Customer Reviews

Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People: Living the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Every Day

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In response to another's review, I must rise to Covey's defense. Covey seems well aware of the "mind-numbing" avalanche of tasks and things to do that people have to deal with. Seven Habits stuff is a direct response to that. It offers a good method for really thinking about what's important to you and making time for things that really matter -- WITHOUT the "numbing." I feel the buzzwords and catch phrases are designed to make a complex approach more accessible. I really think it's unfair to ascribe evil intentions to the offer of free items. Covey repeatedly states in his books that any organizer or planner can be adapted to his philosophy, but his stuff costs about the same as any other and if you are interested in using his approach it is way handier than putting adapting another system. This particular book is just OK. If you have the planner, or the original book which is a much better purchase, I don't see the need for this.

That said, there is a lot of marketing around 7H stuff which I don't have any use for. Despitew this, if you're bitter and angry I don't suppose any self-help book will work for you.

First, the reviewer from Falls Church, VA makes the statement that Covey makes reference to pages in The 7 habits.... If the person read the sub-title "Living the seven habits" one would expect Covey to refer to his other book.

This book is an excellent guide to to use for your daily life. Yes, it takes time but it is worth it. It is written to support the information from the 7 Habits. Read the 7H first and then use this book.

In this followup up to the original book by a similar title, Dr. Covey provides insight on how to work the plan. Each day has an inspiring excerpt that is easily grasped. Consider, for example, the December 5 entry where he reminds us of the need for continual rewewal. He writes: "Habit 7: 'Sharpen the Saw' is personal Production Capability. It's preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It's renewing the four dimensions of your nature--physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional."

That is the purpose of this book, in essence. It is to remind us of the need to be continually renewed and refreshed. This book is designed to do that mentally. I find it inspiring.

The first thing to understand about the small format book "Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey is it is in essence a promotion of his full sized book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." There are 365 pages in this mini-book, one for each day of the year. Every day has a short quote to inspire you, and then it shows the page number in the "main book" for you to go read more information. So if you happen to flip to June 8th you'll see the quote:

"My own maxim of personal effectiveness is this: Manage from the left (brain); lead from the right(brain). --p. 147"

That's it. You get a brief quote, and then a page number IN ANOTHER BOOK to go read more about it. If you don't have the other book, this could be highly frustrating!

But let's say you DO have the other book and you want to have a daily way to inspire yourself. This book certainly fits the bill. No matter what day you're on, you have a quote to ponder and try to implement. You can also use the book as a brainstorming tool. Flip open to any page at all. I hit page 264. It says "In the last analysis, what we *are* communicates far more eloquently than anything we *say* or *do*." This is definitely true! I could certainly think about that idea all day and find several ways to help implement it in my own life.

Are some of these common sense? Yes certainly - but how many people do we see every day working contrary to what the message says? Sometimes these reminders are exactly what we need in life.

So really, the key here is that you understand what the book offers. It doesn't offer in depth advice. You have to get the main book for that step by step processing. This book here is meant to offer short inspirational sayings, and it does that. If you are willing to buy both books, you can easily use the page number references to hop to the other book to get that full in depth advice for whatever you're interested in. If you don't have the other book, that's fine too, you can generally understand what the quote means and think of ways to utilize it.

Well recommended for what it's useful for.

This book as one review most aptly put is "an inspirational recharge that will bring you closer to a holistic sense of personal effectiveness and purpose." Probably the most effective way of absorbing the principles is to see him speak live. I have heard him in his audio version of the seven habits book. He is excellent because he comes across as an average guy, not arrogant, trying to give you the most useful advice possible. He is very much like the fictional character from my book "Stark Contrast" named Dr. Tom Kelstone.

Read this book with Bach's Brandenbergs in the background, it works!


Jeffrey McAndrew
author and broadcaster

This daily reinforcement of the Seven Habits is a good tool for your morning or evening reflection time. The book consists of excerpts from Covey's 7 Habits, and is arranged generally in the same order as the original book. The reinforcement it provides is a good way to keep yourself focused on the principles Covey espouses. Each reflection will take about 2 minutes to read, and the book itself is small enough to be a good travelling companion.

Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People proves to me business and spiritualty mix. In addition to a daily prayer and meditation book, this has become part of my daily ritual.

It is amazing and it can stand on its own without the book it is based on.

i have bought and given so many copies of Stephen Covey's Daily Reflections For Highly Effective People to people i thought could be inspired by him that i feel like i could be his marketing director. these are short readings that are my daily metronome. like jelly fish, the thoughts have many connections. i don't even like to quote from Mr. Covey's Daily Relflections because he has such a precise way of saying everything in the fewest possible words and hitting the bull's eye every time -- unlike me. one way in which i think Daily Relflections can be very helpful is to use it like a mantra to overlay negative, undercutting thoughts when they start intruding into your mind. over the years i have read many of these daily inspirational thoughts books, but Covey's is one that teaches me something new every day, and i have been reading it for over 5 years. consequently, i have incorporated Mr. Covey's positive thinking, success principles into my own thinking and have experienced the success of his thinking.

This daily reinforcement of the Seven Habits is a good tool for your morning or evening reflection time. The book consists of excerpts from Covey's 7 Habits, and is arranged generally in the same order as the original book. The reinforcement it provides is a good way to keep yourself focused on the principles Covey espouses. Each reflection will take about 2 minutes to read, and the book itself is small enough to be a good travelling companion.

This daily reinforcement of the Seven Habits is a good tool for your morning or evening reflection time. The book consists of excerpts from Covey's 7 Habits, and is arranged generally in the same order as the original book. The reinforcement it provides is a good way to keep yourself focused on the principles Covey espouses. Each reflection will take about 2 minutes to read, and the book itself is small enough to be a good travelling companion.