Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day

by Jake Knapp

Productivity isn’t the solution, either. We’ve tried to shave time off chores and cram in more to-dos. The trouble is, there are always more tasks and requests waiting to take their place. The faster you run on the hamster wheel, the faster it spins.

Every day, I realized, I was reacting: to my calendar, to incoming email, to the infinite stream of new stuff on the Internet.

Being more productive didn’t mean I was doing the most important work; it only meant I was reacting to other people’s priorities faster.

We do not remember days, we remember moments. —CESARE PAVESE

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 pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. —MARY OLIVER

And yet it would be a relief in a way not to be bothered with it any more … Sometimes I have felt it was like an eye looking at me … I found I couldn’t rest without it in my pocket. —BILBO BAGGINS

Reacting to what’s in front of you is always easier than doing what you intend.

Instead, just be stuck. Don’t give up. Stare at the blank screen, or switch to paper, or walk around, but keep your focus on the project at hand. Even when your conscious mind feels frustrated, some quiet part of your brain is processing and making progress. Eventually, you will get unstuck, and then you’ll be glad you didn’t give up.

You know the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest …. The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.

Wholeheartedness is complete commitment, holding nothing back.

Our thesis is simple: If you have energy, it’s easier to maintain your focus and priorities and avoid reacting to distractions and demands.

What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while. —GRETCHEN RUBIN

Do not ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. —HOWARD THURMAN