First Things First : To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy

I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?
Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why so often our first things aren't first. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.

Well written and engaging

Old Method: Time Management

New Method: Be effective by putting people first.

This book is well written and engaging. It caught my interest with how clearly true principles are expressed. Questions along the way help the reader do some introspection.

Weak points:
- It is only divided into four chapters.
- No index

Chapters
...
1. The clock and the compass
2. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing
3. The synergy of interdependence
4. the power and peace of principle centered living
- No Bibliography

First Things First from a different perspective. While we are stuck with 'efficiency' and managing the stream of Quadrant III (Not urgent and not important) things that is coming at us each and every day, this books encourages us to focus on those Quadrant II things (Important but not urgent) that we seem to be neglecting.

To live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy. The book focuses on planning your week with these roles and human endowments in mind. Fulfilling these needs requires a careful thought-out plan of Quadrant II activities that help you live your life's mission statement instead of getting caught up in an 'urgency addiction'.

Stop. Think. Plan. And live your life in a new way with a new focus. A good read that helps you show more look at your life a little differently. show less

Excellent discussion of a terrifically useful concept. Finding a way to move from what's urgent to what's important. Like all such books, it goes on too much, but get the key idea and it's (barely) worth slogging through the inevitable self-congratulatory/evangelical dross.

A deeper reflection on one of the 7 Habits, this book develops the "4th generation" of time management. Such skill involves knowing inherently one's value and then creating quadrant II space to achieve what is most important. The Laws of Life, such as the principle of the Farm and emotional bank accounts must be considered. The book frequently challenges the paradigm that busy = success and instead replaces it with the value of the compass over the clock, i.e. why scramble in the wrong direction. A key element of 4th generation planning involves starting with roles, listing important objectives, and then scheduling the week around them. The analogy is drawn of putting rocks (important things), gravel, sand, and water (urgent details) show more into a glass jar. The principle of interdependence is also emphasized. show less

In First Things First, Stephen M. R. Covey advocates categorizing tasks by urgency and importance so that you can focus on what actually needs to be done in the limited amount of time that you have.

A tie-in with the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People on how to manage time. Puts forth ideas and methods for ensuring that the important things in life get taken care of. Great book for examining your life and where you should be taking it.