Sam's Summary on the 7 Habits

7 habits of Highly effective People. By Stephen Covey

360 Pages (about a week to read) The Big Idea

This book teaches that to do better in life, you must first work on yourself. You can’t fix the world by blaming others. You start by fixing how you think, act, and choose.

The 7 Habits

1. You are in charge of your choices You can’t control everything, but you can control how you react. Don’t blame others, take responsibility. Great advice.

   
   

2. Know where you are going Decide what kind of person you want to be and what you want to achieve. It’s like having a map before a journey. Specificity and clarity is the key.

   
   

3. Do the most important things first Don’t waste time on silly stuff. Do homework before games. Take care of what really matters.

   
   

4. Look for ways everyone can win Life isn’t about beating others. Try to find solutions where both sides are happy. Look for a Win – Win, not always achievable though.

   
   

5. Listen before you talk Really listen to others instead of waiting for your turn to speak. Understanding comes before being understood. Two ears and one mouth principle.

   
   

6. Work together People can do more together than alone. Different ideas make better solutions.

   
   

7. Take care of yourself Rest, learn, exercise, think, and spend time with others. A sharp tool works better than a worn-out one.
   

One Important Lesson

If you only chase results and don’t take care of yourself, you’ll burn out. If you only rest and never work, nothing gets done. The key is balance.

The Main Message

Becoming better doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice, discipline, and good habits, but it leads to a strong, happy, and responsible life.

I found it difficult to read and get into at first, I listened to the audiobook about a decade ago and it was much easier to listen to than read. When I come back to this again in another decade or so, I am going to listen to it, my eyes will probably be gone by then, lol. If you get a chance to buy or listen to it, give it a shot. It's also free if your kindle amazon member, buy I bought my copy from a second handbook shop. From the Author - I have given myself a goal of reading 50 books on business and self-improvement this year or about 1 a week for 2026. I am going back through my library and picking a book at random. Most of my friends don't read so these summaries are a twofer, they will summarise the book based on simple notes I take while reading, and then my readers, mates and colleagues can decide whether or not to buy it or download it on their kindle. I am not going to give the books a score, nor say which books to avoid, I've read books that I love that everyone said was crap, so I am going to stick to my summary, and try to keep my opinion and Bias subtle. Some of the books will be by audio, some in paper, If I start reading one and can't get into it, after 2 chapters, I'm gone, I'll pick up another.