Welcome to the next-to-last installment of the series on how to implement the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in a Getting Things Done-style system. This series of posts will guide you through the stages of personal implementation over several weeks. This will give you a chance to focus on each new habit in your life for one full week before beginning the next one. For those of you that have not read Stephen Covey’s landmark book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, here is a brief synopsis of the seventh habit:

Sharpen the Saw focuses on balanced self-satisfaction: Regain what Covey calls “production capability” by engaging in carefully selected recreational activities. Use this time productively to restore your energy and morale, re-connect with friends and family, refresh your spiritual self.

Habit VII: Sharpen the Saw

The seventh and final habit of highly effective people is best illustrated by the anecdote that Covey uses at the introduction of the chapter:

Suppose that you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree.
“What are you doing?”, you ask.
“Can’t you see,” comes the impatient reply. “I’m sawing down this tree.”
“You look exhausted!” you exclaim. “How long have you been at it?”
“Over five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.”
“Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw?” you inquire. “I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”
“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically. “I’m too busy sawing!”

~Stephen Covey

This is the trap that so many busy people find themselves in. Sawing away frantically at their tree, never stopping to maintain the saw, or replenish the energy that it takes to do the work.

The seventh habit is about personal renewal, bringing your greatest asset back into top operating condition. What asset is that? You. You are the common denominator of every aspect of your life. That may seem like an obvious statement, but I will wager that you, dear reader and many people that you know and care about, do not take enough time for yourselves in order to relax and simply be present.

Covey describes four areas of the human existence that need regular maintenance and TLC:

1. The Physical You - Your body needs food and water to survive. It also needs more. It needs exercise and activity to function properly.
2. The Mental You - Your brain has been compared to a muscle, in that it too needs exercise and a variety of stimulation. Ongoing learning and education provide this beneficial stimulus.
3. The Social/Emotional You - Everyone has a need for interpersonal relationships. Whether at work, after work, with friends and neighbors, family and social organizations - these relationships bring renewal through communication and cooperation.
4. The Spiritual You - Typically a very private portion of your life, the Spiritual You is not necessarily about religion. It is about your beliefs and values, how they affect and are affected by the various other parts of your life.

Personal Renewal in Context

All four of these dimensions should be exercised regularly in a balanced way. This process of renewal is a Quadrant 2 activity, important but not urgent. It is also an investment of time, not a spending of time, that has a true return.
The return is an increase in your energy level, a clearness of your thinking, a commitment to your values, and a connection to those you care about.

Practical Applications

In short, investing the time to Sharpen the Saw allows you to get back to work sawing with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Physical Conditioning

Paying attention to your diet and level of exercise can go a long way to improving your performance in every area of your life. Eating a balanced diet is important to healthy body chemistry. Every person is different in their caloric needs, and as I am not a doctor I am not going to go into too much detail. Suffice it to say that a diet rich in french fries is not the healthiest.

But there is more to it than that:

• Just going for a walk outside, or around the mall, can improve your circulation and endurance.
• Taking the time to stretch and limber up in the morning before starting your day can prevent a variety of work-related injuries.
• Pay attention to your posture, at home and at work.
• Do you have the proper supports for your hands on your computer keyboard and mouse?

Invest the time in your physical environment and in exercising your body.

Mental Awareness

Do you remember all of that “stuff” you had to learn in High School that you thought you’d never use? Well, if you haven’t used it the chances are good that you have lost it. (I personally could not differentiate a calculus problem today if my life depended on it!) Your mental acuity and power can be enhanced by more thinking.

You simply need to think about other things:

• Read a book.
• Learn a language.
• Do a puzzle.
• Play a board game,
• or find a chess partner.

Using your brain for thinking tasks that are also enjoyable creates new pathways and opens the floodgates of creativity. Some of you might be thinking, “But I’m not creative!” Sure you are. You just don’t get enough practice. Using and developing your creative skills in the context of entertainment enhances those abilities in other contexts as well, like work and general problem solving.

Social Engagement

“No man is an island”, as the old saying goes. Each of us is part of one or more groups that provide a mutual benefit. The group benefits from our presence and contributions while we benefit from the support of and connection to the group. Friendships, organized sports teams, social groups and clubs, business networks, your church, the list goes on and on. Being part of a group and participating in group activities is essential to your effectiveness.

Consider the benefits that membership in a group typically confers:

• Like-minded people to talk to
• Support and resources for help in times of need
• Entertainment and recreation
• Personal validation and recognition
• Business opportunities

Get involved, it’ll do you good. You might even learn something.

Spiritual Centering

Finding your central values and core beliefs is what the previous 6 habits were all about. the seventh habit ties them together. Investing the time for spiritual renewal provides the energy, the determination and the guiding hand for your life. There are about as many ways to express your spiritual dimension as there are people to practice it. It is intensely private, as it is incredibly important. Your values create the framework and structure of your entire life. How you relate to people, respond to stress, handle crises, express your feelings.

Replenishing this core source of energy and vitality is essential to your effectiveness:

• Meditation or prayer
• Communing with nature
• Literature
• Music
• Participation in worship
• Participation in community service
• Individual commitments to serve others

It is much easier to see where you are going when you know where you are starting from.

Building the Habit

I ask you to take on three simple activities that will help you administer and adjust to your new habit.

These activities are:

1. Create a Weekly Plan

Take some time at the end of your Weekly Review to plan your activities for the coming week. If you are not familiar with the Weekly Review, click here for more information. Be sure to set aside some time for personal renewal.

Consider these questions as you plan your week:

1. How do I really spend my time?
2. What is truly important to me?
3. How can I make my commitments more effective?

2. Make a Personal Commitment

Commit yourself to adding one simple activity each week to implement and practice the new habit. Whether you go outside after work to play catch with your child, or spend time with the bowling team, make a commitment to establishing more time for Sharpening the Saw.

3. Teach to Learn

One of the best ways to establish your own understanding of a new topic is to explain it to another person. Pick someone that you can teach the new habit to, it can be your accountability partner or someone else.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need some help. There is no worksheet this week, you didn’t miss the download link. For review, here are all of the previous posts in the series:

• Habit One - Be Proactive
• Habit Two - Begin with the End in Mind
• Habit Three - Put First Things First, part I
• Habit Three - Put First Things First, part II
• Habit Four - Think Win/Win
• Habit Five - Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
• Habit Six - Synergize