thing I took from him was the importance of not compromising on your principles: when faced with two tough decisions where there is no "right" decision, if you stick to your principles even if it may be uncomfortable, you will feel more certain about the decision you made. But if you decide on something else, possibly for convenience, then that is when you get doubts if you really made the better decision. RIP Stephen. I was fortunate my mom got me your book to read years ago as a teen, and I knew that I wouldn't need to read other "similar" books. I have never read a self-help book and don't consider yours in that category.
manpreets7 14y ago
"7 habits of highly effective people" was one of the books that I read almost 12 years ago and have skimmed through many times since. As time passed by, things that I couldn't absorb the first time around became more apparent. The book was as profound and relevant when it was written as it is today. RIP Stephen.

nostromo 14y ago

Thanks for writing this. I must admit that I always dismissed 7 Habits as yet another business self-help book full of platitudes. (Without reading it, of course.) Based on the reaction to his death here on HN however I'll give it a shot.

joshuahedlund 14y ago
I had similarly dismissed it until a computer science professor allowed us to read and write about it to test out of a (boring) final. I had already been taught the 7 principles from a high school class, but the book itself far exceeded my expectations with its specific advice, anecdotes, and perspectives. I now own a copy for future reference.
cpeterso 14y ago
David Allen's "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" is a good companion to The Seven Habits. GTD focuses a little more on the geeky mechanics of self-organization/prioritization.
- officemonkey 14y ago
  They are totally complimentary. 7 Habits concentrates on "What to do" and GTD concentrates on "How to do it." There are two other excellent "self-help" books that should be part of everyone's bookshelf. They are: * "Getting to Yes" which I think is the greatest book on negotiation. "How to deal" * "Sources of Power" by Gary Kline talks about how people make decisions. "How to decide" Give me these four books, and a firm place to stand, and I will move the world.
  - vidar 14y ago
    Are you moving the world right now? Because these books sure make you feel like you can but there is that small matter of actually doing it. (Not being snarky, I sincerely hope you are doing great things).
    - officemonkey 14y ago
      I was paraphrasing Archimedes. I'm pretty please with the impact I'm having on the world.
      - vidar 14y ago
        Great to hear! (And not a bad original quote either)
  - etherextraction 14y ago
    Who are the authors of How to Deal and How to Decide?
    - officemonkey 14y ago
      "Getting to Yes" is basically "How to Deal." "Sources of Power" is "How to Decide." My lack of formatting skill makes it look like there are four books instead of two.
5xz41s0P8T5N 14y ago
>Based on the reaction to his death here on HN however I'll give it a shot. This thread is affected by the Michael Jackson effect. I would get my reading advice from a less biased one.
- Karunamon 14y ago
  Did you get your name confused with your password or something? (Just wondering about the name :))
  - 5xz41s0P8T5N 14y ago
    I use a random alias whenever I am not using my real name. The habit comes from a combination of laziness, paranoia, and dissatisfaction with various aliases I have past used. The downside is difficulty to login from other machines, though I could use something like lastpass. I use an Alfred plugin (http://trepmal.com/alfredapp/random-password/ http://trepmal.com/alfredapp/random-password/) to generate logins.
- wallawe 14y ago
  Have you actually read the book? I think it's a bit insulting to relate his death to Michael Jackson's (or Whitney Houston's) death and the excessive ridiculousness that followed. This booked has helped a lot of people including myself, and no one should be deterred from reading it.
- TeMPOraL 14y ago
  Isn't M.J. effect about the Internet slowing down (like HN/Reddit/Slashdot effect, but on a cross-website scale)? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Michael%20Jackson%20effect http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Michael%20Jac...
jrs235 14y ago
I just finished reading 7 Habits last week. A lot of it seems "intuitive and common sense"... it's just so much more powerful when read and "forced" to think about what's being said! I also just finished "It's Okay To Be The Boss" (different author)... I think one of the main takeaways from both books is: Focus. You need to focus and think about what you are trying to accomplish and manage yourself and others properly and proactively.
saraid216 14y ago
Yeah. One of the distinguishing features of 7 Habits is how old it is. While I'm not familiar enough with the market to verify this claim, I believe it was the first of its kind. As a result, most of the things it talks about are common parlance these days, because the people who read it 20 years ago have internalized it, remixed what they learned, mentored others, and otherwise disseminated its gems. That said, it remains on my list of books to generically recommend to anyone.
- impendia 14y ago
  I'm not sure what "its kind" is, but self-help books go back a long way. Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People", recommended by PG, was written in 1936. "The Power of Positive Thinking" dates from 1952, etc. But I certainly agree that 7 Habits is an excellent book.
  - saraid216 14y ago
    I've actually never read either of those, which makes it hard for me to decide if they count as the same kind. If you think they do, that's enough for me. I amend my statement to merely indicate that it's really old.

joelhaus 14y ago

Have similar sentiments about Covey and 7 Habits, so thanks for your post. Wanted to also point out a follow-up book he wrote which I recommend. In "Principle-Centered Leadership"[1], Covey further demonstrates these principles at work. Like Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey's clear vision of the human condition will continue to have a positive impact on many lives far into the future. ADDED: I remember feeling compelled to get out a highlighter while reading both of these books (so many gems). Unfortunately, they're in storage, so won't be able to share the things that really stood out. However, there are excellent summaries of both books online if anyone is interested. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Principle-Centered-Leadership-Stephen-R-Covey/dp/1455893498 http://www.amazon.com/Principle-Centered-Leadership-Stephen-...

phylofx 14y ago

Thanks for summarizing the 7 principles here. I am familiar with the book as well. However, I am not sure if I should envy or pity the people who feel their lives so incredibly enriched by them, by the majority of accounts almost bordering on the religious. For myself, they are too obvious, shallow and trivial to really have that positive effect that apparently so many are experiencing.

jasonshen 14y ago
Most "profound truths" are fairly simple. But it's living those truths in your daily life that make them powerful. It's also about what you first encounter. I read 7 Habits when I was 13. I suspect if I had read it when I was 23, I would have had a different opinion of the book's insightfulness.
impendia 14y ago
When I was 25 or so, I realized that just because someone told me to do something in a loud, assertive voice, didn't mean I had to do it. I didn't even have to explain myself! I could just not do as I was told. By the time most people get to 25, this is mind-blowingly obvious. Yet for me it was profound...
mmsmatt 14y ago
I'll try to provide a secular account here ;) The principles are obvious, and Covey states this in his appendix of the Kindle edition. He claims credit only for packaging them in an accessible way. 7 Habits was effective for me because I answered the questions it posed throughout the text. The book presented a self-evident principle, such as "Put First Things First", then forced me to consider a dozen ways I could implement it. Then, all the positive effects those implementations would bring. I would try to put one of these ideas into practice each day I read. Repeat for 6 more principles. I put in a good deal of effort and got out a framework that slowly increased my output at work, my understanding at home, and my patience under stress. No road to Damascus here, just compounding interest over the months since I finished the book. I recommend it based on that.

jc123 14y ago

Another main thing I took from him was the importance of not compromising on your principles: when faced with two tough decisions where there is no "right" decision, if you stick to your principles even if it may be uncomfortable, you will feel more certain about the decision you made. But if you decide on something else, possibly for convenience, then that is when you get doubts if you really made the better decision. RIP Stephen. I was fortunate my mom got me your book to read years ago as a teen, and I knew that I wouldn't need to read other "similar" books. I have never read a self-help book and don't consider yours in that category.

manpreets7 14y ago

"7 habits of highly effective people" was one of the books that I read almost 12 years ago and have skimmed through many times since. As time passed by, things that I couldn't absorb the first time around became more apparent. The book was as profound and relevant when it was written as it is today. RIP Stephen.