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7 Habits of Highly Effective People

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think win/win
5. Seek first to understand... then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw

Habits one-three deal with personal/ private victories. These are the ones that no one sees, but mean the most. They are the foundation for everything that comes after. Habits four-six are the public victories. The seventh is a habit of renewal.

For me, the most important one and the one I'm really trying hard to work on is number three. Since coming home from my mission, I've lost track of what really matters in life and what my priorities should be. In this book, there are four categories for this section. They are as follows:

1. Important and Urgent Activities- These include responding to a crisis, pressing problem or tight deadline. Crisis managers and problem-minded people are consumed primarily with this area of time management.
2. Important But Not Urgent Activities- Preventative maintenance, relationship building, creative thinking, planning and recreation. This area is at the heart of effective personal management, and holds the key to business efficiency.
3. Not Important But Urgent Activities- Phone calls, mail, some meetings and other pressing matters. These tasks are often only urgent because someone else has that expectation, and some people spend time here thinking they are covering essential matters.
4. Not Important And Non-Urgent Activities- Includes trivia, some mail, time wasters and pleasant harmless activities. Spending all your time here is a sure way to be totally ineffective.

I need to re-evaluate my life a little and figure out where my priorities are at and what is deemed as "important" and "urgent" to me. Reading through this and the other readings and videos really put into perspective some things in my life. I have a great support system and I'm working really hard to keep going the right direction and become the person I need to be.

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