“Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree. ‘What are you doing?’ you ask. ‘Can’t you see?’ comes the impatient reply. ‘I’m sawing down this tree.’ ‘You look exhausted! How long have you been at it?’ ‘Over five hours,’ he returns, ‘and I’m beat! This is hard work.’ ‘Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen that saw? I’m sure it would go a lot faster.’ ‘I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,’ the man says emphatically. ‘I’m too busy sawing!’” — Stephen R. Covey
Habit 7 is personal Production Capability. It is preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have – yourself. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional. This is the habit that makes all the other habits possible.
Covey identifies four dimensions of our nature, each of which must be exercised regularly and in balanced ways. Neglecting any one dimension harms the others. Investing in each one creates a positive upward spiral of growth and effectiveness.
Physical Dimension: Caring for your physical body through exercise, nutrition, and stress management. This gives you the energy and vitality to pursue everything else.
Spiritual Dimension: Your core, your center, your commitment to your value system. This provides leadership to your life. It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you.
Mental Dimension: Continuing to develop and expand your mind through reading, writing, organizing, and planning. Education is a lifelong commitment.
Social/Emotional Dimension: Building meaningful relationships, making deposits in Emotional Bank Accounts, practicing empathic listening, and developing creative cooperation.
The physical dimension involves caring for your body – eating well, getting sufficient rest, and exercising regularly. Exercise is one of the highest-leverage Quadrant II activities. Most people think they do not have time for it, yet it would provide the energy and clarity to be far more productive in every other area.
A good exercise program should address three areas:
The greatest benefit of physical exercise is not physical – it is the impact on Habits 1, 2, and 3. When you exercise proactively (Habit 1), based on your values rather than your mood, you are strengthening your proactive muscles. Every time you push through discomfort to complete a workout, you are making deposits in your personal integrity account.
Spiritual renewal is deeply personal and enormously important. It provides leadership to your life. The sources of spiritual renewal are as varied as individuals: nature, literature, music, meditation, prayer, service, or immersion in great art.
For Covey, spiritual renewal connects you to the timeless values and principles that guide your life. It renews your commitment to your Personal Mission Statement (Habit 2). Some people find spiritual renewal through:
The key is daily investment. Even 15-30 minutes of spiritual renewal each day can transform your sense of purpose, peace, and personal power.
Most of our mental development comes through formal education. But once we leave school, many people let their minds atrophy. They do not read seriously. They do not write beyond what is required for work. They do not think deeply about new subjects. Television and passive consumption replace active engagement.
Covey recommends at least one hour per day devoted to personal mental development. This is a Quadrant II activity that leverages every other area of your life:
“The person who doesn’t read is no better off than the person who can’t read.” — Mark Twain (quoted by Covey)
The social and emotional dimension is centered in our relationships with others. Unlike the other three dimensions, this one does not require separate time allocation. It can be renewed through normal daily interactions – if we approach those interactions with the right habits.
Every interaction is an opportunity for renewal:
The social/emotional dimension also requires intrinsic security – a sense of personal worth that does not depend on others’ opinions or external circumstances. This security comes from living in alignment with your principles (Habits 1, 2, and 3).
Renewal is not a one-time event. It is an upward spiral of growth. As you renew each dimension, you increase your capacity to practice the other six habits. As you practice the other six habits, you deepen your capacity for renewal. This creates a positive feedback loop – a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement.
The upward spiral of growth requires three things:
Learning without commitment is idle. Commitment without action is empty. Action without learning is uninformed. All three together create the upward spiral.
Covey closes with a powerful idea: we can be a force for positive change by affirming and believing in other people’s potential. Instead of labeling people based on their current behavior, we can hold a vision of their highest self. This is not naive – it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you treat people as if they are capable of greatness, they are more likely to rise to it.
Design a balanced program for self-renewal:
Write down one specific, actionable commitment for each dimension. Put them in your weekly plan (Habit 3). Review and adjust each week.
Which of the four dimensions is most neglected in your life right now? What would change if you invested just 30 minutes a day in that area? Consider how strengthening your weakest dimension would create positive ripple effects across all the others.