Covey Habit 7 - Sharpening the Saw

Nicolette Gadaleta, Chilka Patel, Shannon Smith, Kristin Harris and Matt DellaBella

Habit 7: Sharpening the SawThe single most powerful investment we can make in

life is an investment in ourselves-Habit 7 is about Personal PC - Production Capability

-It surrounds the other habits on the 7 Habits Paradigm

-Through this habit, all other habits are possible

-By preserving and enhancing the greatest assets that YOU have, you can succeed

4 Dimensions of Renewal-Renewal is the principle - and the process - that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change of continuous improvement

-Habit 7 is all about keeping your personal self “sharp” so that you can better your life

-Your focus should be spent on renewing the four dimensions of nature

Sharpening the Saw 1)Body: The physical dimension

Exercise, eat healthy, sleep well, and relax

2)Brain: The mental dimension

Read, educate, write, and learn new skills

3)Heart: The social/emotional dimension

Build relationships, give service, and laugh

4)Soul: The spiritual dimension

Meditate, keep a journal, pray, and take in quality media

PhysicalCaring for your physical body:

Eating right, sufficient sleep, exercise

ExerciseQuadrant II

Can become Quadrant I if we neglect it

3-6 hours a week or a minimum of thirty minutes a day, every other day

A good exercise program will build your body in 3 areas:

Endurance

Flexibility

Strength

Physical - EnduranceEndurance exercises are activities that increases your heart rate and

breathing for an extended period of time.Comes from cardiovascular efficiency (the ability of your heart to pump blood

through your body)

Your heart has to be indirectly exercised through large muscle groups, like the leg muscles

Examples: Rapid walking, running, biking, swimming, cross-country, skiing, jogging, dancing

Physical - Heart RateConsidered minimally fit if you can increase your heart rate to at least one

hundred beats per minute and keep it at that level for thirty minutes

A normal resting heart rate for an adult is 60-100 beats per minute

Find your pulse. Count the number of beats in 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get your beats per minute

The goal is to raise your heart rate to at least 60% of your maximum pulse rate

Maximum pulse rate = 200 - (your age) = x * 60%

The “training effect”

Changes in the muscular, cardiovascular, and neurohumoral systems that lead to improvement in functional capacity due to regular endurance or resistance training

is between 72% and 87% of your maximum rate

Physical - FlexibilityStretching

Recommended to be done before aerobic exercise -> helps loosen and warm muscles for activity

Recommended to be done after aerobic exercise -> helps dissipate lactic acid so that you don’t feel sore and stiff

Other benefits: relieves stress, reduces cholesterol, increase energy

Physical - StrengthComes from muscle resistance exercises

Calisthenics, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and weights

No Pain, No GainWhile this can be true and valid, the true essence of sharpening

ourselves physically is to exercise regularly so that we can preserve ourselves and enhance our capacity to work, adapt, and enjoy.

Don’t overdo it, especially if you’re just starting out

Mental DimensionIt's important to keep your mind sharp by reading, writing, organizing and planning. Read broady and expose yourself to great minds.

Surveys indicate that the television is turned on in most homes 35-40 hours per week. It is great obstacle to mental renewal. Most of is a waste of time.

Mental Dimension-How toReading

Writing

Organizing and planning

Mental Dimension- Private VictoryEvery day we should commit at least one hour to renewal in the first three dimensions: physical, mental and spiritual. This practice is a “Daily Private Victory”

It will build the long-term physical, spiritual and mental strength to enable you to handle difficult challenges in life.

Social/Emotional Dimension

Social/Emotional DimensionThe Social/Emotional Dimension fits closely to Habits 4,5 and 6 in their principles of personal leadership, empathetic communication and creative cooperation

Renewing the social/emotional dimension requires effort in building relationships and being a quality friend to others. It is important to have strong emotional intelligence to excel in this.

Social/Emotional DimensionThe emotional element in this dimension comes from a sense of personal security, called intrinsic security.

This type of security comes from our moral principles and ensuring our daily habits align with our deepest, most meaningful, personal values.

We can achieve this through living a life of integrity, surrounding ourselves with people of high moral standing, and giving meaningful service.

Social/Emotional DimensionExamples:

Spend time with friends

Call family

Actively build relationships with others

Laugh

Volunteer/give service

Social/Emotional DimensionThese simple activities help renew your heart and will make you more able to complete tasks. Without this renewal you can be easily overwhelmed by stressors and become emotionally raw.

It’s important to remember that no matter how productive and busy you are, you’re not too busy to socially and emotionally renew.

SpiritualSharpening your spiritual saw helps stay engaged and energized in

your work. It is about renewing yourself and fulfilling your personal ambitions so that you can feel accomplished in your personal life. Having this sense of fulfillment in your personal life with yourself, your family, and your friends will put you at ease and increase your performance especially in personal relationships, management, and leadership.

Spiritual - How ToTake time to yourself

Avoid competition

Do what you enjoy

Connect with nature

Connect with family

Avoid TV, radio, and most media

Can listen to your favorite relaxing music

Read, draw, take a walk, etc.

Spiritual - Book ExampleA man starts to feel everything in his life is flat and stale

Goes to a doctor who writes him 4 prescriptions and orders him to go to his favorite place alone and to open the scripts three hours apart from one another

“Listen Carefully”

“Try Reaching Back”

“Examine Your Motives”

“Write Your Worries on the Sand”

Spiritual - RecapWhen staying sharp you can not neglect your spiritual side

You will be able to work more efficiently if you are able to walk away from work

It is a time investment into yourself

Multiplies Your Energy

Fulfilling your personal goals will put you at ease and allow you to handle confrontation and stress easier

Balance in Renewal-Balanced renewal is optimally synergistic

-The things we do to sharpen the saw in any one dimension have a positive impact on the other dimensions

-All aspects are highly interrelated

-Our physical health affects our mental health, and our spiritual strengths affect our social/emotional strength

Balance in Renewal-Although renewal in each dimension is important, it only becomes optimally effective as we deal with all 4 dimensions in a wise and balanced way

-A lot of saw sharpening is done involuntarily, or without you realizing what is happening

-This does not happen though without effort - you have to be proactive

-Allocate time each day to “sharpen your saw”

RiddleThis is a story of two lumberjacks John and Jim who were asked to participate in the competition “Who cut the most Wood.” John was robust and study and cut the wood with the powerful and big saw. Jim was famous for his skills but not his strength. He cut the wood with the smaller axe, but he sharpened his saw after cutting each tree.

RiddleDraw the conclusion… Who cut the most

trees and why?

What makes your saw sharp?

What makes your saw dull?

What are some ways you could sharpen your dull saw?

Sharpen the Saw Before you do anything in life, make sure you prepare your body, brain, heart, and

soul for it. By doing this, you will be able to complete your task successfully with a

positive outcome in return.

Sharpen the Saw Take time to sharpen your skills, tools, and

resources, and you will be more PRODUCTIVE and SUCCESSFUL

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening

the axe.” - Abraham Lincoln