First Things First Every Day: Daily Reflections- Because Where You're Headed Is More Important Than How Fast You Get There (Paperback)

by Stephen R. Covey (Author) "Basing our happiness on our ability to control everything is futile..." (more)
Key Phrases: space between stimulus, Circle of Influence, Laws of Life

Editorial Reviews

Review
John Gray, Ph.D author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Building loving and fulfilling relationships requires spending time with those you value and care for. Covey and the Merrills encourage us to stop, think, and begin building. -- Review

Review
Larry KingCovey Leadership Center has reached the apex with this publication. This is an important work. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be helped by reading it.

John Gray, Ph.Dauthor of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from VenusBuilding loving and fulfilling relationships requires spending time with those you value and care for. Covey and the Merrills encourage us to stop, think, and begin building.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; 1 edition (June 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684842408
• ISBN-13: 978-0684842400
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #585,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Abridged To Be More Than An Inspiring Introduction, September 20, 2000

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: First Things First (Audio Cassette)

The strength of the abridged audiocassette is the conviction in Dr. Covey's voice. It will convince you that this is an important subject.

The weakness of this audiocassette is that you will learn the principles behind Quadrant Two Time Management, but not how to do it. As the audiocassette will tell you, you will need to buy the book, study it, and then start doing it. I thought this was so substantial a weakness that I graded the book down two stars for this limitation.

If you are pretty sure you want to use this method, go directly to the book. If you are not sure, listen to this audiocassette. I found a copy in my local library. Perhaps you can, too.

The time management technique here is intended to be a fourth generation of that method of getting more accomplished. The main different is that the goals here are to achieve more balance in your life by having you focus first on doing what is most important to you that will make the most difference. You will plan weekly, and reiterate your planning to learn from your experiences of the prior week.

Quadrant 2 is the area where activities are important, but not urgent. These activities are often overlooked, or are pushed out of the way by urgent activities, including ones that are unimportant.

The time management process is designed to handle all elements of your life, personal life as well as work. An analogy is used to putting big rocks, gravel, sand, and water into a jar. If you start with the big rocks, you can get everything in the jar. If you start in the opposite order, you'll never fit the big rocks in.

You are encouraged to develop a personal mission statement (because seeing meaning to life gives us more optimism and perserverance), consider all of your life roles, locate the highest payoff areas for those roles, make principle-centered decisions, exercise integrity in your moments of choice, and continually reevaluate how you are doing.

After you listen to this work, consider how well balanced or unbalanced your life is. Then think about what your habits are that cause you to have such imbalances. Next, start changing those habits to better ones.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond inspiring change to enpowering change, April 2, 1998

By A Customer

Stephen R Covey is more than an inspirational writer. Covey empowers the reader with techniques to improve lifestyle habits. His wisdom allows the reader to regain control of his life. Instead of being a slave to everyone else's priorities, you become faithful to your own aspirations and priorities. This book has given me the courage to examine my life to ensure that I am on the path of life that I want to be on instead of the path that my life dictates. Anyone who struggles with not having enough time for the things that really matter should read this book. It will give you the gift of discovering where the time for those "First things" are.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of Time, May 29, 1999

By A Customer

I loved "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". But I'm returning this book. Just a collection of phrases for each day. Not what I was looking for.