Make Time: A Book Review

In today’s fast-paced world, finding time for what truly matters can feel like an elusive goal. With endless distractions vying for our attention, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose sight of our priorities. However, in their insightful book Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day, authors Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky offer a step-by-step guide on reclaiming control of our schedules and making time for the things that bring us joy and fulfillment. I’ve been reading a lot of books about this subject lately, including the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. Make Time is by far my favorite so far, and the most practical.

The Make Time Framework

Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky met while working at Google where they created the popular Google Design Sprint process. I teach that process in my Computer Science Capstone course at UW-Madison and have been lucky enough to chat with them via email. They are great humans and have a knack for boiling down complex ideas into easily-followed processes.

The Make Time framework is not just another time management system. It’s a simple four-step framework with many, many ideas for achieving each step in the framework. After all, we’re not all little clones of each other. Each of us works differently, thinks differently, and responds to change differently. This book gives us a plethora of ideas underneath this simple framework, so we can find what works for us.

1. Highlight – Choose something to focus on each day
2. Laser – Actually clear the time to focus on it
3. Energize – Re-energize throughout the day so you can focus on your highlight
4. Reflect – How’d you do? What might you do differently next time?

Highlight

At the core of their approach is the idea of “highlighting,” which involves choosing one meaningful activity to prioritize each day. By consciously dedicating time to this highlight, readers can ensure that they make progress on their most important goals, whether it’s pursuing a passion project, spending quality time with loved ones, or engaging in self-care activities. The highlight should be meaty enough that you’re satisfied after completing it. An important task that takes between 60-90 minutes is ideal.

But how do you know which important task is the best highlight for the day? That’s a bit of an art and a science. You can focus on urgency, satisfaction, or joy — whatever feels right that day.

The brilliant and most welcome thing for me about this book is that it doesn’t just stop there. It gives readers a lot of ideas around how to choose and make time for your daily highlight. From novel ways to create the dreaded to do list to bulldozing your calendar. Even seasoned time managers will find some new tactical gems to try.

Laser

One of the book’s strengths is its emphasis on creating a supportive environment conducive to productivity and well-being. Knapp and Zeratsky offer practical tips for minimizing distractions, such as turning off notifications, setting boundaries with technology, and designing daily routines that align with one’s values and priorities.

If you find yourself consistently pulled into what Knapp and Zeratsky call “infinity pools” (the endlessly updating websites and apps in our lives), then there are important things you can do to reduce your time on devices and make more time for your highlight. Everything from blocking or uninstalling certain apps to checking email just three times a day will help you focus on what’s important.

I can’t overstate just how many awesomely specific ideas this book has for each section. This is one of the reasons I immediately ordered the book after reading it. I wanted to be able to refer back to it again and again.

Energize

Turns out we can’t just go-go-go and be laser focused all day long without a break. Breaks at our desk aren’t enough. In order to feed our energy stores we need to get moving, get outside, and feed our bodies real food. If we get good at doing these things at regular intervals, we actually create more productive time every day. Time we can use to achieve our highlights!

Reflect

Make Time encourages readers to adopt a mindset of experimentation and iteration, rather than striving for perfection. The authors emphasize the importance of continuously refining one’s approach to time management and being willing to adjust strategies based on what works best for individual needs and preferences.

As some of you know, I am a huge fan of agile software development and, in particular, the agile principle of continuous improvement. Knapp and Zeratsky have baked a retrospective into their framework. (How smart is that??) This is a time at the end of the day where you assess what went well and what didn’t. Then, you’ll decide what you’ll do differently or which specific techniques you’ll try tomorrow.

Make Time Today

I’ve been on the search for one time management book to rule them all and I think Make Time might be it. It’s exactly what I’ll recommend to my friends and colleagues struggling to find time for their most important ideas.

Make Time is a must-read for anyone looking to break free from the tyranny of busyness and cultivate a more meaningful and fulfilling life. With its actionable strategies, insightful anecdotes, and empowering message, you’re sure to find a bunch of tactics you can adopt tomorrow in this book. So, if you’re ready to make the most of your time and prioritize what truly matters, pick up a copy of Make Time and start your journey towards a more intentional and fulfilling life today.