STEPHEN COVEY FIRST THINGS FIRST PROFESSIONAL

Almost all of us feel torn by the things we want to do, by the demands placed on us, by the many responsibilities we have. Putting first things first is an issue at the very heart of life. How can I translate what really counts into my daily life? But somewhere between my vision and my daily action, I lose it. I've written down what I feel is really important and I set goals to make it happen. I feel like I have some sense of what I should do with my life. How can I know what's most important? How can I do it? How can I enjoy it? The constant stress of trying to decide what I should do in the middle of all I could do creates a constant tension. For every one thing I do, I can think of ten things I don't do, and it makes me feel guilty. Most of the time, I just don't enjoy life. It's like the song says, 'Is that all there is?' Way down inside I have this empty feeling. What's important to me is getting swept away in the current of what's important to everybody else.Д®veryone tells me I'm highly successful, I've worked and scraped and sacrificed, and I've made it to the top. What I set out to do is blocked by what other people want me to do for them.

I try to figure out what's important and set goals to do it, but other people - my boss, my work associates, my spouse - continually throw wrenches into the works. On top of all this, despite our family vacations, my family has all but written me off because they never see me. The morale among out employees is low and I feel guilty for no/ge/ring out with them and listening more.

I feel tremendous pressure to be leading our organization's quality improvement initiative. I'm constantly playing referee in turf wars between members of my executive team. The board and shareholders are on me like a swarm of bees for our declining share prices. There is simply too little of me to go around. Is it possible to be really successful - and happy - at the office and at home? I live with constant conflict, trying to juggle the demands of both. My family is important to me so is my work. But I get this feeling inside sometimes, 'So what? What are you doing that really counts?' I have to admit, I don't know. My output is tremendous I'm getting a lot done. I push myself to the limit, fall into bed exhausted, and get up early the next morning to do it all again. My life is hectic! I'm running all day - meetings, phone calls, paperwork, appointments. And many of us don't like those consequences - especially when we feel there's a gap between how we're spending our rime and what we feel is deeply important in out lives. We're also living with the consequences of those choices. We're constantly making choices about the way we spend our rime, from the major seasons to the individual moments in out lives. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.Д¬hapter 1: How Many People on Their Deathbed Wish They'd Spent More Time at the Office? Using personal examples and insight from years of business experience, he argues for a new way of looking at your вЂњto-doвЂќ list. Covey advocates categorizing tasks by urgency and importance so that you can focus on what actually needs to be done in the limited amount of time that you have.

STEPHEN COVEY FIRST THINGS FIRST PROFESSIONAL

From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to building your work on the principles of effectiveness so that your life can spent cultivating genuine relationships, investing in pursuits you enjoy, and achieving balance in both your personal and professional lives.

I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?Дoes this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why we so often prioritize things that are unimportant to both our larger goals and our inner happiness.

From the author that brought you the New York Times bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People comes a guide to prioritizing your personal and professional goals.

Stephen covey first things first