Habits of Effective Teens

Adapted from S. Covey’s bookand

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Ed_7_Habits_Successful/

Have you ever felt like this?

#choices

• Being a teenager is not always easy.• Good Habits are a CHOICE.• What choices are available?• What will YOU choose?• Are your choicesRealistic?

7 Habits you need to start

now

Habit 1: Be Proactive

• Being proactive is the key to unlocking the other habits.

• Take control and choose what your life is and will be about.

• Proactive people understand that they are responsible for their own happiness or unhappiness.

• They don't blame others for their own actions or feelings.

Proactive Language Sounds like…• Reactive:

Something should be done about it.Pro-active:I’m going to solve this issue.

• Reactive:I’ll try to do better.Pro-active:I’ll do better.

• Reactive:If only I had enough money, I would re-do my bathroom.Proactive:I want to re-do the bathroom, now how can I get the money for it?

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

• Figure out where you want to end up.• What do you value? What do you stand for?• What are your short term and long term

goals? • Do not let the opinions of others lead you

astray. • Know yourself.

Habit 2 Looks like…

• For most people this means visualizing. Sounds like…• For others it is auditory; what music do you

hear, what conversations are going on etc. Feels like…• what’s the temperature, what movements are

associated with it.

Habit 3: Put First things First

• Prioritize and manage your time.• Focus on and complete the most important

things in your lives. • Also means learning to overcome fears and

being strong during difficult times. • Living life according to what matters most.

PrioritizingQ1: the stress quadrant: Important and urgent.• This is where you find the crises, projects

close to their deadlines, urgent problems and so on.

• The strategy: Do Now!• It needs to be done, and it needs to be

done fast!

Q2: the value quadrant: Important, not urgent.• This is where you find education, working

on your vision, investing in people and so on.

• The strategy: Schedule time.• It needs to be done, plan time to do it

before it gets urgent.

Q3: the deception quadrant: Urgent, not important.• This is where you find most interruptions,

some meetings, other peoples chores.• The strategy: Delegate.• It needs to be done fast, but are you the

one that needs to do it?

Q4: the regret quadrant: Not important or urgent• This is where you find pass-times, some

phone calls (you know them), the “too much” activities (too much television, too much internet).

• The strategy: Eliminate• And why were you doing this again?

Habit 4: Think Win Win

• In any given discussion or situation both parties can arrive at a mutually beneficial solution.

• Celebrate the accomplishments of others instead of being threatened by them.

Habit 5: Seek 1st to Understand; Then to be Understood

• Because most people don't listen very well, you may often feel understood.

• Learn the most important communication skill there is: active listening.

• P.S….this one is hard.

“Are you listening or just waiting to talk?”

Active Listening• IS a FULL body activity. gestures, frowns, smiles etc.

Good Active Listening:• mimics content

just repeat what was just said

• rephrases contentrepeat, but in your own words

• reflects feelingexpress what you think the other feels

• rephrases content and reflects feelingcombine the latter two

Habit 6: Synergize• Synergy is achieved when two or more people

work together to create something better than either could alone.

• It doesn't have to be "your way" or "my way" but rather a better way, a higher way.

• Value differences, better appreciate others.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

• “Sharpening the saw" means is keeping yourself sharp.

• Regularly renewing and strengthening your body, brain, heart, and soul.

• Helps you be better prepared to deal with life.