The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989/2004) by Stephen R. Covey

Pages: 340;

This is probably the third or fourth time I have read this book and surprisingly I still feel that I will have to read it again. The book is very rich. Stephen Covey states,

"I would recommend that you not "see" this material as a book, in the sense that it is something to read once and put on a shelf.... [The] material is designed to a companion in the continual process of change and growth."

Of the many books I have read, this is one of the few books that uses a lot of practical examples to illustrate its concepts. In my view, Stephen Covey possesses a teaching style that is comparable to that of one other person who taught similar principles many centuries ago (leave a comment if you can guess who I am alluding to).

The book teaches the following seven principles which Dr. Covey argues to be principles essential for high effectiveness in individuals, families, organizations, communities and nations.

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 .

For those of you who may be as busy as I am, you may want to learn about the Quadrant II Tool (the fourth generation time management tool) which teaches the concept of "organizing and executing around priorities." The tool teaches what Covey believes to be the best method of time management: organizing the week. The stages for this time management tool (or rather self-management tool) are as follows:

1. Develop/tap into your mission statement.
2. Identify your roles as they relate to your mission statement.
3. Choose one or two goals to accomplish in each role in the next week.
4. Schedule time to accomplish the goals you identified above.
5. Adapt each day to prioritize your goals "while responding to unanticipated events, relationships, and experiences in a meaningful way."

Click here for an overview of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything (2012) by Linda Holmes

Pages: 4;

"The vast majority of the world's books, music, films, television and art, you will never see."

Yesterday, a friend shared with me a very interesting NPR article. This article convinced me that I should not use my 1-Million-Page Challenge to attempt to read all the great books in the world . I was aware (to a certain extent) of the facts highlighted in this article. However, reading this article helped me to think about these facts very differently. Basically, the author clearly articulates why no one can ever read most of the great books in the world, not even one percent. In fact, even after I read the 2,500 books in 10 years, I would have not read much of the great books in the world. Yes, I would have read much more than the average person but I would have read very little of what the world has to offer.

After reading this article, I'm convinced that I should not try to read all or even most of the world's great books. It's impossible! It can never be done! However, my goal should be to read as much books as I need to read so that I can equip myself to achieve my life goals. If reading all the world's greatest books is impossible (which it is), then I will at least read as much books as I need to read in order to optimize my life. I think reading at least 2,500 books in my lifetime is probably good enough for that, don't you think?

Click here to read the NPR article by Linda Holmes.

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