THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE

HABIT 1 : BE PROACTIVE
Your life doesn't just "happen." Whether you know it or not, it is carefully designed by
you. The choices, after all, are yours. You choose happiness. You choose sadness. You
choose decisiveness. You choose ambivalence. You choose success. You choose failure.
You choose courage. You choose fear. Just remember that every moment, every situation,
provides a new choice. And in doing so, it gives you a perfect opportunity to do things
differently to produce more positive results.

Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can't keep blaming
everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are
"response-able." They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning
for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other
hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to
blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their
attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as
stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest
power--you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things
you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A
proactive person uses proactive language--I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person
uses reactive language--I can't, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not
responsible for what they say and do--they have no choice.

Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no
control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. The
problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas--Circle of Concern
and Circle of Influence.

Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things
they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Reactive people focus
their efforts in the Circle of Concern--things over which they have little or no control: the
national debt, terrorism, the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we
expend our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 2: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
So, what do you want to be when you grow up? That question may appear a little trite,
but think about it for a moment. Are you--right now--who you want to be, what you
dreamed you'd be, doing what you always wanted to do? Be honest. Sometimes people
find themselves achieving victories that are empty--successes that have come at the
expense of things that were far more valuable to them. If your ladder is not leaning
against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.

Habit 2 is based on imagination--the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at
present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice.
There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation
follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don't make a conscious
effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people
and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with
your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within
which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. Begin with the End in Mind
means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and
destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.

One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal
Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success.
It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real
world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your
own destiny and secure the future you envision.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 3: PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST
To live a more balanced existence, you have to recognize that not doing everything that
comes along is okay. There's no need to overextend yourself. All it takes is realizing that
it's all right to say no when necessary and then focus on your highest priorities.

Habit 1 says, "You're in charge. You're the creator." Being proactive is about choice.
Habit 2 is the first, or mental, creation. Beginning with the End in Mind is about vision.
Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. This habit is where Habits 1 and 2
come together. It happens day in and day out, moment-by-moment. It deals with many of
the questions addressed in the field of time management. But that's not all it's about.
Habit 3 is about life management as well--your purpose, values, roles, and priorities.
What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth.
If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to
the personal priorities you established in Habit 2.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 4: THINK WIN-WIN
Think Win-Win isn't about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-
based code for human interaction and collaboration.

Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think about
succeeding in terms of someone else failing--that is, if I win, you lose; or if you win, I
lose. Life becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you
get a big piece, there is less for me; it's not fair, and I'm going to make sure you don't get
anymore. We all play the game, but how much fun is it really?

Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of
mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win
means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. We both get to eat
the pie, and it tastes pretty darn good!

A person or organization that approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude possesses three
vital character traits:
1. Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments
2. Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for
the ideas and feelings of others
3. Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone

Many people think in terms of either/or: either you're nice or you're tough. Win-win
requires that you be both. It is a balancing act between courage and consideration. To go
for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not
only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that--to
achieve that balance between courage and consideration--is the essence of real maturity
and is fundamental to win-win.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 5: SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD
Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend years learning how to read
and write, and years learning how to speak. But what about listening? What training have
you had that enables you to listen so you really, deeply understand another human being?
Probably none, right?

If you're like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your
point across. And in doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that
you're listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus
on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely. So why does this happen?
Because most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. You listen to
yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say, the questions you are
going to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life experiences, your frame
of reference. You check what you hear against your autobiography and see how it
measures up. And consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person means
before he/she finishes communicating. Do any of the following sound familiar?

"Oh, I know just how you feel. I felt the same way." "I had that same thing happen to
me." "Let me tell you what I did in a similar situation."

Because you so often listen autobiographically, you tend to respond in one of four ways:
Evaluating: You judge and then either agree or disagree.
Probing: You ask questions from your own frame of reference.
Advising: You give counsel, advice, and solutions to problems.
Interpreting
You analyze others' motives and behaviors based on your own experiences.
:

You might be saying, "Hey, now wait a minute. I'm just trying to relate to the person by
drawing on my own experiences. Is that so bad?" In some situations, autobiographical
responses may be appropriate, such as when another person specifically asks for help
from your point of view or when there is already a very high level of trust in the
relationship.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 6: SYNERGIZE
To put it simply, synergy means "two heads are better than one." Synergize is the habit of
creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new
solutions to old problems. But it doesn't just happen on its own. It's a process, and
through that process, people bring all their personal experience and expertise to the table.
Together, they can produce far better results that they could individually. Synergy lets us
discover jointly things we are much less likely to discover by ourselves. It is the idea that
the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One plus one equals three, or six, or sixty--
you name it.

When people begin to interact together genuinely, and they're open to each other's
influence, they begin to gain new insight. The capability of inventing new approaches is
increased exponentially because of differences.

Valuing differences is what really drives synergy. Do you truly value the mental,
emotional, and psychological differences among people? Or do you wish everyone would
just agree with you so you could all get along? Many people mistake uniformity for unity;
sameness for oneness. One word--boring! Differences should be seen as strengths, not
weaknesses. They add zest to life.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE
HABIT 7: SHARPEN THE SAW
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. Not a pretty picture, is it?

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.

Note Taking Area: Record lecture as fully and as meaningfully as possible.

Cue Column: As you're taking notes, keep cue column empty. Soon after the lecture,
reduce your notes to concise jottings as clues for Reciting, Reviewing, and Reflecting.

Summaries: Sum up each page of your notes in a sentence or two.

This format provides the perfect opportunity for following through with the 5 R's of note-
taking:

Record
During the lecture, record in the main column as many meaningful facts and ideas
as you can. Write legibly.
Reduce
As soon after as possible, summarize these facts and ideas concisely in the Cue
Column. Summarizing clarifies meanings and relationships, reinforces continuity,
and strengthens memory.
Recite
Cover the Note Taking Area, using only your jottings in the Cue Column, say over
the facts and ideas of the lecture as fully as you can, not mechanically, but in your
own words. Then, verify what you have said.
Reflect
Draw out opinions from your notes and use them as a starting point for your own
reflections on the course and how it relates to your other courses. Reflection will
help prevent ideas from being inert and soon forgotten.
Review
Spend 10 minutes every week in quick review of your notes, and you will retain
most of what you have learned.

Why
a
r
e
y
 o
u
h
e
r
e
?
These quick reference guides deal with three main aspects of being at
university:

1. Studying and getting a degree

2. Expanding your horizons
home
3. Getting the key skills which employers expect graduates to have.

This page focuses on expanding your horizons and gaining key employability
skills.

Expanding your horizons

Scope

Your time at University gives you enormous scope to expand your horizons.
You will be very lucky indeed if you ever again find such opportunities to:

make friends and build up networks of contacts

learn about yourself and other people
take part in sports
further all kinds of interests, from aikido to Wessex Films
develop the skills for which employers will pay you highly as a
graduate, as well as to study the subject which you have chosen to
read here.

Strategy

To get the most from what is on offer you will need a strategy.

Day One may seem terribly early to start thinking about what you'll do when
you graduate. But you need to give it a bit of thought now. At the start of
your final term it'll be too late to discover that the employer you want to
work for expects graduates to have a portfolio of Key skills which you
haven't built up because you spent all your time in the bar or the library.

Key skills
The premium rates which employers pay graduates show how important they
consider Key skills to be. Almost all major employers expect very similar
key skills:

Intellectual skills

ability to learn
decision making
critical analysis
planning and organising
management of change
problem analysis and problem solving
self management and time management.

Inter-personal skills

group work and team work

oral and written communication
negotiating.

Other skills

Information & Communication Technology

foreign languages
numeracy

commercial awareness.

Key skills at the University of

Southampton
The University of Southampton has stated that key skills must be 'an essential
element in all new programmes of study' introduced since 1998. So some
courses make explicit mention of the key skills which your tutors expect you
to acquire.

Even if you take such courses, you won't find any which help you develop all
the skills. You will need to take responsibility for picking up most of them as
you go through University.

What will you do when you graduate?

It's an uncomfortable fact that few graduates are employed solely to use their
degree discipline.
Unless you become an engineer, health worker, lawyer, researcher or teacher,
your employer might not be very interested in what you've read at
Southampton University - only in the fact that you were here.

That doesn't mean you can ignore your academic work - your employer will
respect a good class of degree, so a 2.1 is much better than a Third.

Your course will give you the opportunity to develop and practise several of
the key skills which your employer wants.

Acquiring key skills at University

Ability to learn

You can learn this on your course, from this website, from other suggested
websites and from books.

Group and team work

This is rarely required in any course, where it tends to be everyone for her or
himself. Student-led tutorials and team projects can give you opportunities to
develop this skill.

Decision making

This is involved in all aspects of Higher Education from your choice of

University and Course, to your Final Year Project and Career. It's important
to be able to explain and justify your choices.

Critical analysis

Many courses are designed to develop your skill at cutting through the waffle
and discovering the true substance of an article, book or idea. Reading, note-
taking, critical analysis of texts and preparing essays are key to this.

See also:
Making notes
Planning essays

Planning & organising

A crucial part of being a successful student.

See also: Time Management

Management of change

Although it's an important aspect of coming to university, it's not so obvious

a skill as Time Management, and you will need to think of examples that you
can quote when a prospective employer wants to hear about them.

Oral and written communication

Oral: taking part in tutorials.

Written: essays and dissertations.

By the way, it may cheer you to know that university will probably be the last
place where you'll have write essays for people who know more about the
topic than you do: after this, you will generally be the expert.

Problem analysis and problem solving

Again, it's an important aspect of coming to university, but it's not so obvious
a skill as Time Management, and you will need to think of examples that you
can quote when a prospective employer wants to hear about them.

Self management and time management

Handing in essays and assignments on time

Balancing all the conflicting demands on your time.

See also: Time Management

ICT (Information and Communication Technology)

On just about every course you will need to submit your essays typed. It
makes enormous sense to word-process them on a computer using a
programme such as: Word, WordPerfect or AmiPro. Then print them out.

Once you've learned how to do that, you should work to fill any gaps in these
areas:
 Email
the Internet
presentations (such as PowerPoint)
spreadsheets (such as Excel).

Foreign languages

If these are not part of your course, it is well worth contacting the Language
Centre to see about getting some extra tuition.

Numeracy

An essential part of some courses. If your course does not require it, you may
need to practise.

Negotiating

A skill which you may need when dealing with the landlord or flat-mates, but
which doesn't normally get much exercise at university.

Commercial awareness

Not normally required on university courses.

Where to acquire key skills

University life offers many opportunities for gaining Key skills. Here are
four suggestions:

Students' Union

The Students' Union runs a training and development programme called

Student Focus, which is aimed in particular at students who have been
elected as course representatives, or who are actively involved in the
Students' Union, for example in clubs and societies or as elected officers.

Contact the Student Advice and Information Centre.

Special projects

On some courses you get to spend a year away from the University, working
abroad, or on placement. On others you have to research and write up a major
project. These are all golden opportunities to develop your portfolio of skills.

Housing
 You will probably spend a couple of years living in rented accommodation.
Tasks like bargaining with the landlord and your flat-mates over rent and
sorting out the cleaning rota may just seem like chores to be endured. But in
fact they are opportunities for you to practise negotiating skills, organising
people and managing change.

Part-time jobs

You are quite likely to take on part-time work during term, and almost certain
to take a job during the vacations. Often these jobs will be menial, exactly the
type you're here to avoid doing when you graduate!

But even the humblest job gives you practice at Key Skills:

dealing with members of the public

handling money
dealing with several tasks at once
time-keeping

negotiating with customers and other members of staff.

10 Habits of Highly Effective

Students
The key to becoming an
effective student is learning how
to study smarter, not harder. This
becomes more and more true as
you advance in your education.
An hour or two of studying a
day is usually sufficient to make
it through high school with
satisfactory grades, but when college arrives, there aren't enough hours in the day to get
all your studying in if you don't know how to study smarter.

While some students are able to breeze through school with minimal effort, this is the
exception. The vast majority of successful students achieve their success by developing
and applying effective study habits. The following are the top 10 study habits employed
by highly successful students. So if you want to become a succesful student, don't get
discouraged, don't give up, just work to develop each of the study habits below and you'll
see your grades go up, your knowledge increase, and your ability to learn and assimilate
information improve.


1. Don't attempt to cram all your studying into one session.

Ever find yourself up late at night expending more energy trying to keep your eyelids
open than you are studying? If so, it's time for a change. Successful students typically
space their work out over shorter periods of time and rarely try to cram all of their
studying into just one or two sessions. If you want to become a successful student then
you need to learn to be consistent in your studies and to have regular, yet shorter, study
periods.

2. Plan when you're going to study.

Successful students schedule specific times throughout the week when they are going to
study -- and then they stick with their schedule. Students who study sporadically and
whimsically typically do not perform as well as students who have a set study schedule.
Even if you're all caught up with your studies, creating a weekly routine, where you set
aside a period of time a few days a week, to review your courses will ensure you develop
habits that will enable you to succeed in your education long term.

3. Study at the same time.

Not only is it important that you plan when you're going to study, it's important you
create a consistent, daily study routine. When you study at the same time each day and
each week, you're studying will become a regular part of your life. You'll be mentally and
emotionally more prepared for each study session and each study session will become
more productive. If you have to change your schedule from time to time due to
unexpected events, that's okay, but get back on your routine as soon as the event has
passed.

4. Each study time should have a specific goal.

Simply studying without direction is not effective. You need to know exactly what you
need to accomplish during each study session. Before you start studying, set a study
session goal that supports your overall academic goal (i.e. memorize 30 vocabulary
words in order to ace the vocabulary section on an upcoming Spanish test.)

5. Never procrasitinate your planned study session.

It's very easy, and common, to put off your study session because of lack of interest in the
subject, because you have other things you need to get done, or just because the
assignment is hard. Successful students DO NOT procrastinate studying. If you
procrastinate your study session, your studying will become much less effective and you
may not get everything accomplished that you need to. Procrastination also leads to
rushing, and rushing is the number one cause of errors.

6. Start with the most difficult subject first.

As your most diffult assignment or subject will require the most effort and mental energy,
you should start with it first. Once you've completed the most difficult work, it will be
much easier to complete the rest of your work. Believe it or not, starting with the most
difficult subject will greatly improve the effectiveness of your study sessions, and your
academic performance.

7. Always review your notes before starting an assigment.

Obviously, before you can review your notes you must first have notes to review. Always
make sure to take good notes in class. Before you start each study session, and before you
start a particular assignment, review your notes thoroughly to make sure you know how
to complete the assignment correctly. Reviewing your notes before each study session
will help you remember important subject matter learned during the day, and make sure
studying targeted and effective.

8. Make sure you're not distracted while you're studying.

Everyone gets distracted by something. Maybe it's the TV. Or your family. Or maybe it's
too quite. Some people actually study better with a little background noise. When you're
distracted while you're studying you (1) loose your train of thought and (2) you're unable
to focus -- both of which will lead to very ineffective studying. Before you start studying
find a place where you won't be disturbed or distracted. Some people this is a quite
cubical in the recesses of the library.

9. Use study groups effectively.

Ever heard the phrase "two heads are better than one"? Well this can be especially true
when it comes to studying. Working in groups enables you to (1) get help from others
when you're struggling to understand a concept, (2) complete assignments more quickly,
and (3) teach others whereby helping both the other students and yourselve to internalize
the subject matter. However, study groups can become very ineffective if they're not
structured and if groups members come unprepared. Effective students use study groups
effectively.

10. Review your notes, schoolwork and other class materials over the weekend.
Successful students review what they've learned during the week over the weekend. This
way they're well prepared to continue learning new concepts that build upon previous
coursework and knowledge acquired the previous week.

We're confident that if you'll develop the habits outlined above that you'll see a major
improvement in your academic success.

Study skills or study strategies are approaches applied to learning. They are generally
critical to success in school, considered essential for acquiring good grades, and useful
for learning throughout one's life.