2) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey

I’ve got into the habit of buying and reading a self-help book every year or so – especially since I became a manager, an important role for which I have had no formal training. I must say I’ve found this to be one of the more useful ones I’ve tried; it goes far beyond the simple questions of running an effective office and concentrates on how to lead a more rewarding life.

The 7 habits are:
1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think win/win
5. Seek first to understand, rather than to be understood
6. Synergise
7. Sharpen the saw

My own biggest difficulty has always been #3, the art of prioritising, but I found the reflections on the other points reinforced a lot of my own approach to personal development and offered some helpful further thoughts. The book is not too loaded with timeconsuming exercises – basically one short one at the start of each chapter. It is, however, a little repetitive.

Anyhow, I’ve found the author’s website and am downloading the planning software for a free trial – will report back on whether it works for me or not.