Putting first things first in your life<\/p>\n
First Things First; Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill,
\nRebecca R. Merrill; 360 pages; Published by Simon & Schuster,
\nNew York, New York; Dahulukan Yang Utama (Indonesian
\ntranslation); 450 pages; PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Ever get frustrated that you never seem to have
\nenough time to do everything you're supposed to do, not to
\nmention the things you actually want to do? Ever wondered why it
\nis that, in spite of careful planning in scheduling your
\nactivities, you still don't feel all right at the end of the day?
\nEver felt that your family life is getting in the way of your
\ncareer, or that you're missing out on family life because of your
\ncareer?<\/p>\n
Take some time out and get a copy of First Things First to get
\nsome answers that could transform your life. The book, on time
\nmanagement, virtually commands you to change your way of life and
\nyour way of looking at life.<\/p>\n
My initial reaction on seeing the title of the book was: \"So
\nwhat else is new? It's a question of getting your priorities
\nright. Right?\" Wrong. The book says you have to do more than just
\nget your priorities right. It tells you to continually examine
\nyour vision, your goals in life, and then to organize your life,
\nand time, accordingly.<\/p>\n
Rather than scheduling your priorities, you should prioritize
\nyour schedule, the book says. Almost every day, we're rushed into
\ndoing things that are urgent. But very often the urgent things we
\ndo are not important, or are not the most important things in our
\nlife. We do them simply because they are urgent, because we have
\na deadline to meet. We never stop to question their relative
\nimportance.<\/p>\n
Stephen R. Covey, author of the best selling book The 7 Habits
\nof Highly Effective People, has teamed up with A. Roger Merrill,
\na well known leader in time management, and his author wife
\nRebecca R. Merrill, to put together a book that attempts to
\nchange the way people manage their time in this modern, high-
\npressure, business-like rat race.<\/p>\n
In essence, the authors' message is that our life should be
\ngoverned by an inner compass, and not by a clock; that we should
\nhave principles in life and that we should live by those
\nprinciples. They tell us to set our goals in the various roles
\nthat we all have -- in the office (as boss and subordinate), in
\nthe family (as spouse, child and parent) and in the community. If
\nwe organize our lives properly in accordance with our goals,
\nthese various roles will enhance one another, rather than compete
\nwith one another, for our time and attention. At least, so they
\nargue.<\/p>\n
Here is a book on time management that tells us to strive for
\neffectiveness rather than efficiency. It is a major departure
\nfrom the conventional time management concept that tells us to
\naim for efficiency -- to do as much as possible within the
\nshortest time possible.<\/p>\n
Easier said than done. Sure it is. But First Things First
\ndoesn't just say it. It guides the reader, step by step, in
\nunderstanding as well as in applying this new concept. It's even
\ngot a game plan -- the weekly chart -- which, if you decide to
\nfollow the system, should be used as your planner.<\/p>\n
It's got a number of exercises -- one of them testing the
\nreader's urgency addiction. Don't be surprised to find that your
\nlife has been governed by urgency rather than by importance, or
\nby clock rather than by compass. There is also a brief workshop
\nin an appendix that helps you define your mission statements.<\/p>\n
To put across their point, the authors use a matrix that
\ndivides daily activities into four parts:<\/p>\n
Quadrant I for both urgent and important, dealing with crises,
\npressing problems, deadline-driven projects, meetings,
\npreparations.<\/p>\n
Quadrant II for important but not urgent, dealing with
\npreparation, prevention, values-clarification, planning,
\nrelationship-building, true recreation, empowerment.<\/p>\n
Quadrant III for urgent but not important, dealing with
\ninterruptions, phone calls, mail, reports, meetings, and many
\nproximate, pressing matters and popular activities.<\/p>\n
Quadrant IV for not urgent and not important, dealing with
\ntrivia, busywork, junk mail, phone calls, time wasters and escape
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
Most people spend too much of their precious time on either
\nQuadrant I and Quadrant III, the authors argue. They say that we
\nshould spend more time on Quadrant II, which they call the
\n\"quadrant of personal leadership\".<\/p>\n
In determining what's important, the authors say each person
\nhas four basic needs to fulfill: to live, to love, to learn and
\nto leave a legacy. They say we have four capacities with which to
\nfulfill these needs: self-awareness, conscience, independent will
\nand creative imagination. Using and developing the four
\nendowments to meet the four needs is the basis of their time
\nmanagement concept.<\/p>\n
First Things First presents what the authors call the \"Fourth
\nGeneration\" of time management. It takes the best out of the
\nthree previous generations, they claim, while leaving behind
\ntheir weaknesses.<\/p>\n
I could not help feeling that at least certain parts of the
\nbook were imbued with religious values. The authors, having
\nalready come across the charge that their ideas smack of
\nreligion, are quick to explain early in the book that they are
\nnot talking about \"religion\". This is probably acceptable if we
\ntake the narrow definition of the term. But using the wider
\ndefinition of religion as a way of life, as it is understood by,
\nsay, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, the book does have some of
\nthe universal religious traits.<\/p>\n
The authors even write in the epilogue:<\/p>\n
\"Above all, we feel a sense of reverence for God, whom we
\nbelieve to be the source of both principles and conscience. It's
\nour own conviction that it is that spark of divinity within each
\nof us that draws us toward principle-centered lives of service
\nand contribution.\"<\/p>\n
The book is filled with examples of the authors' own
\nexperiences, as well as those of their students, in their work
\nplaces and in their families.<\/p>\n
Several chapters are devoted to applying the time management
\nconcept in family circles and in corporate organizations and on
\nhow to empower yourself and those around you.<\/p>\n
First Things First is compelling and powerful, yet easy
\nreading, for people with a very busy schedule but one which
\nleaves enough spare time to read its 360 pages.<\/p>\n
-- Endy Bayuni<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/putting-first-things-first-in-your-life-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }