# 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management ![rw-book-cover](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ThE1nPxJL._SL200_.jpg) ## Metadata - Author: [[Hyrum W. Smith]] - Full Title: 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management - Category: #books ## Highlights - The things that matter most in life are too often hostage to the things that matter least. ([Location 126](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=126)) - Each new thing or person coming into our lives literally says to us, “Hey, spend time with me,” and we do, even when we don't find much satisfaction in it. ([Location 138](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=138)) - The focus of this book, then, is not exclusively on time management but on achieving inner peace—the transcendent feeling of fulfillment and well-being we all seek. Time management is only a set of skills and tools to help us more efficiently control the events of our lives. But efficient time management alone will never give us inner peace. ([Location 147](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=147)) - The secret to achieving inner peace lies in understanding our inner core values—those things in our lives that are most important to us—and then seeing that they are reflected in the daily events of our lives. In other words, doing a better job of managing our time is meaningless unless we are managing it to accomplish those things that are of greatest importance in our lives. That critical difference between simply managing our time and finding the fulfillment that comes from being in control of our lives is what this book is all about. ([Location 151](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=151)) - I challenge you to read this book and do the twenty-one-day experiment that the book describes. Then you'll witness what it feels like to really be in control and to experience this magnificent thing—inner peace. ([Location 258](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=258)) - natural laws are both immutable and consistent. ([Location 286](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=286)) - There is nothing we can do about a natural law. We can't repeal it, and we're crazy if we ignore it. ([Location 292](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=292)) - To me, natural laws are fundamental patterns of nature and life that human experience and testing have shown to be valid. They describe things as they really are, as opposed to how we think they are or how we wish they were. ([Location 295](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=295)) - By becoming aware of them and working with them, we can live safely and successfully. If we ignore them or fight them, we will fail and make ourselves and others miserable. ([Location 297](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=297)) - Our collective understanding of certain natural laws is rather impressive. However, our individual understanding of such laws is usually much less impressive. ([Location 310](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=310)) - in addition to the natural laws we usually think of—like the law of gravity or the laws of genetics—there are natural laws of human behavior which, if ignored, will produce disastrous results in our lives. Conversely, if we internalize those natural laws of behavior, we can significantly increase our personal productivity and happiness. But only if we understand and live in accordance with them. ([Location 318](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=318)) - Law 1: You control your life by controlling your time. Law 2: Your governing values are the foundation of personal success and fulfillment. Law 3: When your daily activities reflect your governing values, you experience inner peace. Law 4: To reach any significant goal, you must leave your comfort zone. Law 5: Consistent daily planning leverages time and increases focus. ([Location 331](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=331)) - Law 6: Your behavior is a reflection of what you truly believe. Law 7: You satisfy needs when your beliefs are in line with reality. Law 8: Negative behaviors are overcome by changing incorrect beliefs. Law 9: Your self-esteem must ultimately come from within. Law 10: Give more and you'll have more. ([Location 336](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=336)) - unless you are consistently making the opportunity to accomplish things that are important or meaningful to you, being better organized will only fill up your time and make you more frustrated. ([Location 350](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=350)) - Unless what you are doing on a daily basis reflects your most deeply held values, you will never experience inner peace. ([Location 353](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=353)) - The basic element of time is an event. Everything is an event. Reading this book is an event. Getting out of bed this morning is an event. Driving your car is an event. Arriving at work is an event. Your phone ringing is an event. Eating lunch is an event. Time is the occurrence of all these events in sequence, one after the other. ([Location 369](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=369)) - Ben Franklin said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.” If this is true, then controlling your life means controlling your time, and controlling your time means controlling the events in your life. ([Location 373](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=373)) - What is important is not that there are uncontrollable events in our lives, but how we respond to them. Often the most realistic response is to adapt. Live with it. Roll with it. It makes no sense to get upset over things we can't control. Instead, we must adapt. The only other choice is to be perpetually stressed out. ([Location 392](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=392)) - The only thing you have absolute and total control over is you. Everything else is partial control or no control. ([Location 406](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=406)) - Inner peace is having serenity, balance, and harmony in our lives through the appropriate control of events. ([Location 420](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=420)) - So, the objective of good time management is inner peace. ([Location 421](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=421)) - But before we go further, you need to stop thinking “time management” and start thinking “event control.” ([Location 421](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=421)) - The real issue is: What events can I control? Focusing on “event control” makes all the difference. ([Location 423](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=423)) - There are events we can't control, but we believe we can. ([Location 438](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=438)) - Conversely, there are events we can control, but we believe we can't. ([Location 439](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=439)) - ultimately what other people do is out of our control ([Location 451](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=451)) - the better you feel about yourself, the more productive you will be; and the more productive you are, the better you will feel about yourself. ([Location 472](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=472)) - If my self-esteem drops, what tends to happen to my productivity? It drops too. And if my productivity drops, so does my event control. The antithesis of this is also true: Higher self-esteem raises productivity and event control. The easiest part of this tri-quation to attack is the event control piece. If I can exert greater control over the events in my life, I can become more productive, better organized, and spend more time on activities that are of value to me. The natural by-product of that is an increase in my sense of self-worth. ([Location 477](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=477)) - The first fallacy is that we think we're going to have more time at some unspecified future date than we do now. ([Location 497](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=497)) - The second fallacy is that we think we can somehow save time. The fact is, you have all the time there is. ([Location 498](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=498)) - How often do we leave important matters undone because we think we “don't have time”? What we're really saying is that we've allowed insignificant events, like watching TV or doing a crossword puzzle, to become more valuable to us than significant events, like playing with our children or getting to know our neighbors better or writing the book we've always intended to write. ([Location 508](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=508)) - Time is just like money. When you decide to spend one hour watching TV, you have also decided not to spend the time on what? Everything else. ([Location 522](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=522)) - You would be very upset if someone gained access to your bank account and stole all your money. Most people, though, don't blink an eye when all sorts of culprits sneak into their lives and steal their time. ([Location 523](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=523)) - An effective tool for determining quickly the type of an interruption is the “point question.” The point question is simply a nonthreatening query designed to get to the point of the interruption: “Carol, nice to see you. How can I help you today?” “What brings you around today?” “What can I do for you?” ([Location 567](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=567)) - Many interruptions can be avoided by scheduling a regular one-on-one meeting with people who frequently come to you with concerns or questions. ([Location 582](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=582)) - “Putting it off” has probably caused more heartache and failure than all other time management problems combined. Opportunity knocks just as often at the procrastinator's door as at anyone else's. But the procrastinator doesn't answer. ([Location 595](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=595)) - garbage, or going to the dentist, or exercising. Being productive and successful and healthy often requires us to leave our comfort zones. The natural response to unpleasant tasks is to put them off. But if we put them off, we let events control us, our productivity drops, and so does our self-esteem. The only way to escape this downward spiral is to exert control over the events in our lives, even if some of them are unpleasant. ([Location 600](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=600)) - we can make monstrous tasks less overwhelming if we take Henry Ford's advice: “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” ([Location 609](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=609)) - If you are planning your day appropriately, you will have the necessary ammunition to say no. The task can then be reassigned or some of the tasks you have can be reevaluated in order for you to make available time for the urgent tasks. Learn to say no. ([Location 674](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=674)) - We need daily victories. When we accomplish what we have asked ourselves to do each day, what it does for our self-worth is powerful. When we don't do what we ask ourselves to accomplish, it has the opposite effect on self-esteem and just about every other aspect of our lives. ([Location 742](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=742)) - Prioritize your paper just like you prioritize your tasks. Have vital, important, and trivial stacks. I even have in my credenza next to my desk three different drawers for A, B, and C paper. ([Location 749](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=749)) - Attempting too much: This is the hero syndrome that some of us get trapped into by thinking we can do more than we actually can. To avoid it, we must go back to our planning. Create solid monthly, weekly, and daily plans. If you have built your productivity pyramid properly, prioritized everything properly, you will find yourself being much more realistic about what you can accomplish in a given day. ([Location 781](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=781)) - Urgencies are not priorities; they act on priorities. ([Location 792](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=792)) - Now, the nice thing about urgencies is that you don't have to worry about them. They surface all by themselves. ([Location 803](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=803)) - The secret is to identify your vital activities and infuse them with a sense of urgency, so that they can compete with the activities that have a natural sense of urgency built into them. ([Location 811](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=811)) - Each of us lives his or her life according to a unique set of governing values. Lying at the core of who you are as a person, these governing values are things that are most important to you—for whatever reason. Because they include those traits and beliefs—like honesty and love and belief in a higher power—that are the fundamental building blocks of your personality, you may not be able to explain their importance; they're just important to you. ([Location 846](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=846)) - Whatever your particular governing values may be, they are represented by the clearest answers you can give to these questions: What are the highest priorities in my life? and Of these priorities which do I value most? ([Location 850](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=850)) - Abraham Maslow referred to this unity between our values and our everyday performance as “self-actualization.” It is a bringing together of what I do and what I really value. ([Location 854](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=854)) - When people have those kinds of emotions about identifying what really matters to them, something happens inside. They start looking at daily activities in an entirely different light. They start asking uncomfortable questions like, “Is what I'm doing today what really matters to me in my life?” ([Location 939](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=939)) - Everyone has governing values. But those values are unique to the individual. They come from the way we were raised as children, from the experiences we've had, from our talents and interests and unique personalities. ([Location 967](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=967)) - Managing time is nothing more than gaining control of the events in my life. ([Location 1031](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=1031)) - 13. I have a period of solitude daily. The magic three hours, from 5:00 to 8:00 A.M., are practiced in my home six days a week (and two hours on Sunday). During this period, I teach my family, read, develop my plan for the day, spend time in prayer both personally and with my family. This experience is the beginning of inner peace for each day. ([Location 1037](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B001JJWI6A&location=1037))