The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by stephen r. covey

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

I'm giving up at 30% and this has officially become my first DNF. I've put down some books for later for not being the right time. I can't say the same with this one. This is more like a "I don't wanna see you again ever" kind of book.

Amazon kept recommending me this damn book for some reason, always the first on the list. It felt like someone trying to sell me Herbalife. This is not for me, hell no.

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Spidder

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

كتاب مهم، رغم الاطناب والاطالة والتكرار المزعج بلا داع في الكثير من المواضع وبصيغ مختلفة.

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xLelouchCCx

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

Principles
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of those seminal pieces of work that everyone should read. It is not a business book, it is not a marriage help book, it is not a parenting book and it is not a friendship book. It is a book about YOU, in a holistic context. It is about provoking you to examine your core defining traits; personality, character, principles and ethics. In other words, it is NOT a quick self-help book it is about instilling fundamental habits, 7 to be exact. These habits take us from our base level of being a dependent person, as in childhood, through Independence, as in adulthood, to Interdependence, as a contributing member of society and family. They are defined as:

1.tBe Proactive
2.tBegin with the End in Mind
3.tPut First Things First
4.tThink Win-Win
5.tSeek First to Understand Then to be Understood
6.tSynergise
7.tSharpen the Saw – Continuous Improvement

The principles are as sound today, as they were when Stephen Covey initially wrote them thirty years ago. They have always been core to personal attainment and effectiveness, and the world would be a better place if we all lived by these habits. The language is getting dated and some of it has been so widely used, and misused, that it’s a bit awkward in today’s vocabulary. Nevertheless to contemplate these values and commit to them, is literally life-changing.

I would say 5 stars for the impact this book has had, and 4 stars for the language being a bit aged. 4.5 stars would be about right.

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F1restar

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

Re-read Nov 2021:
Omg this book is such a classic! It's even better than I remember it. There's so much to get out of it that next time I definitely need to take notes!

Read: Jan 2019
This book is like a bible personal development book. It has soooooo much content in it. Definitely a re-read! Second time reading it I will take notes. I also bought the book too.

There was surprisingly a lot about how to deal with your children, as well as how to deal with others. It had a How to Win Friends and Influence People feels to it.

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graveyardgothic

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

Start 2021 right! I am done re-reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Like I said in my first review, this is my favorite non-fiction and is still my number one favorite of all time.

Author's Writing Style: 4 STARS. Yay - Memorable and insightful, this is how this book is written. Each habit shares inspiring stories that are highly memorable. The author usually writes these stories in first-person POV. It is his personal experiences either as a father or as a teacher.

My favorite story is found on pages 258 to 260. It is a conversation between a father and his son. After the stories are the wisdom. These are the insights that are filled with powerful lessons.

Nay - This book highlights the value of being proactive. A proactive language says "I will choose to do it," rather than "I have to do it." The words "I have to" imply lack of enthusiasm; therefore, these are reactive choice of words.

On page 106, however, it makes me wonder why the author writes reactively, "You have to make sure that the blueprint..." and "You have to keep that end clearly in mind..."

Substance & Content: 5 STARS. Yay - The thoughts, ideas and stories are organized properly. While reading, I could not help it but put annotations. I managed to use sticky notes of different sizes and colors to highlight the pages that stood out from the rest.

The book is divided into two victories -private and public. The Private Victory consists of Independent Habits of 1, 2 and 3 while Interdependent Habits of 4, 5 and 6 are Public Victory. Habit 7 is about sharpening the saw. It integrates all the habits into one bigger picture.

At the end of the book, there is a website that is worth visiting. This website allows you to answer an assessment on Personal Effective Quotient (PEQ). I took it immediately and I received my result right after taking the test.

Nay - Sometimes, the lessons feel overwhelming. It is healthier to put the book down, and digest all the information. This book is possible to read in one seat but I decided to give myself a break. I spent re-reading the book for two weekends.

Also, I notice negative attacks on psychology. Of all the disciplines in life, it annoys me a why it has to be psychology.

Life in general, whether you are a proactive or reactive person, is about psychology. No one can dictate you how to behave proactively. Being proactive starts inside you - your mind.

On page 310, it sounds untruthful when the author says, "I do not agree with the popular success literature that says that self-esteem is primarily a matter of mind set, of attitude - that you can psych yourself into peace of mind."

I'm not a psychologist but the way I studied Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, self-esteem is a higher need of a human being. It is a higher need than food, money and sex. It is even higher than love and belongingness.

The healthier your self-esteem is, the healthier your paradigms are. Peace of mind is achieved.

* * *

This is my favorite nonfiction book of all time. Habits 1 and 4 help me improve the way I live my life. It persuades me to create an invisible shield and protect myself from reactive people who whine, blame and make excuses.

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ricebox

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

This book was just alright. I was slightly disappointed as I have had this book recommended to me by countless people so I did expect better. I felt it could have been condensed to a quarter of its size easily.The book was also written in the 80s and I could easily tell (personally, I feel it's in need of a 21st Century update). I did give it 3-stars though because there were parts I found useful and interesting, especially the section about writing a mission statement for oneself. I guess this book may be more suited to people in the business world.

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MoeConnoisseur

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

Not a book I would have gotten myself... But as a rule, I will read all books I receive as gifts. It is one of them.

I found myself agreeing with all key messages and intended takeaways. Some of them are so well ingrained into common sense and ‘business speak’ that all seven principles are well familiar without reading a book. I guess back in 1989 it was coming across much punchier.

While agreeing with the key messages, I doubt I will recommend this read to others. It comes across quite ‘preachy’, full of awkward, clearly made-up anecdotes and dialogue. It also definitely feels like a book from another age... (in bad sense of it)

I am glad I had a chance to read it. It has almost a cult status. Everyone at least heard of this book. But I am not getting converted into Covey fan club thats for certain.

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TheGuth

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 25,2025

من بين الكثير من كتب التطوير الشخصي التي قرأتها هذا العام، أعتقد بأن كتاب كوفي “العادات السبع” أفضلها على الإطلاق، وهو دروس فعّالة في عملية التغيير الشخصي. الكتاب مادة دسمة للغاية، كما يخلو تقريباً – وحسبما أرى – من سلبيات وعيوب كتب التطوير الشخصي ..
يعرض المؤلف في كتابه الضخم – 500 صفحة – معالجة شاملة ومتكاملة وواضحة المبدأ من أجل حل المشاكل الشخصية والمهنية.
هناك ثلاث أفكار أساسية, تشكل القاعدة التي ينطلق الكتاب منها نحو رسالته:
الإنسان يملك حرية الإستجابة تجاه المنبهات
طريقة النظر للمشكلة قد تكون هي المشكلة الحقيقية
الرجوع للصفات الأخلاقية المثالية
من خلال دمج هذه الأفكار الثلاثة, أصبحت الفكرة الأساسية التي ينطلق منها الكتاب هي: ( الرجوع للصفات الأخلاقية المثالية, عن طريق تغيير تصوراتنا الذهنية, باستخدام الحرية الممنوحة لنا, والموجودة في المسافة بين المنبه والاستجابة ).

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

stephen r. covey

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