Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day

by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky

From the New York Times bestselling authors of Sprint, a simple 4-step system for improving focus, finding greater joy in your work, and getting more out of every day

Nobody ever looked at an empty calendar and said, "The best way to spend this time is by cramming it full of meetings!" or got to work in the morning and thought, Today I'll spend hours on Facebook! Yet that's exactly what we do. Why?
     In a world where information refreshes endlessly and the workday feels like a race to react to other people's priorities faster, frazzled and distracted has become our default position. But what if the exhaustion of constant busyness wasn't mandatory? What if you could step off the hamster wheel and start taking control of your time and attention? That's what this book is about.
     As creators of Google Ventures' renowned "design sprint," Jake and John have helped hundreds of teams solve important problems by changing how they work. Building on the success of these sprints and their experience designing ubiquitous tech products from Gmail to YouTube, they spent years experimenting with their own habits and routines, looking for ways to help people optimize their energy, focus, and time. Now they've packaged the most effective tactics into a four-step daily framework that anyone can use to systematically design their days. Make Time is not a one-size-fits-all formula. Instead, it offers a customizable menu of bite-size tips and strategies that can be tailored to individual habits and lifestyles.
Make Time isn't about productivity, or checking off more to-dos. Nor does it propose unrealistic solutions like throwing out your smartphone or swearing off social media. Making time isn't about radically overhauling your lifestyle; it's about making small shifts in your environment to liberate yourself from constant busyness and distraction.
     A must-read for anyone who has ever thought, If only there were more hours in the day..., Make Time will help you stop passively reacting to the demands of the modern world and start intentionally making time for the things that matter.

Genres: Nonfiction, Productivity, Self Help, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Audiobook

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2018

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reminder to prioritize your life around your passions and values rather than reacting to what other people/your job/society demands from you. It's a better way of redefining productivity to what suits you, not for the sake of busywork. I'm not rating it 5 stars because I don't consider the book to be life-changing or providing any new advice, but I still think it is a solid read with a personable writing style and enjoyed the framework that the authors outlined, which I plan on referencing.

[Imola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make Time was a game-changer for me. It gave me permission to work on my own priorities instead of reacting to everyone else's. I was a test reader for this book and had the chance to practice the techniques for the past 6 months. I have to say, I've noticed a big change in not just how I work but also what I consider important.

One of my biggest fears in life is the sense that I'm not using my time in the best way that I can. There's so much I want to make time for but it just never works out - new things come up, other things take longer than expected, I'm constantly interrupted or interrupting myself. (After finishing the previous sentence, for instance, I wanted to have a "quick" Twitter check.)

Make Time was a therapeutic read in more than one way.

First, it made me reassured that I'm not the only one. If two superstar designers, who also happen to be NYT bestselling writers and ex-Googlers, have the same uphill struggle against distractions, then I'm not a complete write-off.

Second, it's hilarious. The silly sketches, opinion battles, descriptions of oh too familiar bad habits made this an entertaining read, as opposed to a dry self-help book.

And third, it's incredibly useful. It's basically a list of techniques to ring-fence your own time and stay focused. Once you've read it, a quick browse of chapter headings is enough to refresh your memory on how to stay focused.

I still occasionally procrastinate, but I'm also about 200% more efficient and 200% calmer. If you read this book, prepare to be relieved of guilt, pressure and stress.

[MIKE · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first finished the book, my gut was a 3-star review for 'good' but not really adding to the conversation from other treatise on productivity and focus - then, I started to experiment and implement some of the suggestions. I tried removing email and Safari from my iphone, setting an intention outside my normal routines, and planning more of my day outside of work - and decided to up the book to 4 stars. I don't think Make Time breaks new ground, but it does take a lot of strong concepts and ideas - and turns them into actionable plans to try. While I tend to be on top of organization, the suggestions are helping me carve out time for things from the 'Someday/Maybe' to actually getting done in a normal week.

[Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷 Support me ☕

“Believe in your Highlight: It is worth prioritizing over random disruption.”

I am actually someone who is very good at time management and I have always been asked how do you manage to do that. I was curious if there was a way to make me even better at that and that’s why I decided to read this one. I can say that the book was easy to read and kind of organized but it did not add much to my knowledge.



The Book introduces the above graph to make more time. Basically we have to pick a highlight and then focus on it and reflect on what we did. There are also ways to get energy throughout the day. The book has many small sub chapters explaining each of the points mentioned.

The Authors were against To-Do lists but personally these work for me. This book made me realize how boring my life is because it tries to convince the reader to stay away from things that I don’t do, just like watching TV (I almost never watch TV and the authors explained that the average American spends 4 hours per day watching TV). Then there are tons of chapters on email which I checked my screen time for and it amounted to daily 3-4 mins and I think those are not significant!

There is also not using Wifi on a plane but I have never been on a plane so that’s not a problem! I don’t wanna sound negative because there were a few things I liked as saying no more and doing few things to energize.

Summary: I think it is a well- written book but I don’t think I am the targeted reader, few of the points were irrelevant to me and few were too extreme for me such as the internet free phone! I think I took a few good things from the book which is the most important thing when it comes to non-fiction books.

[Maede · Rating 4 out of 5]

به امتیازی که به کتاب دادم نگاه نکنید

این کتاب به طرز عجیبی پتانسیل این رو داره که برای شما یک ستاره باشه و در تمام مدت کتاب چشم‌غره برید و بگید «کمتر چرت و پرت بگو!». از طرفی اگر زمانی که این کتاب رو می‌خونید مناسب باشه، با شرایط زندگی و شخصیتتون جور در بیاد و بتونید راهکارهای ساده‌اش رو عملی کنید، می‌تونه براتون کاملاً در حد یک پنج ستاره باشه

:طرز تهیه این کتاب
یک. تعدادی کتاب و مقاله در مورد مدیریت زمان، بالابردن بهره‌وری، دنبال کردن علایق و روانشناسی تکاملی
دو. مقدار زیادی تجربه شخصی دو فرد موفق
سه. معجون مخصوص ساده نوشتن و گیج نکردن خواننده
چهار. لحن صادقانه

همه رو در یک مخلوط کن بریزید و خوب هم بزنید. کتاب «زمان ایجاد کن» آماده‌ست

راهکار اصلی کتاب از شدت سادگی احمقانه به نظر میاد. هر روز فکر کن که چه کاری باید انجام بشه، یا دوست داری انجام بشه، یا از انجامش لذت می‌بری. اون کار رو هایلایت روزت بکن، براش زمان ایجاد کن و انجامش بده
اما از اینجا تازه کار کتاب شروع میشه. جیک و جی‌زی برای نحوه‌ی انجام این مراحل تکنیک‌هایی رو پیشنهاد میدن که این روال ساده ولی به شدت کارآمد به مرور زمان ممکن بشه

این تکنیک‌ها باید بنابر زندگی و شرایط شما انتخاب بشن و برای من چند دسته بودند: ۱. غیرممکن ۲. قابل انجام ولی سخت ۳. قابل انجام و آسان ۴. خودم دارم انجام میدم ۵. به زندگی من ربطی نداره ولی می‌تونم با تغییر پیاده‌اش کنم ۶. کلاً در مورد زندگی من صدق نمی‌کنه

در مدت خواندن کتاب کم‌کم چندتا از تکنیک‌های گروه دو و سه و پنج رو انجام دادم و برام واقعا موثر بود. حتی اگر این تاثیر آنقدر بزرگ نبود. با خواندن در مورد تکنیک‌های گروه چهار هم حس اطمینان گرفتم که روش درستی رو انتخاب کردم. احتمالاً از همین امروز که کتاب تموم شد روش هایلایت رو شروع کنم و ببینم که نتیجه چی میشه. برم ببینم می‌تونم رایتیگ آیلتس و داشتن زمین مفید با عزیزانم رو هایلایت روزهام کنم و کمی به بالانس کار-زندگی نزدیک‌تر بشم؟

M's Books: کتاب رو هم اینجا گذاشتم
۱۴۰۰/۶/۲۹

[فادي · Rating 4 out of 5]

أحبّ الكتب التي تكون على نمط "المانيفيستو" الشخصي.
هذا أحدهم، وقعتُ عليه بالصدفة وشدني العنوان -وإن كان تجارياً- لكن بعد الفصل الأول شعرتُ أني أمام كتاب سأستفيد منه؛ وقد استفدت حقاً.
معضلة الوقت التي نع��ني منها والتشتت وكثرة الملهيات لن يكون لها حلّ سحري، لا بقراءة هذا الكتاب ولا بغيره.
لكن باتباع بعض القوانين والإرشادات الواردة في الكتاب يمكنك تحسين نوعية حياتك أو تقليل نسبة الضياع ولو بدرجة واحدة.
==
لن أطيل في المقدمة، سأدخل في صُلب الموضوع مباشرة.
يقول مؤلفوه إن الكتاب هدفه مساعدتك في في تخفيف سرعتك وسط حالة العجلة المجنونة التي تعيشها، وكيف نصنع وقتاً للأشياء المهمة فقط، والابتعاد عن حالة التشتت والإلهاء، والاستمتاع باللحظة الحالية أكثر.
لا يدور الكتاب حول الإنتاجية، ولا يدور حول كيفية إنتاج المزيد، أو إنهاء المهام بشكل أسرع، إنّه إطار صُمم ليساعدك فعلياً على إيجاد مزيد من الوقت خلال يومك للأشياء التي تهتم بها حقاً.
==
فصول الكتاب تدور حول 4 أفكار رئيسة:
1- الهدف
2- التركيز التام
3- التفكر
4- تجديد الطاقة
وتحت كل فكرة هناك عدد من الإرشادات المباشرة للتطبيق الفوري.
==
سأذكر أكثر مما لفتني من كل فكرة، فمثلاً في فقرة [ الهدف] فإنّ الهدف الأمثل هو أن تحدد هدفاً واحداً فقط لكل يوم، ويدور يومك كله حول إنجاز هذا الهدف، قد يكون الهدف شيئاً بسيطاً لكن بمجرد الالتزام به سيرتفع لديك الإحساس بالإنجاز.
فقرة [ التركيز التام ] كانت مخصصة لعلاج الإدمان السلوكي لوسائل التواصل الاجتماعي والإشعارات اللانهائية ورسائل البريد الإلكتروني التي لا تتوقف ( هذا أجمل فصول الكتاب ويمكنك قراءته فقط وستشعر بالفائدة).
==
احترس من فجوات الوقت: هذا الفصل من أنفع فصول الكتاب وأكثرها مفاجأة لي، فمن خلال التتبع وجدتُ كلام المؤلفين صادماً ومرعباً وكيف أنّ أعمارنا تتسلل من بين يدينا دون أن نشعر.
==
الخلاصة: الكتاب جميل جداً، ومفيد وعملي وبسيط ولا يحتاج منك إلا إلى قليل من الهمّة والإرادة.

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book almost six months ago, and really enjoyed the beginning. It provides some helpful productivity advice in a light and breezy writing style. There's nothing really groundbreaking here, but I still found it helpful: the key ideas are to choose one Highlight for each day, use various techniques to increase your focus (often by reducing distractions) and increase your energy, and refine your process continuously by reflecting on what works and what doesn't. Many of the techniques are tiny and straightforward but still impactful, like signing out of social media accounts so that you need to put in just a little bit more effort and thought before getting caught up in a distraction.

What I didn't like was the energy section's emphasis on evolutionary psychology and living like a caveman (the caveman was called Urk, which I found irritatingly cutesy). The basic idea is that there's a "huge disconnect between our hunter-gatherer roots and our crazy modern world", and we should try to live more like a caveman because our bodies evolved for that lifestyle. This perspective requires some extreme simplifications that often seemed pretty dubious. Here's one passage:

Urk was a hunter-gatherer. He didn't eat unless he collected, caught, or killed his food. Can you imagine going out to gather berries or hunt for buffalo every morning, noon, and evening, plus any time in between when your blood sugar started to feel low?

The point is that just because we can eat all the time, that doesn't mean we should.

I'm not convinced at all that someone who gathered berries in the morning couldn't keep any berries to eat throughout the day, or even the next day. And I'm really not convinced that any random thought the authors happen to conceive about caveman life is automatically correct and should be used as a guide for healthy living.

Beyond the potential of being incorrect and unfounded, I think that evolutionary psychology can also be actively harmful. The authors are both former Googlers, which brings to mind that other infamous Google guy with a penchant for evolutionary psychology: James Damore, who wrote a memo about the biological differences between men and women to explain why he opposed programs intended to increase representation of women in tech. Damore argues that "differences [between men and women] aren't just socially constructed because... [t]hey're exactly what we would predict from an evolutionary psychology perspective".

So, I wish Knapp and Zeratsky had focused on empirical studies about how to increase energy and focus, rather than relying on speculative theorizing about the past and its influence on the present. That weakened an otherwise good book and made me much less likely to recommend it to others. The book does contain plenty of valuable ideas, and the writing is often humorous and entertaining, but much of it has to be taken with a big grain of salt.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s an embarrassing fact about me- most self help books rub me the wrong way because I hate being criticized and I hate being told what to do. My petty self has abandoned many a non fiction advice book for ‘tone’ issues. Luckily for me, something about this book resonated and I was able to accept their suggestions as helpful logic that I could choose to employ myself, or not. Maybe it was something about their little doodle faces but Jake and JZ came across as friendly and non judgemental. Make Time was full of valuable information and techniques I look forward to trying out in my own life.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Di tengah sibuk kerja & side-hustling, kok masih sempat baca?"

Rata-rata judul yg bisa kulahap dlm sebulan sekitar 9-10 judul. When I say this, they wonder on how I could read in the middle of tight schedule. Well, it is because I make time for it.

Dalam Make Time, Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky menyajikan metode agar kita "punya waktu" u/ hal yg dirasa penting. Lebih dari itu, mereka jg mengingatkan kita agar tidak tenggelam dlm kesibukan yg sebenarnya mengada-ada (jadi ingat Bullshit Jobs-nya Graeber). Make Time bukanlah tentang "squeeze all your to-do-list & work harder." Bagiku, Make Time malah mengajarkan kita u/ memberi batasan jelas (boundaries). Misalnya saja, di luar jam kantor berarti sudah tidak bisa diganggu. Dg kata lain, memerdekakan diri dari makna produktivitas yg dibentuk oleh kapitalisme. Sekalinya manusia bisa mendapatkan waktunya kembali, we have fully control of our live. Wait, it is easier said than done, ya?

Oke, aku coba beri contoh. Di slide 2 ada cuplikan Google Calendarku. Terpantau bahwa selepas jam kerja, aku niat & sengaja memasang waktu hanya u/ membaca The Maidens. Tidak buka email kantor, tidak bikin konten. Highlight-nya adl u/ membaca. Meniru hal serupa bisa dilakukan secara bertahap. Mulai dari berkomitmen kpd diri sendiri u/ tidak melanggar "time block" itu. Sekalligus berlatih mengatakan tidak serta menjadi slow response. Tapi ya... lihat-lihat lagi. Kalau memang ada pekerjaan yg sifatnya "urgent" tentu harus diladeni ya...

Mengutip salah satu bagian dari Make Time, ketika kita bisa membuat prioritas u/ hal yg bermakna & menunjukkannya, orang lain pun akan mencoba bertanya mengapa mereka "always on." Di sisi lain, dengan "make time" membuat kita mudah diidentifikasi. "Oh, Hestia kalau selepas jam kerja jarang cek ponsel karena sedang membaca." Dengan begitu, mereka jadi tahu kapan sebaiknya menghubungiku. Again, I can set my time to read and also make boundaries. Hmm, Make Time jadinya juga tentang merawat kewarasan nih ya.

[Tim Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid. Much of the advice is not necessarily new, but it is presented simply and in a memorable framework.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read Cal Newport's Deep Work recently for book club at work, and I thought I'd supplement it with this while I was engaged in a concerted effort to be more thoughtful about the way I apply my attention, to what, and why. This is a fast read that works quite well as a peppy companion volume to Newport's more discursive approach.

In fact, this book is almost disastrously cheerful. The bright yellow case wrap framing the open book in your hands, the cartoonish illustrations, and the chat-bubble soliloquies from one or other author sharing a personal spin on one of the 87 tips all contribute to one of the zippiest tones I have ever experienced in a self-help book. I particularly enjoyed the footnotes that were stuffed full of references to studies and further reading yet were written with the same incorrigible buoyancy as the rest of the book. I get the impression that the target audience is some kind of hyper adult toddler who hasn't read a book in years. But never mind that, because there's plenty of excellent, practical tips in here for everybody, and they are so actionable that I already did two of them before even finishing the book.

The authors are designers by training, and they clearly understand how to keep the path smooth so that their users will be far more likely to actually use their product. Here, their product is their "Make Time" system that consists of four steps:
1. Highlight: Start each day by choosing a single focal point that you'll tackle for sixty to ninety minutes at some point during the day.
2. Laser: Beat distraction to focus on your Highlight during an optimum time for you.
3. Energize: Take care of your body to recharge your brain and get the most out of your time.
4. Reflect: Notice what worked and what didn't and what you are grateful for at the end of the day, so you can adjust and improve your system every day.

I've taken the authors' advice and dog eared some pages of strategies that I want to experiment with first, and I'm also pulling some quotes they used as epigraphs into my personal list of favorites.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I went into this book like I usually do with these kind of books: Take what works and ignore the rest. And, for the most part, the authors do a good job of catering to that attitude. There's generally an attitude of "try it!" and they don't use all of the same tactics that self. Two caveats:

1. They assume you're neurotypical. There isn't acknowledgment of the extra challenges some of us face.
2. They assume you have a certain kind of professional job. I mean, first they assume you HAVE an office type job. But also one of the suggestions is to just check your email once a day. I'm in IT support--I DO need to be constantly connected.

But here are two suggestions I've already done that have helped me a lot:

1. Take my personal email off my phone.
2. Make the first page of my phone screen blank. (They didn't specifically say this, but I also redid my dock: Calendar (so I know what day it is), texts, Pokemon Go (they might not approve of that one) and my camera.)

Both of these have helped me put down my phone a little more often. Or maybe I mean be more intentional about it because, for me, it's not so much screen time as when I get caught up spending hours and don't get anything out of it.

I also liked their attitude of instead of relying on your willpower, just make it a little harder start whatever the timesucks are for you. (Like the fact that my homescreen is blank makes me go, "oh, wait, maybe I don't need to go doomscroll right now.)

Anyway! So I got something out of it!

[Vuk Trifkovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which two people who worked very hard on making all these apps tell you how to put in the effort to ignore the said apps in order not to go completely insane.

Some good tips. Some typical SV bullshit. I suspect very useful and effective though.

[Austra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kā aklai vistai grauds.

Kaut kā tā man gadījās šī grāmata, kad kārtējo reizi apcerēju - skat, kā dzīve aizzib garām! Pagājusi vēl viena nedēļa, un es esmu izdarījusi tieši necik no tām lietām, ko sen gribu izdarīt. Jā, jā, gribu, bet nedaru. Kā tā var būt?

Protams, neviena (paš)palīdzības grāmata nevar izdarīt lietas jūsu vietā. Bet es ar to ļoti ātri aizrāvos, sāku pierakstīt principus un jau pirmajā nedēļā sāku dažus no tiem ieviest dzīvē. Laiks rādīs, vai es izdarīšu vai neizdarīšu lietas, ko sen jau gribu (bet nedaru). Bet es pilnīgi noteikti esmu iegaumējusi daudzus vērtīgus padomus. Tie gan nekur nepazudīs. (Galvenokārt tāpēc, ka esmu tos izkladzinājusi visiem tiem draugiem, kas gatavi klausīties. Dažreiz tā pat nav viņu izvēle.) Ja dažus no tiem būtu zinājusi gadus 10 agrāk, ir lietas, kas būtu citādāk. Tā kā mana dzīve ir krietni atšķirīga no Googlistu, ne viss ir piemērojams manai mazajai mietpilsonīša ikdienai. Tāpēc 4 zvaigznes, ne piecas. Bet vispār grāmata, ar ko gribas iemest daudziem.

“Research shows that the way you experience your days is not determined primarily by what happens to you. In fact, you create your own reality by choosing what you pay attention to.”

[Alfredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nota da releitura: Muito bom revisitar esse livro! Algumas dicas deixaram de fazer sentido em comparação com a primeira vez que o li, mas outras passaram a ser úteis. É um livro que tem um público-alvo em mente (pessoas que trabalham em escritórios e têm uma rotina corrida), mas com dicas vastas o bastante para funcionar relativamente bem com todo mundo. Estava precisando de algumas sugestões deles, comecei a aplicar as mais interessantes e já estou vendo progresso!

Resenha original: Em "Faça tempo", os autores nos mostram que costumamos trabalhar com tarefas (geralmente entediantes e mecânicas) e metas de longo prazo. Apesar de terem sua importância, não são o bastante para que a gente aproveite nosso dia a dia, nosso caminho até a meta. Com frequência, nos esquecemos de como passamos nossos últimos dias ou perdemos o controle do nosso tempo. Por isso, é preciso agir. O livro ensina como fazer isso a partir de quatro passos:

- Destaque (o que você precisa e/ou quer fazer hoje? Escolha uma tarefa);
- Foco (como evitar distrações? Como ignorar as notificações do celular? Como lidar com a tecnologia?);
- Energia (como não se sentir constantemente cansado? Como usar a cafeína ao nosso favor?);
- Reflexão (o que funcionou ou não e por quê? Por qual momento sou grato?).

Eu adorei as dicas e achei muito simples de adaptá-las a minha realidade. A ideia dos autores de usar tópicos e capítulos curtos ajuda a dinamizar a leitura e a facilitar a procura de informações específicas. Esse com certeza é um livro ao qual retornarei inúmeras vezes para consultar. Recomendo a leitura.

[Sebastian Gebski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what I expect from Silicon Valley guys writing about focus, avoiding distraction, and effective time management. They don't dive into psychological details, brain composition, elephants, riders, etc. - instead they provide a simple mental model, full of catchy phrases and good comparisons/metaphors (e.g. infinity pool). Some may call it shallow, but ... in fact it's what works in many cases.

The book is short, funny, enjoyable. It's composition is very simple and really helps with avoiding getting repetitious. In fact about 60-70% of the book is very practical: particular "techniques"/concepts you can use on the daily basis. I'm not saying they are all stellar, but at least none are ridiculous.

Time and focus mgmt is something I'm very keen on - that's why I read every promising book on the topic. TBH "Make Time" is in my Top 5 or maybe even Top 3. Good stuff - similar level of usefulness to "Atomic Habits" or Heaths' books. Recommended.

[Paige Blue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here’s a quick summary of this book: delete social media. delete Netflix. Boom, you have more time to do other things.

[Kair Käsper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful, but superficial book from the authors of Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. The opus tries to capture all of the popular nuggets on productivity, sleep, diet, meditation, fitness and put them into one. As a result it reads like a collection of blog articles and should be taken as such.

I’d say roughly half of the book stems from the authors’ personal experience and the other half is based on second-hand scientific truths from popular writers like Cal Newport, Tim Ferriss, David Allen, Yuval Noah Harari et al. There probably is some solid research hidden in the 87 tactics, but you’d be hard-pressed to pin it down.

Never the less, there are some interesting ideas in this book, several of which I’ve taken into use. Examples would be the setting primary/secondary focuses for the day and scheduling email time.

Because I’m somewhat familiar with the topics discussed, including the works of the authors mentioned before, I ran into repetition quite a lot. If you haven’t really dug into productivity and self-help before, it’s a very good introduction.

Sidenote. As an unintended consequence, after seeing the randomness of the authors’ methodology, I now have much less belief in the five day sprint.

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you obsessively read organization and productivity books like I do, I don't think you will find anything ground-breaking or new in Make Time. But it's a good reinforcement and encouragement in good time management habits with a few interesting tips and tricks for focusing on the most important priorities in your life.

The book breaks down its simple formula for Making Time: the Highlight, Lasar Focus, Energize, and Reflect. It's premise is that if you take one chunk of 60-90 minutes per day to do one or more related tasks or activities of your choice and time block ahead of time- activities that bring you a sense of joy or accomplishment- you will end each day with a sense of purpose.

The Highlight portion of the book was my favorite and the one tactic I think will make the biggest difference in the way I do my Weekly Reviews and daily planning in the next year. I'm someone who constantly puts way too many things on my daily to-do list (10-15 items every day), and winds up always needing to push off items onto future days. And then I feel like a failure, even if I did accomplish a lot of things that day. I love the idea of having an hour and a half dedicated to whatever I feel the most compelled to work on that day and knowing that even if I only accomplished that one task- it was the one thing that was most important to me for that day.

Make Time is a worthy read, and I'd highly recommend reading it!

[Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The organization of this book is super intuitive, with high-level explanations followed by specific research and suggestions. In addition to personal anecdotes and examples from the authors, as well as fun visuals and further reading for the nerds who can't get enough, there are almost 90 tactics to test for yourself — the emphasis is on figuring out what works for you, one accessible step at a time.

Obviously, you're only ever going to get as much out of a book like this as you're willing to apply. But for me, this has already positively changed the way I plan and structure my day to make time for what I actually want to accomplish.

Recommended by Ali Abdaal.

-----------
CONVERSION : 13.25 / 15 = 5 stars

Prose: 8 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 8 / 10
Credibility: 9 / 10
Organization / Structure: 10 / 10

Emotional Impact / Interest: 4 / 5
Memorability: 5 / 5

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content of this book is not revolutionary for those familiar with popular time management literature (i.e. limit the number of things you focus on each day, limit distractions such as technology, eat healthy food and exercise regularly, and reflect and adapt accordingly). However, the book uses clever labels and fun illustrations for well-worn concepts and packages the dense literature about maximizing time into an easy, accessible read. The ultimate takeaway is we can be more productive by focusing on less, and the most important aspect of time management is not the number of checks on the to do list but freeing up space for the things that matter.

[Lobna Elhaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

#قرأت_لك_هذا_الكتاب
#اصنع_وقتاً_أكثر_من_المتاح
ترجمة #سمر_حجازي
اسمحولي أكتب الريڤيو النهاردة بالعامية 😁 لإن الكتاب ده طلع روحي وعاوزة أعبر براحتي في البوست 😒
عارفين لما واحدة تشتكي إن جوزها نرجسي ، لإنه ساعات يطلعها لسابع سما وساعات ينزلها لسابع أرض؟ أهو الكتاب ده نرجسي 😂 آه والله زمبؤلك كدة 😁
ساعات تعجبني أوي الحاجات اللي فيه وساعات أقول له إيه المعلومات البديهية دي !!
الكتاب ده أرهقني في قراءته لإني أخدت وقت كبير علشان أقرأه
الحاجات اللي عجبتني فيه هي:
- الفصل القبل الأخير اللي بيتكلم عنه عن الكافيين عجبني حداً جداً جداً
-فصل الهاتف وتقليل استخدامه عجبتني أفكاره
-الترجمة لسمر حجازي ممتازة
- أفكار الكتاب كثيرة وغزيرة بس بالنسبة لي مش ممتع أوي

مش عارفة ده إنطباعي لوحدي على الكتاب ولا فيه حد قرأه وشايف إنه كويس ؟
المهم أنا حاديله ⭐️⭐️⭐️وأبئا كارماه كمان 😅

#لبنى_الحو

[Mehrsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some good tips in here that will help increase productivity, but the book is a compilation of tips from a whole bunch of other books. I usually prefer to go to the source, which here would be Duhigg's Habit books, the Deep Work book, and Rapt.

[Karis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and practical advice about honoring our priorities in life, written in a personable and humorous style.

[Anas | أنس · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب جدا جميل واستفدت منه كثيرا في تنظيم وقتي
فيه قوانين جدا كثير تساعدك انك تحافظ على وقتك رغم المشتتات الموجودة من حولنا
افضل شيء عجبني في الكتاب مؤلفي الكتاب ماشين على هذه القوانين وكل واحد منهم يعطينا راية الشخصي بصراحة
جدا استفدت من هذه الكتاب وانصح أي واحد عنده عذر (انه مشغول دائما) ان يقرأ هذه الكتاب
متأكد انه راح تتغير نظرته للوقت
قراءة ممتعة لكم

[Azita Rassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book with lots of helpful practical tips. I look forward to using some of the suggested tactics in 2019, and I might want to listen to this book again. The audiobook was delightfully performed, too. A great book to put an end to a great year of reading.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a public librarian, who prefers borrowing books over purchasing them, this is one I’m considering buying for keeps. It’s logical, simple, easily digestible, and doesn’t ask for the moon. I highly recommend to anyone who feels overwhelmed at work, at home, in life, etc.

[Oksana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Просто ідеальна книга для натхненного початку року! Практична, конкретна і добре структурована.

Про авторів:
Двоє друзів, так званих Silicon Valley guys, шукали спосіб бути більш продуктивними в роботі, а винайшли для себе цілу систему принципів, яка допомогла їм зрозуміти свої справжні пріоритети, знайти на них час, та в результаті змінила їхнє життя. Дуже вони мені імпонують, слухати книгу в аудіоформаті у їхньому виконанні виявилось доволі inspiring.

Про книгу:
4 кроки (highlight, laser, energize, reflect), 87 принципів, і велика концентрація практичної інформації. Відсутність води, а натомість класні приклади, метафори і власний досвід. Автори відібрали для нас все найкраще, що вони випробували на собі і додали до своєї системи make time. Дуже адекватний, холістичний підхід.

"Make Time is a framework for choosing what you want to focus on, building the energy to do it, and breaking the default cycle so that you can start being more intentional about the way you live your life."

Мої персональні враження:
Признаюсь відверто, багато принципів із книги я вже знала раніше і успішно застосовувала. Але книга наче допомогла все структурувати в моїй голові, та найважливіше – почати застосовувати всі ті корисні штуки в житті. Адже знати можна багато, та важливо лише те, що ти з цією інформацією робиш. Так от, книга діє як магічний штурхан, повірте.

Кілька підходів, які ввела в свою рутину одразу:
- обзавелась красивим будильником і навчилась залишати телефон в living room, починаючи з вечора і до пізнього ранку (немає кращого ранку, ніж ранок без соц.мереж!)
- щовечора пишу у свій grattitude journal
- вчусь встановлювати для себе highlight of the day і ставити його в пріоритет

Книга однозначно потрапляє в мій топ нон-фікшн книг. Щиро рекомендую її кожній сучасній людині.

[Dan Connors · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a breezy little book with cute illustrations that covers an important topic- how to not waste your life. There are so many more distractions now than just a generation ago. The authors call them the busy bandwagon and the infinity pools. They reflect the infinite time-wasters that occupy a majority of our lives- from spending too much time on emails and You Tube videos to watching television.

In our immersive world, they have a deceptively simple system to make sure that you get the most important and easily ignored items done.

1- Find a highlight every day that you will devote yourself to, if only for a few minutes or hours.

2- Laser in on that highlight and eliminate all distractions. There are many helpful suggestions in the book on how to do exactly that.

3- Energize- Treat your body well so that you can do 1 and 2.

4- Reflect at the end of the day and see what worked with your highlight so you can select another one for the next day.

A simple, fun book with plenty of ideas for how to get things done and make time for your true priorities. (Hint- turn off ALL of your cell phone notifications and hide the phone if you have to.)

[Blake Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

As they mention in the book, this isn't a productivity book, but a framework designed to help you create more time for the things you care about. I would say it focuses on being more EFFECTIVE with your time, thus more effective with your productivity throughout your day.

By focusing on the things that matter most to you, Make Time presents a four-step process for creating more time in your life.

The first step is to "Highlight," or identify the most significant activities that you want to focus on.

The second step is to "Laser," or eliminate distractions and time-wasting activities that take away from your highlighted activities.

The third step is to "Energize," or find ways to increase your energy and focus, such as through exercise and breaks.

Finally, the fourth step is to "Reflect," or review your progress and make adjustments as needed.

As you read through the book, Knapp and Zeratsky provide tips and techniques for implementing each step in your own life. They also provide case studies of people who have achieved their goals with the Make Time process.

By making time for what matters most to you, you can live a more fulfilling and productive life.