Sharpen The Saw — Only 3 Mins

A mentor once said this to me: Seven habits of highly effective people Begin with the end in mind Sharpen the saw I got confused, because I remembered that Sharpen the Saw was the 7th on the list. So I corrected him: Stephen Covey said Sharpen the Saw is the 7th habit. He replied: Well, sharpen the saw is the 2nd habit for me. It took two months for me to register this message. Another story is showing up now. Not from the same person, but along the same thread: A very fast wood cutter was once asked what he would do if he were told he had only five minutes to cut down a tree, or die if he failed. “Well,” said the wood cutter, “I would spend three of the five minutes sharpening my ax.” Rev. William “Bill” Alexander The importance of sharpening the saw Stephen Covey opens the chapter on Habit 7 with this story: 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…