Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day
break the busy defaults and build days you actually remember
About This Book
Your days shouldn’t feel like a blur of messages, meetings, and mindless scrolling. This guide shows you how to take back control by resetting the defaults that steal your focus. You’ll choose one meaningful daily Highlight, create simple barriers that tame distracting apps, and fuel your brain with practical energy habits. Real stories and clear steps help you design your day instead of reacting to it. Expect a calmer calendar, deeper focus, and more moments you actually remember—whether you’re finishing a presentation, reading with your kid, training for a 5K, or finally starting that creative project you’ve put off for years.About the Author
Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky are product designers who have shaped tools used by billions. They helped create and refine services like Gmail, YouTube, and Google Hangouts, then brought design thinking to time itself by popularizing the five‑day design sprint. After running 150+ sprints with startups and global teams, they distilled what reliably improves focus and energy in the real world. Equal parts curious experimenters and practical coaches, they translate behavioral science into simple daily moves that busy people can actually stick with.
Biggest Takeaway
• A daily system to focus on one high‑impact Highlight without ignoring real‑life obligations. • Friction strategies that reduce phone and internet pull, so you rely less on willpower and more on smart design. • Practical scheduling moves that protect focus time in chaotic workplaces. • Energy habits—short exercise, better sleep cues, and smarter food timing—that make concentration easier. • Tactics to replace the morning doom‑scroll with calm, intentional work. • Accountability methods and invented deadlines that turn intentions into finished work. • A kinder mindset that beats perfectionism and makes progress feel rewarding.
Key Insights from This Book
Explore the most important ideas and learn how to apply them in your life.
One 90-minute highlight can rescue your entire day
Your calendar is a values statement, so block it before others do
Beat addictive design by making distraction inconvenient
Protect the golden first hour to set your brain’s tone
Decide once, do once separate choosing from executing to avoid drift
Work with your chronotype instead of fighting mornings
Small daily movement beats heroic workouts you can’t sustain
Strategic hunger can sharpen focus, but know your limits
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