7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Chapter Name: Sharpen Your Saw (7th Habit)

Introduction
The book first introduces the concept of Paradigm Shift and prepares for a change in
mindset. It helps the understand that a different perspective exists, a viewpoint that may
be different from his or her own, and asserts that two people can see the same thing
and yet differ with each other. Once they prepared for this, it introduces the seven
habits in a proper order.
Each chapter is dedicated to one of the habits, which are represented by the
following imperatives:
1st to 3rd Habit:The First Three Habits surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e., selfmastery):

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Take initiative in life by realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life's
principles) are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take
responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Self-discover and clarify your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision
the ideal characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

A manager must manage his own person personally and managers should implement
activities that aim to reach the values and life goals.

4th to 6th habit:The next three habits talk about Interdependence (e.g. working with others):

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Genuinely strive for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships.

Value and respect people by understanding a "WIN" for all is ultimately a better longterm resolution than if only one person in the situation had got his way.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Use empathic listening to be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to

reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates
an atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving.

Habit 6: Synergize

Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no

one person could have done alone.

7th Habit:The final habit is that of continuous improvement in both the personal and interpersonal
spheres of influence.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, longterm, effective lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes exercise for physical renewal, prayer
(meditation, yoga, etc.) and good reading for mental renewal. It also mentions service to
society for spiritual renewal.
Covey explains the "Upward Spiral" model in the sharpening the saw section. Through
our conscience, along with meaningful and consistent progress, the spiral will result in
growth, change, and constant improvement. In essence, one is always attempting to
integrate and master the principles outlined in The 7 Habits at progressively higher
levels at each iteration. Subsequent development on any habit will render a different
experience and you will learn the principles with a deeper understanding. The Upward
Spiral model consists of three parts: Learn, Commit, and Do. According to Covey, one
must be increasingly educating the conscience in order to grow and develop on the
upward spiral. The idea of renewal by education will propel one along the path of
personal freedom, security, wisdom, and power.

Sharpen Your Saw

Habit-7 Steve Coveys the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is called Sharpen the
Saw. Covey uses the common analogy of a woodcutter who is sawing for several days
straight and is becoming less and less productive. The process of cutting dulls the
blade. So the solution is to periodically sharpen the saw.
Most people fail to understand what sharpening the saw really means. If youre
overworking yourself and your productivity begins to fall off, common wisdom says to
take a break, maybe even go on vacation. However, that isnt sharpening the saw
thats putting the saw down. When you put down a dull blade for a while, the blade will
still be dull when you pick it up again.
Sharpening the saw is actually an activity, just as the analogy suggests. Think about
what it would mean to sharpen the saw of your life. Here are some saw-sharpening
ideas:
1. Exercise
2. Improve your diet
3. Educate yourself (read, listen to audio programs, attend a seminar)
4. Learn a new skill
5. Join a club
6. Meditation
7. Write in your journal
8. Have a deep conversation with someone
9. Set some new goals or review/update your old goals
10. Organize your home or office
11. Go out on a date
12. Clear out a bunch of little tasks that youve been putting off
13. Read this blog

Our Group Views:

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you haveyou. 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.
Feeling good doesnt just happen. Living a life in balance means taking the necessary
time to renew yourself. Its 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
renewala new opportunity to recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. All it takes is
the desire, knowledge, and skill.