Make Time - Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky

Learn, in this summary of the book "Make Time", that 24 hours are more than enough for you to be productive and perform all the tasks you need to accomplish.

With the tactics shared by the authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, you will feel more motivated every day to do what really matters by getting rid of distractions and unwanted activities that drain your time.

Want to know more? Keep reading!

About the book "Make Time"

The book "Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day" was written by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky and published on September 25, 2018, by Currency.

It offers several tactics for you to be able to make the most of your time, following 4 simple steps: Highlight, Focus, Energy, and Reflection.

In this summary, you will learn how to get rid of distractions, stay focused on your task, and optimize the energy you consume throughout the day.

This will allow you to make time to do what really matters in your life, with small changes in your routine.

About the authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

Jake Knapp spent 10 years at Google and Google Ventures, where he created the Sprint process. Also, he helped create Gmail and Google Hangouts.

John Zeratsky spent 15 years as a designer for technology companies such as YouTube and Google Ventures. He also writes for several newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and Time.

Along with Branden Kowitz, Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky are also the authors of the book "SPRINT".

To whom is this book indicated?

If you want to take control of your time, get rid of distractions, stay more focused on your tasks, and improve your quality of life, the book "Make Time" can be your guidance.

Main ideas of the book "Make Time"

• The best way to defeat distractions is to make it difficult to react to them;
• Learn to stop. If you want to increase productivity in the week, do not engage in certain activities until you become exhausted;
• Choose one "Highlight" per day and prioritize it;
• Redefine the way you use technology. Don't let it take control of your life.

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Overview: The 4 steps

Beginning the book "Make Time", the authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky present the 4 steps that must be followed daily to make time to do what is really important:

1. The first step is to choose only one Highlight;
2. Next, stay focused on the Highlight you chose;
3. The third step is about the energy you will accumulate throughout the day and keep your time and attention under control;
4. Finally, the last step is to reflect on what has been done in the day.

Overview: Highlight

Initially, you should think and understand why you want more time. Each day, you should choose an activity and prioritize it.

It may be something you don't necessarily need to do, but you would like to see it done.

What activity, moment, or accomplishment do you want to have in the day? This is the Highlight. Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky define that there are three types:

1. Urgency: "What is the most crucial thing you need to do today?";
2. Satisfaction: "At the end of the day, which option will make you more satisfied?";
3. Joy: "When you think about today, what will make you happier?".

According to the book "Make Time", the Highlight of the day should take from an hour to an hour and a half to be done.

Choose the Highlight

• Start writing down the activity you want to do;
• It is not necessary to use a different Highlight every day, you can repeat it;
• You can make a list of items that you consider important in your life, choose the most important ones, write them down and use the list to choose your Highlight;
• You can put all your pending items together in a single Highlight to solve during the day;
• You can compile a list of items that can be made by you any day;
• You can do the same Highlight in 5 consecutive days, which can be divided into daily steps.

Make time for the Highlight

• To make time for the Highlight, start by adding an event to the calendar because you will be making a commitment by setting a date;
• Put in your calendar: "do not mark anything", so that this space is used to put your Highlight;
• If you think you don't have spaces in your calendar, try creating them. You can do this by shortening meeting times, for example;
• If you really can't find enough time, ask yourself what can be canceled;
• Don't commit to low-priority activities. Learn to say "no" when you don't want to do something;
• Make plans, otherwise, you have to constantly decide what the next step is and you may lose focus when thinking about the things you should or could do;
• If you can't make time in the middle of the day, you can do it early in the morning. However, if you consider yourself a nocturnal person, take some time at night to dedicate yourself to it;
• Learn to know when to stop. The authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky point out that ending each workday before people were exhausted dramatically increased productivity in the week.

Overview: Focus

One of the most common forms of distraction is the so-called "Infinity Pools", which are the sources of content that are always available for our entertainment, such as social media.

The authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky show, in the book "Make Time", how to eliminate such distractions and stay focused to accomplish the Highlight.

Control your phone

• Use a mobile phone without the "Infinity Pools". You can experience this for 24 hours, a week, or even a month. If you really need to use these applications, just reactivate them. The idea is that you regain control over them;
• Log out of social media so that you need to enter your email address and password every time you want to log in. This can become an obstacle because creating resistance is the best way to defeat distractions;
• Disable notifications, so you can "forget" that the app exists, and thus avoid distractions;
• Change the icons on your phone's home screen to the next screen. An empty home screen can provide a time of serenity every time you use the phone since there will be no distractions;
• Wear a wristwatch. This avoids having to check the time on your phone and end up using the "Infinity Pools";
• To improve your concentration, you can take the devices to work and leave them there. Or you can keep the phone away from you when you get home.

Keep your distance from "Infinity Pools"

• It will be easier to stay focused if you avoid using apps that lead to distraction early in the morning;
• You don't have to follow the news every day, if it is urgent, it will come to you;
• When you are in the focus zone, turn off the internet if possible, recommend the authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.

Slow down your inbox

• Use your email at the end of the day and set a time to check your inbox;
• Empty your inbox once a week;
• Do not rush to reply to emails (make it clear that, if it is urgent, the person can contact you in another way).

Make TV an "occasional pleasure"

• Don't follow the news on TV;
• Move the TV to become a "strange and inconvenient" object;
• You can have an experience (even if it's temporary) of canceling cable TV, HBO, Netflix... Since there's always something going on in these streaming services, which can lead you to distraction.

Establish a flow

• Use headphones and close doors to prevent people from interrupting you;
• Make up a deadline to stay focused;
• Use the "Time Timer". This tactic allows you to observe that time is passing and you need to focus on what you are doing;
• Prioritize writing on paper rather than on a computer. As it is explained in the book "Make Time", since this device has many functions, it ends up creating distractions.

Stay focused

• Noticing your breathing can get you back to focusing on what you were doing;
• Commit yourself to what you are doing (this is much easier when you are doing what you like to do);
• Stay bored. Research has shown that people solve problems more creatively when they feel bored.

Overview: Energy

The authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky share many tactics to optimize your energy in the book "Make Time". Check some of them:

Always in motion

• Exercise every day. It can be a daily walk or some simple activities like climbing the stairs;
• Do a quick workout. You can do the "7 minutes" training for example.

Eat real food

• Consume fish, plants, red meat, and nuts, because it helps a lot in the absorption of energy;
• First, add the salad to your plate, and in greater quantities;
• Fasting can keep you focused. As it is explained in the book "Make Time", it makes changes to your brain that allow you to do so.

Optimize caffeine

• Consume the first cup of coffee of the day at 9: 30 am. That's because, before that time, the cortisol level is too high, then the caffeine has no effect;
• When you are tired, drink a cup of coffee and take a nap for 15 minutes. The caffeine takes time to be absorbed in the blood and, when you wake up, you will feel rested;
• To maintain energy, you can replace coffee with green tea;
• Drinking coffee can interfere with sleep and energy the next day, even if you consume it in the afternoon, affirm Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky;
• Decrease the amount of sugar.

Disconnect from everything

• Spend more time in contact with nature, as this affects mental energy;
• Meditate;
• Take a break and leave your headphones at home. This way, your brain will rest;
• When taking breaks, try to relax your mind by doing things other than accessing social networks, for example.

Take it to the people

• Have real conversations with people who do you good;
• Don't eat in front of the TV.

Sleep in a cave

• Before going to sleep, look for things that will relax you. Avoid the use of social networks, email, or news websites, as this speeds up the brain.
• Keep your mobile phone and other devices away from your room for better sleep quality;
• Dim the house lights a few hours before bed;
• Use daily 20-minute naps to replenish energy;
• Don't try to make up for the lost hours of sleep on weekends. This confuses the internal clock and makes it more difficult to replace the original deficit.

Overview: Reflection

Every day you will have to evaluate if you were able to make the Highlight. It is important to note how much you managed to stay focused on a certain activity, as well as the level of energy used in the day, and whether you used the tactics shown in the book "Make Time".

Also, the authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky advise to write down how the experience was, whether it worked or not. After that, you will have to plan which tactics will be taken into action the next day.

What do other authors say about it?

In the book "Focus", Daniel Goleman argues that practice only brings you closer to perfection if it is done intelligently, that is, if the person who is practicing uses that time to make adjustments and improvements. The amount of attention you employ during practice is crucial.

In David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done", you will see how to manage your time in order to increase productivity and reduce stress.

Finally, in the book "The 4-Hour Workweek", the author Tim Ferriss shows a new mindset of people who have emancipated themselves from the work routine. He teaches how to build a lifestyle that can take advantage of time.

Okay, but how can I apply this to my life?

• After deciding your Highlight, to make it work, test some of the practices presented in this summary;
• Focus on one tactic at a time. If it works, incorporate it into your routine;
• Keep trying and implementing the tactics you can if you need help to choose your Highlight and get it done;
• Remember the Reflection step and always improve your plans.

Did you like this summary of the book "Make Time"?

Are you ready to plan your Highlight and apply the tactics of the authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky? Tell us in the comments!

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