The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People were described back in 1989 by popular American expert on leadership, lecturer and author of motivational books, Stephen Covey. The book became a bestseller and remains one of the most influential titles in the field of management. However, the reality is that most people are still not effective. How is this possible?
Our own bad habits prevent us from achieving our goals. These habits, or "brainblocks", are described by neuropsychologist Theo Tsaousides on the Psychology Today website in an article aptly titled The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People. Let's take a look at effectiveness. Would Stephen Covey cry over you too?
Truly ineffective people:
1. Doubt their own abilities
They have no self-belief and regard lack of experience as a disability. They cannot view problems as challenges or accept feedback. They fear change and new things.
2. Postpone everything
They do not realise that time is not infinite and can't be returned. They often perform tasks at the last minute and then feel they are good because they finally managed it. However, there is a big difference between doing something and doing it well.
3. Are impatient
They dislike waiting and want instant results. They seek various shortcuts and ways to speed things up. But they fail to realise that speed is not quality and that things done hastily may later require a remedy that will be much more time consuming.
4. Do many things at once
They are unable to concentrate. They take on too many tasks and can't handle them. This leads to only one end, which is exhaustion.
5. Do not want to change
They would like certain changes in their lives but fail to realise them. They don't want to accept new and different perspectives.
6. Strive for perfection
They work hard but also focus on irrelevant details. They strive for perfection at the expense of practicality and usability. They avoid errors instead of learning from them.
7. Are always complaining
They are inveterate pessimists. They invest much energy and money into bemoaning why something is not possible but have no ideas on how to change things.
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