STEPHEN COVEY SHARPENING THE SAW HOW TO
Sometimes the best thing I can do is to walk away for a bit, and later, an idea strikes my fresh brain as to how to fix a website glitch or where I put that very important copy of our latest orders. Sharpening the saw doesn’t only have to apply to our “task” lists but can also include things like problem solving (example: computer doesn’t work, I’m desperately trying to find something around the house). I know that for me, I want to keep chop, chop, chopping away at my list or tasks before me, and if I don’t stop for a break every now and then, I end up like that first woodcutter: Exhausted and getting nowhere. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Covey, Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have-you. Every time I stopped work, while you were still chopping down trees, I was sharpening my axe.”Īccording to Dr. Peter replied, “Well, it’s really simple. “How could you have chopped down more trees than me? I heard you stop working every hour for fifteen minutes!” John exclaimed. When the competition ended, John was absolutely confident that he would take the triumph.īut to John’s astonishment, Peter had actually cut down much more wood, and although Peter was tired, he wasn’t nearly as exhausted as John. Every hour, Peter would stop chopping for fifteen minutes while John kept going relentlessly. Feeling motivated and smelling victory close by, John continued on, with a smile on his face. They both continued. John was starting to feel weary when the chopping from Peter stopped once again. When John realized that there was no chopping sound from his opponent’s side, he thought: “Aha! He must be tired already!” And he continued to cut down his trees with double the pace.Ī quarter of an hour passed, and John heard his opponent chopping again. This lasted for an hour before Peter suddenly stopped. So the next day morning, both of them took up their positions in the forest and started chopping away in their fastest possible speed. The rules were simple-whoever produced the most wood in a day won.
![stephen covey sharpening the saw stephen covey sharpening the saw](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/60/60/425715875-sts_20logo.jpg)
One day, they decided to hold a competition to determine the winner. Once upon a time, there were two woodcutters named Peter and John. Have you heard the story of the two woodcutters? If not, here goes: I read a lot of books, and one that was a classic for me in college, and still pretty popular among leadership gurus out there, is Seven Habits for Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. All of the habits build on one another, but the first six can’t be optimally successful without the seventh: That is, “Sharpening the Saw.”
![stephen covey sharpening the saw stephen covey sharpening the saw](https://image1.slideserve.com/2593187/sharpen-the-saw1-l.jpg)
We here at AWN cover a variety of topics, and today is one of my favorites. Editor’s note: The following post originally appeared on the Army Wife Network Facebook page as a Milspouse Empowerment Moment.