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Welcome back to our series that summarizes, expands, and riffs on each of the seven habits laid out in <\/em>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/a> by Stephen Covey.<\/em><\/p>\n Every now and then I get into funks where I feel tired, depressed, unmotivated, and pissy. On days when I\u2019m in a funk, I\u2019ll try to will myself to work through pure mental grit. I\u2019ll flog my brain and body with caffeine. I\u2019ll set Pomodoro timers and tell myself, \u201cJust work for 15 minutes.\u201d I\u2019ll try all the tricks I\u2019ve learned over the years on how to be productive. <\/span><\/p>\n But it never works. <\/span><\/p>\n In fact, I often feel crappier. I start bitching and moaning about all the stupid things and people in the world that are bugging the tar out of me.<\/span><\/p>\n At this point in my spiral downwards, Kate will tell me: \u201cYou should probably go take a nap. Or go for a walk outside. Or go get a massage.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut I don\u2019t have time to do something like that!\u201d I retort. \u201cI\u2019ve got so much to do!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n To which she invariably replies: \u201cWell, you\u2019re not getting anything done while you\u2019re in your funk. You\u2019ve just spent an hour stewing in your chair. Take care of your funk first, and then you can get back to work. By taking some time away from work in the short-term, you\u2019ll actually be more productive in the long-term.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019s right, of course. <\/span><\/p>\n And re-reading the last chapter of <\/span>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/span><\/i><\/a> only drove Kate\u2019s point home even deeper for me. Habit 7 is \u201cSharpen the Saw,\u201d and today we take a look at what that means, how to do it, and how taking intentional timeouts can greatly improve your performance in the game of life.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.\u201d \u2014Abraham Lincoln<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Covey begins his chapter on Habit 7 with a story that perfectly encapsulates my face-punching cycle of being in a funk, but not doing anything about it because I thought I was too busy to step away from work:<\/span><\/p>\n Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d you ask.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t you see?\u201d comes the impatient reply. \u201cI\u2019m sawing down this tree.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou look exhausted!\u201d you exclaim. \u201cHow long have you been at it?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOver five hours,\u201d he returns, \u201cand I\u2019m beat! This is hard work.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, why don\u2019t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw?\u201d you inquire. \u201cI\u2019m sure it would go a lot faster.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have time to sharpen the saw,\u201d the man says emphatically. \u201cI\u2019m too busy sawing!\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n For Covey, Sharpening the Saw is about taking the time to renew and refresh the four dimensions of our natures — physical, spiritual, mental, and social\/emotional — so that we\u2019re more effective in our life\u2019s work. It\u2019s about regularly investing in ourselves so that we can reap dividends on a continual basis. <\/span>It means working smarter, not harder<\/span><\/a>. Sharpening the Saw is what 21st-century lifestyle bloggers would call \u201cself-care,\u201d and while that term has become overused and annoying, there\u2019s really something to it.<\/span><\/p>\n Like the guy trying to fell a tree with a dull saw, you might think you don\u2019t have time to take care of yourself. I get it. That\u2019s how I feel when I\u2019m in the depths of one of my funks.<\/span><\/p>\n But the reality is you don\u2019t have time NOT to take care of yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n By taking 30 minutes to an hour a day to sharpen your metaphorical saw, you\u2019ll be able to get more done during the rest of your waking hours, and avoid wasting time with unproductive rumination, self-flagellation, angst, fatigue, and even a descent into outright depression; I know if I flog myself too hard, for too long, and let my stress levels get too high, that can trigger <\/span>the symptoms of \u201cthe black dog<\/a><\/span>.\u201d<\/a> And if you want to talk about unproductive, depression sure is!<\/span><\/p>\n While investing time in \u201cself-care\u201d may seemingly curtail your productivity in the short-term, it will greatly enhance it in the long-term, as you won\u2019t ultimately be sidelined by physical sickness, mental collapse, and just plain exhaustion.<\/span><\/p>\n Besides allowing you to get more done, regularly making time to take care of yourself also increases your sense of agency and effectiveness. <\/span><\/p>\n YOU decide what you do to sharpen your saw. It\u2019s up to YOU to make sure you do those things. As you successfully take action on honing the unique blade of your life, you show yourself that you\u2019re <\/span>an autonomous being<\/span><\/a>. What\u2019s more, you increase your competency. As you increase your competency, <\/span>you increase the influence you can have on the world outside of yourself<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n So again, you really don\u2019t have time NOT to sharpen the saw. An excuse to not sharpen the saw is an excuse for failure, burnout<\/a>, and mediocrity. <\/span><\/p>\n Covey says that when it comes to our personal lives, we should focus on four domains: physical, spiritual, mental, and social\/emotional. <\/span><\/p>\n All of these dimensions are interconnected. If we feel good physically, we have mental clarity and better control of our emotions. If our social life is good, we\u2019ll have more motivation and energy to take care of ourselves physically. And because these human domains are interconnected, it allows us to <\/span>synergize them<\/span><\/a> which will enable you to do more in less time (more on that below).<\/span><\/p>\n Not only are all the domains of life interconnected, but though the listed action steps below may impact the specific domain under which they\u2019re categorized most directly, they\u2019ll often influence your other domains as well; e.g., exercise can improve, and can be intentionally used to improve, not only your physical life, but your mental, emotional, and even your spiritual life too.<\/span><\/p>\n Sharpening the blade of physicality ensures your body has the strength and vigor it needs to take on life\u2019s demands. If you\u2019re tired and sick all the time, you\u2019re not going to be very productive, no matter how much you work.<\/span><\/p>\n So make taking care of your body a priority in your life. At a minimum focus on: <\/span><\/p>\n Those three things can go a long, long way in keeping you physically sharp, so begin there and make them non-negotiables. <\/span><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a handle on those three areas, start exploring other ways to hone the blade of physicality: <\/span>naps<\/span><\/a>, saunas, <\/span>cold showers<\/span><\/a>, massages, <\/span>reducing caffeine consumption<\/span><\/a>, etc. Experiment with different \u201cprotocols\u201d and see what makes you feel your best.<\/span><\/p>\n I want to reiterate that this stuff doesn\u2019t have to take much time. If all you have is 30 minutes a day to work out, then do 30 minutes of <\/span>bodyweight exercises<\/span><\/a>. If you have a lunch break, take a 20-minute <\/span>power nap<\/span><\/a>. Don\u2019t think you have to spend a lot of time on this stuff to get significant benefit from it.<\/span><\/p>\n The spiritual domain generates your sense of purpose in life. It\u2019s the core of who you are and why you do what you do. Failure to sharpen this blade can leave you feeling cynical, listless, and burned out. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to neglect our spiritual life because it\u2019s, well, spiritual. Concrete day-to-day stuff takes up so much of our attention that the more ethereal strands of spirituality just get pushed aside. But eventually, the neglect catches up to you. It happens when you\u2019re lying in bed scrolling through Instagram wondering \u201cWhat am I doing with my life?\u201d or when you lose your job or find out a family member has cancer. Those are the moments when having a sense of purpose, a solid foundation of values, comes in handy. Spirituality can ultimately be just as \u201cpractical\u201d as any other area of your life.<\/span><\/p>\n Keeping your spirit in shape is very much like keeping your body in shape; just like you can\u2019t expect to jump into a marathon without any training, if you want your spiritual blade to be honed whenever you need it, you need to commit to sharpening it each day. <\/span><\/p>\n How do you <\/span>train your soul<\/span><\/a>? Through habits and <\/span>spiritual disciplines<\/span><\/a> like:<\/span><\/p>\n I really like the sentiment expressed by Martin Luther: \u201cI have so much to do today, I\u2019ll need to spend another hour on my knees.\u201d While you don\u2019t necessarily need to spend a whole hour sharpening your spiritual blade, taking a little time to do so each day can help magnify your capacity for work, and lead to a more purpose-driven, fulfilling life overall.<\/span><\/p>\n For most workers in the modern economy, the job they do is largely \u201cmind work.\u201d It constantly dulls their mental saw, so that doing more mental work in their leisure time — even in the form of \u201csharpening\u201d — hardly seems like it will be refreshing. They just want to turn their mind off altogether, by surfing the internet or watching TV. But <\/span>as Winston Churchill wisely observed<\/span><\/a>, rejuvenation can be found in a <\/span>change <\/span><\/i>to one\u2019s activity, rather than the cessation of it:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cChange is the master key. A man can wear out a particular part of his mind by continually using it and tiring it . . . the tired parts of the mind can be rested and strengthened, not merely by rest, but by using other parts. It is not enough merely to switch off the lights which play upon the main and ordinary field of interest; a new field of interest must be illuminated . . . It is only when new cells are called into activity . . . that relief, repose, refreshment are afforded.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is to say that the best way to rejuvenate your dulled-down mind is not to turn it off, but to give it something different to think about than what it usually grinds through at work. Not only will this fresh mental fare stimulate unused parts of your brain, it can give you insights and ideas that can loop back into your professional success. <\/span><\/p>\n Below are a few suggestions on how you can fuel your brain\u2019s recovery and sharpen the mental blade:<\/span><\/p>\n We are social animals. While it\u2019s true some of us are introverts, <\/span>even introverts benefit from rubbing shoulders with other human beings<\/span><\/a>. Several studies have found socializing can help reduce stress and curb depressive feelings. What\u2019s more, interacting with other human minds is a way to learn new ideas and refine our own. Socializing synergizes with sharpening our mental blade. <\/span><\/p>\n A few suggestions on sharpening the social saw:<\/span><\/p>\n Though Covey lumps together the emotional domain with the social domain, I think they can be treated separately; emotional balance is so important, it ought to be a distinct area of focus and awareness, for when your emotional life is in order, everything else in life seems to hum along, even when there are hiccups. <\/span><\/p>\n Here a few suggestions on sharpening your emotional blade:<\/span><\/p>\nWhat Does It Mean to Sharpen the Saw?<\/h3>\n
The 4 Dimensions of Your Life to Sharpen: Physical, Spiritual, Mental, Social\/Emotional<\/span><\/h3>\n
1. Physical<\/h3>\n
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2. Spiritual<\/h3>\n
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3. Mental<\/h3>\n
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4. Social\/Emotional<\/h3>\n
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