Stephen Covey and The Seven (7) Habits of Highly Effective People: "Things that matter most must never be put at the mercy of things that matter least

Stephen Covey quotes the following: "Things that matter most must never be put at the mercy of things that matter least." So far so good. Nothing to argue with here!

Covey, in his Seven Habits book (STEPHEN COVEY SEVEN (7) HABITS BOOKS: Click ON ME), goes on to say something much more profound: (in effect) "Things which matter THE most should not be sacrificed or neglected for things which matter less, or only somewhat."

Covey's suggestion here gives pause for thought. It might seem like a good idea to get involved in something positive, wholesome, engaging, productive, and contributory to society, but is it causing you to neglect more important things? I will leave anyone reading this post to mull this over. It is a profound point...

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Organizing and Wrestling with Time

This is the crux isn't it? For me, actually, I think the issue is wrestling less with time, and more with my own indecision of what is the best course of action at any given moment. I cannot stress enough the value of writing down or typing out these issues (something I picked up from cognitive behavioral therapy).

Covey, of course, is famous for his organisational systems, and is often made fun of for it (see the Simpsons!). In fact, Covey's idea is less about "super-scheduling" (which, accurately I think, simply stultifies you!), and more about laying out a framework, putting it down on paper or in a habdheld device or organiser, not so as you can be dictated to by such a contraption, but so that you can get clear in your mind, without your thoughts running around like a rabbit-warren, in your head, where it is you're at. This is therapy indeed... I wonder, in fact, if more GP's didn't recommend this as a prescription for anxiety and depression, if there wouldn't be so much consumption of SSRI's and other antidepressants... (Who knows? Certainly I feel less anxious and inhibited generally throughout my day when I plan things out on paper or on computer in such a way as to highlight my future goals, how it is I'm getting to them, and why it is, ultimately, that I am going through the pain of such-and-such a tedious task at the moment...)

Covey's company suggests a number of organisational systems... this link might help you if you think it might be useful to try out...
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Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Discipline

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Covey emphasises self-discipline. But we must be careful here. Self-discipline does not mean self-harshness, self-hating, self-loathing, or self-persecution. It is possible to practice "response prevention," that is, to resist the compulsion to be rude, to learn to hold your tongue, and your actions for increasing lengths of time, to give yourself mental space to allow alternate points-of-view to float into your mind, without being nasty or self-condemnatory to yourself. In fact, it is essential to learn the difference between restriction of self for the higher purposes that will benefit you in the long-run (an act of self-restriction aimed at giving you more pleasure over the long term), and simple self-shaming, which is something that a lot of people are good at! So self-discipline is not self-shaming. It is simply the practice of holding back for a few moments while you allow yourself to consider more options. (STEPHEN COVEY SEVEN (7) HABITS BOOKS: Click ON ME)