Combine your roles in life (work, family, leisure) by looking at the spots where they overlap and shifting your perspective to the WHOLE you. Maybe you want to exercise more but have to take care of your kids. An example of combined roles would be if you exercised together with them.

Connect - Don't compartmentalize

Make time for work, family, and leisure so that each of these vital areas gets their share of your attention. Plan the coming week on Sunday with the guiding help of your principles. This will give you a broader perspective when planning.

Weekly Planning

The Whole is greater than the Sum of its parts.

Write a personal mission statement to guide you through tough times and hard decisions. Picture yourself at 80: What kind of life have you led? What makes you smile when you remember it?Start by taking steps toward your desired future right now!

Strong Vision of the Future

Empower your kids or coworkers by focusing on a "high-trust culture". This is characterized by: <ul><li>Mutual trust</li><li>Mutual respect</li><li>Being honest with each other</li><li>Holding each other accountable</li><li>Giving and receiving feedback</li></ul>

Empower those you lead

Specify for each goal: <ul><li>what: the right thing</li><li>why: for the right reason</li><li>how: in the right way</li></ul>Make sure your goal is under your influence and in alignment with both your principles and your vision for the future. Finally, your goal needs to be driven by importance, not urgency.

On Goal-Setting

No One On His Deathbed Ever Said, ‘I Wish I Had Spent More Time On My Business’

Identify the few things that have a long-lasting positive impact on your life and prioritize them from now on. They will be your new compass for life.

Compass of your life

There may be urgent tasks on your to-do list, but don't let these things keep you from what is truly important: your family, friends, and health.

Focus on the IMPORTANT - not the URGENT

<ol><li>Need to live: food, shelter and health</li><li>Need to learn: being intellectually stimulated</li><li>Need to love: having people you can trust and care for</li><li>Need to have a legacy: having a sense of purpose in life</li></ol>Focus on your life's principles to meet these needs; they are your guiding compass, your north star. These principles must guide ALL your decisions, not just some.

4 Needs to be Happy

Alone we can do little; Together we can do so much!

Preventers: <ul><li>Discouragement</li><li>Pride</li><li>Unrealistic expectations</li></ul>Try focusing on humility and gratitude for what you already have. Put the important things first. Everything else will fall into place, as the last idea/parabola will show you.

Inner Peace

<ul><li>See the other people in your life as an opportunity to cooperate and create win-win situations. </li><li>Rather than perceiving life as one big competition focus on the more positive outlook of one big cooperation effort where there is enough for everybody and where we help each other.</li></ul>

Interdependence/Cooperation Vs. Independence/Competition

Fill your jar in the following order: <ul><li>stones (your important things)</li><li>gravel (your urgent things)</li><li>sand (the other stuff in your life like material belongings)</li></ul>If you would reverse the order, the stones wouldn't have a place in the jar. So always start with the most important things when planning ahead in your life. If you want to read the whole story just search for jar story online.

The full jar

This book has helped me to use my principles and vision for the future to make better decisions and find out what is truly important. 

The New York Times–bestselling time management book from the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.   Stephen R. Covey’s First Things First is the gold standard for time management books. His principle-centered approach for prioritizing gives you time management tips that enable you to make changes and sacrifices needed in order to obtain happiness and retain a feeling of security. First Things First: The Interactive Edition takes Dr. Covey’s philosophy and remasters the entire text to include easy-to-understand infographics, analysis, and more.   This time-saving version of First Things First is the efficient way to apply Dr. Covey’s tested and validated time management tips, while retaining his core message. This guide will help you:   • Get more done in less time • Develop and retain rich relationships • Attain inner peace • Create balance in your life • And, put first things first   “Covey is the hottest self-improvement consultant to hit US business since Dale Carnegie.” —USA Today   “Covey has reached the apex with First Things First. This is an important work. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be helped by reading it.” —Larry King, CNN   “These goals embody a perfect balance of the mental, the physical, the spiritual, and the social.” —Booklist Readers should note that this ebook edition differs slightly from the print edition and does not contain all the same materials.

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Stephen R. Covey is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Stephen R. Covey has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Stephen R. Covey's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.