Stephen Covey, Steve Johnson

Focus: Achieving priority goals

Scientific editor M. Ilyin

Editor P. Suvorov

Project Manager A. Polovnikova

Corrector E. Aksenova

Typesetter M. Potashkin

Cover design A. Sendzyuk

Copyright © 2003 FranklinCovey

© Edition in Russian, translation, design. Alpina LLC, 2011

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic copy of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet and corporate networks, for private and public use, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Welcome!

This book is based on an audio version of a FranklinCovey seminar called Focus: Achieving Priority Goals.

By studying this book, you can change your life in unexpected and amazing ways. FranklinCovey is a decision making consulting and training company. We work with individuals and organizations and are among the world leaders in this field. Our company sees its mission in encouraging people to change. The FranklinCovey approach is based on proven principles. It helps people achieve what matters most to them.

For many years, Stephen Covey and I, along with hundreds of experienced educators and coaches around the world, have been teaching people how to manage their personal and professional lives, prioritize and organize their time.

I joined FranklinCovey in 1983. Since then, we've helped millions of people like you do two things: first, understand what really matters to them, and second, learn how to keep your priorities in focus and act on them.

A person who played a big role in my life once said, "Teach them the right principles, and they will take care of their own affairs." This book will introduce you to some of the basic techniques of our approach. I promise that if you understand them and begin to use them, your life will become richer, fuller and more joyful. First, you will need to understand what the Time Management Matrix is ​​and how the decisions we make affect our lives. Then - deal with your values, with what is for you really important.

Once your core values ​​are in place, you can move on to setting long-term and current goals. Our system will help you effectively prioritize, move towards your goals - strategic and tactical - and achieve them.

If you carefully study our book, it will allow you to see the whole process as a whole. By following the advice given by my good friends Stephen Covey and Steve Jones, you will be able to fulfill yourself to the maximum, and your life will become richer, fuller and more joyful. Our book will help you find peace and self-confidence. I can promise you this because we've made sure our program works. So think millions of people like you and using our recommendations.

And now my good friend Stephen Covey will tell you about our book. I wish you good luck and God bless us.

Hyrum Smith,creator of the Franklinquest organizer,one of the founders of FranklinCoveyand author of the training course "What Matters to You"

Stephen Covey speaking

By studying the needs of clients like you, we have found that the demands and stresses of today's life are vastly different from those we experienced just five or six years ago. Balancing work and personal life has become more difficult than in the recent past; solving this problem does not get easier. Planning your own life largely depends on the events in the world and on the economic situation in a particular country. Companies are looking for opportunities to help their employees feel committed to the goals of the organization, to work more productively and at the same time save energy for themselves. We have found that many people are still not clear enough about what exactly they are striving for in their work and private life.

In the organization of personal time, high technologies are beginning to play an increasingly significant role. Computers, organizers, wireless communication provide many opportunities to plan your life, solve problems, make appointments, take notes and make contacts. Have you ever faced the need to use more than one of these at the same time? Most people will answer yes to this question. For all of them to work, you need to have certain skills. Do you often think whether new technologies really make life easier or, on the contrary, make it more difficult? But of one thing I am sure: technology is a good servant, but a terrible master.

Our book is the result of many months of research, collection of material and its analysis. As well as our reflections and discoveries.

We know that both your needs and our needs have changed. We want to meet the desires of each of you and your organizations. Our principles are well established, and we know that the materials in this book will help you move forward in achieving your greatest goals. People like you want to learn about FranklinCovey because we are the experts on time and organization. You are interested in techniques and means of solving organizational problems, and we offer them to you.

They allow you to focus on what really matters to you, help you manage your time and make your life better.

Time management tools

In my opinion, there are three different approaches to time management; they can be considered as different generations. The approaches of each new generation are built on top of the previous ones, providing greater efficiency and the ability to control it.

First generation tools are something like simple lists or notes. You carry them around with you every day, expecting that you will be able to do most of the planned before the evening. Having done something, you can cross out one of the items on your memo, and what is not done can be moved to tomorrow.

The second generation of time management tools are calendars and diaries. Here already there are elements of planning and preparation. Using second-generation tools, you typically schedule events, write down what you promised to do, mark deadlines, schedule meetings, and so on. If you take this kind of work seriously, you record certain information on a computer or on the Web.

The third generation approach is planning, prioritizing and controlling. With this approach, you spend some time clarifying your values ​​and priorities and setting goals for yourself. By making a plan for the day, you determine the order in which you will complete different tasks.

Time management is a good thing, especially according to the principles of the third generation of tools that allow you to plan it. However, there is clearly already a need for a fourth generation approach.

FranklinCovey operates at this level. The fourth generation approach retains all the strengths of the previous three. We eliminated the shortcomings of the old time management techniques and gave them a new development. This was possible because our approach is focused on changing the quality of life.

How do I understand it? In my opinion, the quality of life is our relationship with people and an understanding of what is really important to us. A high quality of life means the opportunity to do not just what is necessary, but what is really needed. If you want to achieve the goals that you set for yourself, you need to operate in the fourth generation paradigm when organizing time.

In dealing with the problem of time, we are faced with a question that many people ask: “Yes, I want to focus on my main goals, but how do I do this? How to become more productive? How do I know that today I really made the right decisions, achieved significant results and organized time in accordance with undeniable priorities?

Good questions. If you really ask yourself these questions, then our book on focusing on top priorities is just right for you. In the process of reading this book, you will learn how to identify your priorities, focus on them and bring what you want to life.

And now I want to refer to one poem in prose. The author could not be identified, but it seems to me that his (or her) thoughts are very correct. It's called Dilemma. It talks about what hurts and disappoints many people.

Because we don't know what's really important to us, everything seems to be important.

WELCOME!

This book is based on an audio version of a FranklinCovey seminar called Focus: Achieving Priority Goals.

By studying this book, you can change your life in unexpected and amazing ways. FranklinCovey is a decision making consulting and training company. We work with individuals and organizations and are among the world leaders in this field. Our company sees its mission in encouraging people to change. The FranklinCovey approach is based on proven principles. It helps people achieve what matters most to them.

For many years, Stephen Covey and I, along with hundreds of experienced educators and coaches around the world, have been teaching people how to manage their personal and professional lives, prioritize and organize their time.

I joined FranklinCovey in 1983. Since then, we've helped millions of people like you do two things: first, understand what really matters to them, and second, learn how to keep your priorities in focus and act on them.

A person who played a big role in my life once said, "Teach them the right principles, and they will take care of their own affairs." This book will introduce you to some of the basic techniques of our approach. I promise that if you understand them and begin to use them, your life will become richer, fuller and more joyful. First, you will need to understand what the Time Management Matrix is ​​and how the decisions we make affect our lives. Then - deal with your values, with what is really important to you.

Once your core values ​​are in place, you can move on to setting long-term and current goals. Our system will help you effectively prioritize, move towards your goals - strategic and tactical - and achieve them.

If you carefully study our book, it will allow you to see the whole process as a whole. By following the advice given by my good friends Stephen Covey and Steve Jones, you will be able to fulfill yourself to the maximum, and your life will become richer, fuller and more joyful. Our book will help you find peace and self-confidence. I can promise you this because we've made sure our program works. So think millions of people like you and using our recommendations.

And now my good friend Stephen Covey will tell you about our book. I wish you good luck and God bless us.

Hyrum Smith,

creator of the Franklinquest organizer ,

one of the founders of FranklinCovey

Stephen Covey speaking

By studying the needs of clients like you, we have found that the demands and stresses of today's life are vastly different from those we experienced just five or six years ago. Balancing work and personal life has become more difficult than in the recent past; solving this problem does not get easier. Planning your own life largely depends on the events in the world and on the economic situation in a particular country. Companies are looking for opportunities to help their employees feel committed to the goals of the organization, to work more productively and at the same time save energy for themselves. We have found that many people are still not clear enough about what exactly they are striving for in their work and private life.

In the organization of personal time, high technologies are beginning to play an increasingly significant role. Computers, organizers, wireless communication provide many opportunities to plan your life, solve problems, make appointments, take notes and make contacts. Have you ever faced the need to use more than one of these at the same time? Most people will answer yes to this question. For all of them to work, you need to have certain skills. Do you often think whether new technologies really make life easier or, on the contrary, make it more difficult? But of one thing I am sure: technology is a good servant, but a terrible master.

Our book is the result of many months of research, collection of material and its analysis. As well as our reflections and discoveries.

We know that both your needs and our needs have changed. We want to meet the desires of each of you and your organizations. Our principles are well established, and we know that the materials in this book will help you move forward in achieving your greatest goals. People like you want to learn about FranklinCovey because we are the experts on time and organization. You are interested in techniques and means of solving organizational problems, and we offer them to you.

They allow you to focus on what really matters to you, help you manage your time and make your life better.

In his new book Focus. Achieving priority goals ”Stephen Covey suggests dividing all cases into four groups: urgent and important; not urgent and important; urgent but not important and finally not urgent and not important. On what group of cases should you concentrate your efforts? Many people live in constant time pressure and even pride themselves on being able to solve a problem in a few hours that usually takes months of work. But isn't it easier to take care of everything in advance and plan your life?

As a rule, most people immediately answer: the first, i.e., "important and urgent", but this is the wrong choice. If a person focuses only on such matters, then stress, depletion of vitality and eternal rush await him. But if we use the advice given by the author, our life will steadily change for the better, especially since the modern manager has a whole arsenal of technical means for its clear planning.

What is Focus about?

About how to get rid of constant time trouble, take care of everything in advance, plan competently, determine your priorities, focus on them and bring what you want to life. Stephen Covey suggests dividing all cases into four groups: urgent and important; not urgent and important; urgent but not important and finally not urgent and not important. On what group of cases should you concentrate your efforts? As a rule, most people immediately answer: the first, i.e., "important and urgent", but this is the wrong choice. The author proves that if a person focuses only on such matters, then stress, depletion of vitality and eternal rush await him.

Why the book is worth reading

This is the new book from the best-selling author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, setting a record in the world of business literature. It is based on the popular FranklinCovey seminar “Focus: Achieving Priority Goals”, which not everyone can attend. The book is the result of many months of research, collection of material and its analysis, as well as reflections and discoveries.

Who is this book for?

For everyone who wants to realize themselves to the maximum, to change their lives in an unexpected and surprising way, to make it richer, fuller and more joyful.

Who are the authors

Copyright Access to the text of the book is closed at the request of the copyright holder.

Many people live in constant time pressure and even pride themselves on being able to solve a problem in a few hours that usually takes months of work. But isn't it easier to take care of everything in advance and plan your life? Stephen Covey suggests dividing all cases into four groups: urgent and important; not urgent and important; urgent but not important and finally not urgent and not important. On what group of cases should you concentrate your efforts? As a rule, most people immediately answer: the first, i.e., "important and urgent", but this is the wrong choice. If a person focuses only on such matters, then stress, depletion of vitality and eternal rush await him. But if we use the advice given by the author, our life will steadily change for the better, especially since the modern manager has a whole arsenal of technical means for its clear planning.

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Name : Focus: Achieving your highest priorities
Author : Stephen R. Covey (Stephen R. Covey)
The year of publishing: USA - 2003, Russia - 2011
Category : time management, personal effectiveness, personal growth

annotation: Many people live in constant time pressure and even pride themselves on being able to solve a problem in a few hours that usually requires several months of work. But isn't it easier to take care of everything in advance and plan your life? Stephen Covey suggests dividing all cases into four groups: urgent and important; not urgent and important; urgent but not important and finally not urgent and not important. On what group of cases should you concentrate your efforts? As a rule, most people immediately answer: on the first, i.e. on "important and urgent", but this is the wrong choice. If a person focuses only on such matters, then stress, depletion of vitality and eternal rush await him. But if we use the advice given by the author, our life will steadily change for the better, especially since the modern manager has a whole arsenal of technical means for its clear planning.

Review
So, let's begin.
"Focus" is presented to the reader as a book about time management by Covey. I bought it, being wildly delighted with reading "".

The first thing that upset me immediately, as soon as the courier brought me this book, - its size. It was not clear from the picture, and the numbers "70x90/32" didn't tell me anything back then (now I know that the first two numbers are the length and width of the sheet, and the last is the number of parts into which this sheet is cut).
So, "Focus" is a thin (~150 pages) book of a very small format, approximately like a 10x15 photograph.

The second discovery - the book turned out to be not a book, but a transcript of the audio recording of the seminar(!) conducted by FranklinCovey training company. Sometimes Covey "talks", much more often it is Steve Jones (who is not even mentioned on the cover), seminar participants periodically "talk".

Third: a person who has read The Seven Habits will find practically nothing new in this book.. The Eisenhower Matrix, which is discussed in the annotation (categorizing cases into important / urgent) is covered in much more detail in the "Seven Habits", which "Focus" periodically refers to.

It seems that the only thing I learned from this book is that FranklinCovey makes daily organizers that support their time management model (which for me personally turned out to be unworkable, David Allen's GTD ("Getting Things Done") model is much closer to me but I'll talk about that another time).

To summarize: a thin little book skimming through Covey, the seven skills, and refillable organizers you can buy. It may be of some benefit to a person who has not read The Seven Habits, otherwise you should not even think about reading this book.