This is the third installment of this book review by yours truly. So far, I have already finished reading this book after three years since I bought it. I remember reading it before I sleep during my OJT days. Compared to other books, this one is far more comprehensive, practical, and follows a principle-based framework. I haven’t fully annotated it yet because of busyness and laziness, lol. For uniformity and formality, we will review this book using these criteria.
Criteria
| Criteria | Weight |
|---|---|
| Purpose | 5 |
| Key Lessons | 5 |
| Practical Usefulness | 5 |
| Personal Impact | 5 |
| Total | 20 |
Without further ado, let's get started.
About the Book
7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book by Stephen Covey. It focuses on habits that help individuals become more effective in their personal and professional lives. If you truly want to become an effective person, you must nurture everything he mentioned in your daily life. As the author claimed, the book presents seven habits built on principles. When we say principles, they are natural laws that cannot be removed or altered. In short, you can’t bend them just to favor yourself. Now, let’s get into the rating.
Purpose – 5/5
This book fulfilled its promise that there are indeed seven habits needed to become an effective person. I can honestly say that the ideas he presented make sense. If you contradict his claims without reflection, then you might be the problem. Like many self-improvement books I’ve read, this one isn’t overly religious. I was actually surprised because the habits are based on universal principles rather than specific beliefs. You’ll understand it more if you read it from start to finish. Still, you can appreciate his wording regardless of your religion since it doesn’t sound strongly Christian or Islamic. In short, it is reader-friendly regardless of belief, although it might challenge some personal perspectives.
Key Lessons – 4/5
Whether you are a student, spouse, professional, or business owner, this book is a must-read. Technically, it is for everyone, but not everyone can fully practice it. For students, there are many valuable lessons. I can attest that he has a point because I practiced some of the ideas even before reading the book. For example, it’s important to schedule tasks weekly and focus on the most important priorities. However, I still struggle with the habit of Putting First Things First, especially when the material is difficult to understand or complete. Rest is also valuable, but I sometimes neglect it.
The book doesn’t only teach productivity. It also teaches how to influence people, develop emotional intelligence, and work on personal growth. It also strengthened my belief in karma. Even before reading this masterpiece, I always beleive that if you want to receive good things, you should also give them to others. Once my current business becomes stable, I plan to delegate some tasks to other people.
Practical Usefulness – 4.5/5
Yes, this book is very useful. As mentioned earlier, it applies to everyone, although not everyone can fully implement it. I already apply some of his advice, such as planning ahead and thinking win-win. I’ve also started spending more time taking care of myself. That’s why I don’t push myself too hard with my current side hustles and instead try to enjoy life as well. At the moment, I’m enjoying watching a drama series and appreciating the chemistry between the characters.
Personal Impact – 4/5
This book has had a significant impact on me as someone transitioning from student life to professional life. When I think about the habit Begin with the End in Mind, I don’t necessarily imagine having children. Instead, I envision traveling around the world, helping people in need, and building good relationships with others. The book also taught me to be careful with what I say and to understand that not everything is a competition. Thinking win-win doesn’t always apply in different situations. For example, in sports or contests, it’s natural that someone must win and someone must lose. Still, it’s difficult to apply every principle perfectly. Maybe I simply don’t aim to be perfect.
Conclusion
Overall, this book receives 17.5/20 or 87.5% from me. It is truly meant for people who want to become effective in different areas of life. In many ways, it represents the ideal model of an effective person. But as I mentioned earlier, I don’t think I can (or even want to) be perfectly effective all the time, lol.