Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day

by Jake Knapp

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Without my apps, I expected to feel anxiety and isolation. And in the days after that, I did notice a change. But I wasn’t stressed; instead, I felt relief. I felt free.

I wanted to start writing in the evenings, but realized that the lure of watching TV was a big problem. So I experimented and made a serious change to my defaults, putting the DVD player in the closet and unsubscribing from Netflix. With the freed-up time, I started working on an adventure novel, and I stuck with it, pausing only when we wrote our book Sprint. Writing was something I’d wanted to do since I was a kid, and making time for it felt awesome.

The first step is choosing a single highlight to prioritize in your day. Next, you’ll employ specific tactics to stay laser-focused on that highlight—we’ll offer a menu of tricks to beat distraction in an always-connected world. Throughout the day, you’ll build energy so you can stay in control of your time and attention. Finally, you’ll reflect on the day with a few simple notes.

Asking yourself “What’s going to be the highlight of my day?” ensures that you spend time on the things that matter to you and don’t lose the entire day reacting to other people’s priorities. When you choose a Highlight, you put yourself in a positive, proactive frame of mind.

Perfection is a distraction—another shiny object taking your attention away from your real priorities.

We do not remember days, we remember moments.

“I’m not good enough yet, but I will be when I reach my goal.”

We want you to begin each day by thinking about what you hope will be the bright spot. If, at the end of the day, someone asks you, “What was the highlight of your day?” what do you want your answer to be? When you look back on your day, what activity or accomplishment or moment do you want to savor? That’s your Highlight.

Choosing your daily Highlight starts with asking yourself a question: What do I want to be the highlight of my day?

What’s the most pressing thing I have to do today?

If you have something that absolutely positively must be accomplished today, make it your Highlight.

At the end of the day, which Highlight will bring me the most satisfaction?

When I reflect on today, what will bring me the most joy?

You only waste time if you’re not intentional about how you spend it.

A good rule of thumb is to choose a Highlight that takes sixty to ninety minutes.

after ninety minutes of focused attention, most people need a break.

If you want to make time for your Highlight, start by writing it down.

If you want control, you have to redesign your own relationship with technology.

You aren’t just making time for yourself and your own Highlight; you’re also setting a good example for the people around you.

Instead of keeping your phone by your side when you get home, put it in a drawer or on a shelf; better still, stow it in your bag and shut your bag in the closet.

It’s very tempting to do a check-in first thing in the morning and get the latest updates; after all, something in the world always changes overnight. But as soon as you fire up that screen, you start a tug-of-war of attention between the present moment and everything out there on the Internet.

The longer you postpone the morning check-in—until 9 a.m., 10 a.m., or even after lunch—the longer you preserve that feeling of rested calm and the easier it is to get into Laser mode.

We fear being out of the loop, but once we’re out there, we realize it’s actually kind of nice.

configure your browser settings so that your homepage is something unobtrusive (like a clock) rather than something noisy (like a collection of sites you visit frequently).

When it’s time to get into Laser mode, try turning the Internet off. The simplest methods are switching off the Wi-Fi on your laptop and putting your phone in airplane mode. But those methods are also simple to undo. It’s much more effective to lock yourself out.

The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called television—but then, again, television, at its best, is magnificent. —STEVE JOBS

The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business. —STEPHEN KING, ON WRITING

If your Highlight requires focused work, do yourself a favor and shut the door.

When you’re not sure where to start, try breaking your Highlight into a list of small, easy-to-do bits.

if your Highlight is “Plan vacation,” you can explode it into bits like these: • Check calendar for vacation dates. • Skim guidebook and make list of possible destinations. • Discuss destinations with family and choose favorite. • Research airfare online.

Shifting your focus to something that your mind perceives as a doable, completable task will create a real increase in positive energy, direction, and motivation.

When you’re deprived of distraction, you may feel bored—but boredom is actually a good thing. Boredom gives your mind a chance to wander, and wandering often leads you to interesting places.

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

If you want to improve your sleep, keep the phone out of your bedroom—at all times. And don’t stop there. Remove all electronic devices to transform your bedroom into a true sanctuary for sleep. No TVs, no iPads. No Kindles with backlights. In other words: Make your bedroom a bed room.

There’s probably one device you’ll need to keep in your bedroom: an alarm clock. Choose a simple model with a screen that’s not too bright (or without a screen if you don’t mind the ticking).

If possible, put your alarm clock on a dresser or shelf across the room. This will keep the light away from your eyes, and it’ll help you wake up: When the alarm sounds, you’ll have no choice but to get out of bed, stretch your legs, and switch it off. We think that’s a better way to start your day than snuggling with your smartphone.

Before the alarm sounds, a bright light gradually turns on, simulating a perfectly timed sunrise and tricking your brain into waking up. If you combine that with turning down the lights in the evening, it’s the next best thing to living in a cave.

So just as you would when traveling to a different time zone, she recommends resisting the temptation to oversleep and trying to stick as closely as possible to your regular schedule.

So to keep your battery charged, keep that alarm set to the same time every day whether it’s a weekday, weekend, or holiday.

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

Don’t wait for “someday” to make time for what makes you come alive. Start today.

Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez This classic book applies the same principles as Make Time—rethinking defaults, being intentional, avoiding distraction—to the topic of personal finance. It’s surprisingly inspirational.