About Beginning with the End in Mind (Covey)

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About Beginning with the End in Mind (Covey)

🔥 How is it possible to multiply time when we all have the same 24 hours in a day?

Stephen Covey in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" made a huge impact on me and while all his habits are worthy and important, the second one is often forgotten.
"Begin with the end in mind"

One might initially believe that it is about time management, but it's much more than that. It is about imagination and is based on the principle that all things are created twice – the mental creation and then the physical, actual one. So, in his words "If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default."

Each day you need to plan for success and have a clear vision as you plan the day, your direction and destination. This allows managers to put goals into focus, move ideas to become reality and lead with success in mind.

I also found that by doing this you multiply your time. You learn to focus on exactly what needs to be done that day – and do not allow distractions to change your focus. I understand that some situations need immediate attention in management, but these need to be considered, timed in or even procrastinated. Procrastination is not always negative. People who multiply their time place significance as a parameter. One does not need to worry about getting everything done now, or today – there are many tasks which can be left until tomorrow.

And by allowing oneself this freedom you can multiply time by spending time on things today that give you more time tomorrow.

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		2 Nassim Rabii Manager, Tunisia
	Importance of Beginning with the End in Mind I foud it quite interesting to think about how to spend the day. I guess one of the most important things in life is to wake up early; French people say: "Le monde appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt." Pour réaliser ses ambitions, il faut se mettre à l'œuvre sans attendre. Ce proverbe peut aussi être interprété plus littéralement. Les proverbes anciens font en effet souvent référence à la nécessité d'être matinal pour mener à biens les travaux de la terre notamment. Il existe dans différentes formes : « L'avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt. », « Paris appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt. ». "The world belongs to those who wake up early." To realize your ambitions, you have to get started immediately. This proverb can also be interpreted more literally. Ancient proverbs often refer to the need to be early to carry out the work of the land in particular. There are different forms: "The future belongs to those who get up early. "," Paris belongs to those who get up early. "

		1 Saskia Constantinou Journalist, Cyprus
	Thank You for your Comments @Nassim Rabii: Thank you for your valuable comments. I think those first morning hours are the most productive for me too.

		1 Alonso Estrada Director, Colombia
	Beginning with the End in Mind is a Good Advice It needs to be combined with proper prioritizing and obviously, if you have a team, with proper delegation. And truth has to be at the basis.

		2 Ed Olhausen Teacher, United Kingdom
	The Importance of Knowing your Destination Interesting thread. I love the 7 habits book as well. For me the "begin with the end in mind" principle is being clear about the end goal. If I know where the destination is and I know where I am now then it makes it much easier to plot the most efficient route for the journey and stay on course. That destination might be something I need to achieve today, next week, next month or possibly years away. I often ask my business students at the start of the course what type of university they would like to study at to get them to think about their end goal. Based on their answer, I can them tell them the grade they need to achieve in their business exam to get them to that university. That's me helping them to begin with the end in mind. And I can use it to hold them to account when they're not making the progress they should be making, i.e. veering off course.

		2 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	If you don't Know Where You're Going, Any Road Will Take you There @Ed Olhausen: Thanks for sharing this very good build. Reminded me of Alice's Adventure in Wonderland... "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here" said Alice. "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to", said the Cat. "I don't much care where", said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go", said the Cat. From: Lewis Carroll, "Alice's Adventure in Wonderland" Note that the exact sentence "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there" is actually a paraphrase of the actual writing by Lewis Carroll.

		1 Ed Olhausen Teacher, United Kingdom
	What Role Does Accountability Play in This? @Jaap de Jonge: Absolutely! Sadly most people probably haven't got a clue what their "end in mind" is (even very short term) and they certainly wouldn't be able to articulate it if you asked them. My dad used to say that if people were left to their own devices they would likely "swerve to rot" - that is to say they wouldn't have the intrinsic motivation and discipline to stay on course even if they did have a clear end in mind. For that reason, he was a strong advocate of accountability. Being held accountable by someone you trust, respect and believe has your best intentions at heart can be a very powerful way of helping someone stay the course. I speak from experience of the difference it has made when I have and haven't had that personal mentor in my life.