Here you get a results-focused guide - which can help you live a more efficient life, where you achieve the goals you set for yourself.

The 7 habits

The first 3 habits are about how you work best with yourself. The next three deal with your cooperation with others and the last one is the foundation for you to be able to carry out the other habits.

Habit 1: Be proactive

The difference between proactive and reactive people is that while reactive people resign themselves to things they can't do anything about (and thus see themselves as victims), do proactive something, by the things they have an influence on - and leave the other things alone.

Many things are out of our control, but how you react to them is in your control.

According to Covey, you can choose how you want to lead your life:

• "I choose to live healthy” instead of “I must live healthy"
• "I choose to spend time with my family” instead of “Time with the family means, I get busier at work”
• "I choose to spend time and money on personal/professional development” instead of “I have to to further my education”

Habit 2: Begin with the ending

Covey says that all things are created twice. First in the head and then in reality. To achieve a goal, you need to know where you want to go. Therefore, start and end each day, each task and each project with a clear vision of your direction and goals.

If you don't know what direction and goals look like, you can write your own mission statement here

Habit 3: Do the most important thing first

Do the most important thing first is about prioritizing the things you think will have the greatest impact on whether you achieve the goals you set in habits 1 and 2. And do that first.

Use e.g. this matrix to assess which habit you will get the most effect from starting right away.

We typically spend a lot of time in the 'urgent/not important' quadrant, while we should be spending far more time in the 'not urgent/important'. This is because this is where the country-wide, strategic thinking takes place.

Now you have got a handle on how you want to work with yourself. Then it's time to consider how best to collaborate with others.

Habit 4. Think win win

We live our lives with other people: family, social groups, colleagues. The win win mentality says we are all different. And the goal of thinking win win is to see differences as opportunities, rather than as blockages or problematic. In the win-win mindset, the creative challenge lies in finding solutions that make everyone satisfied. Not through compromises where no one is completely satisfied, but through creative solutions that solve the challenges of both parties.

To be able to do this requires:

1. Integrity to hold on to the true feelings, values and obligations
2. Maturity to express your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others.
3. Mentally surplus to believe that there is enough for others.

Be thoughtful, "sensitive" and brave.

Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Listen without judging, evaluating or measuring what you hear based on your own yardstick or experience. Only when you really understand others, they are open to your needs and wishes.

"When you first seek to understand, then to be understood, the door to creative win-win solutions will open. Differences are no longer problems, but a springboard to habit six "create synergy". ” (source: The Diabetes Association and francklincovey.com)

Habit 6: Create synergy

Synergy occurs when two or more people work together to find a solution that is better than the one they could find alone.

Is it e.g. your goal to spend more time with your family? How can you collaborate with your partner, colleague and boss to achieve this goal? Remember that perfection is not the goal. Progress is what you should aim for.

Now you have a handle on how you can work with yourself and with others. Now we come to the last habit, which is about how you can keep your most important tool sharp – namely yourself.

Habit 7: Sharpen the knife

If you are serious about living a more efficient life, then you must also treat your most important tool – yourself – seriously. It is important that you stay "fit" in four different areas if you want to live an effective life:

1. Physical
   – Eat healthy, exercise, rest
2. Social/emotional
   – Create social, meaningful relationships with others
3. Mentally
   – Learn, read, write, teach
4. Spiritually
   – Get out in nature, meditate, listen to music, art, help others.

Keep on continuing to grow and learn in the four dimensions. You will quickly see that you are about to change your life. Where you are going is only your imagination.

This is how you get started

The goal of this plan is to help you set achievable goals for your development. One goal at a time.

As you follow this plan, remember to strive for progress, not perfection.

1. Read through your mission statement and choose the goal that will make the biggest difference to you right now.
   Cf. habit 2 and 3.
2. Write a small commitment for your goal. Use proactive language.
   Do you have e.g. chosen to exercise more, your commitment may be; "I choose to run 2 km twice a week". Remember to start with small tasks.
3. Set your goal in a win win frame of mind.
   Write the names of one or more people who can help you achieve your goals. Eg. your partner who can help you get out the door, a friend who wants to run with you or the like. Contact the people you wrote down and share your goals with them. Arrange a meeting with them to check your progress. Note these meetings in your calendar.
4. When you feel like you've made progress with your goal, you can choose another one.
5. Place the paper with your commitment somewhere you can't avoid seeing it.
   It will breathe life into your proactive spirit as you get closer and closer to your goal.