Make Time audiobook cover - In a world of overflowing calendars and endless scroll, this gentle guide offers a simple daily rhythm—choose one meaningful highlight, protect your attention, recharge your energy, and reflect—so life can feel more intentional, present, and truly yours.

Make Time

In a world of overflowing calendars and endless scroll, this gentle guide offers a simple daily rhythm—choose one meaningful highlight, protect your attention, recharge your energy, and reflect—so life can feel more intentional, present, and truly yours.

Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

★ 4.4 / 5(5 ratings)
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Categories:
ProductivityPersonal DevelopmentPsychology

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Make Time
The Problem+
The Core Concept+
Step 1: Highlight+
Step 2: Focus+
Step 3: Energize+
Step 4: Reflect+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What are the two main phenomena responsible for stealing our time, according to the authors?
  • A. The Busy Bandwagon and Infinity Pools
  • B. The Productivity Trap and Social Media
  • C. The Hamster Wheel and Digital Sirens
  • D. The Procrastination Loop and Notifications
Question 2 of 10
Why do the authors argue that striving for higher productivity is a flawed strategy for gaining more free time?
  • A. It requires too much willpower to maintain long-term.
  • B. Work is a variable, so finishing tasks quickly just leads to taking on more tasks.
  • C. It forces you to focus on long-term goals rather than daily highlights.
  • D. Productivity systems are too complex for the average person to implement.
Question 3 of 10
Why is relying solely on willpower ineffective against digital distractions?
  • A. Tech companies use subliminal audio messaging to bypass our conscious decision-making.
  • B. Willpower is a finite resource that is entirely depleted by the end of the workday.
  • C. These apps exploit our evolutionary hardwiring, which was adapted to seek unpredictable rewards and social gossip.
  • D. Modern humans have weaker attention spans than our ancestors due to dietary changes.
Question 4 of 10
What is the ultimate goal of changing your behavioral 'default settings'?
  • A. To shift from unmindful reactivity to mindful proactivity.
  • B. To eliminate all use of digital technology from your daily life.
  • C. To automate your workflow so you can achieve maximum productivity.
  • D. To train your brain to rely purely on willpower when facing distractions.
Question 5 of 10
What are the four steps of the authors' 'Make Time' strategy?
  • A. Plan, Execute, Review, Adjust
  • B. Highlight, Focus, Energize, Reflect
  • C. Prioritize, Delegate, Automate, Eliminate
  • D. Disconnect, Exercise, Socialize, Sleep
Question 6 of 10
When choosing a daily 'Highlight,' what is the recommended timeframe for the activity?
  • A. 10 to 15 minutes
  • B. 30 to 45 minutes
  • C. 60 to 90 minutes
  • D. 2 to 3 hours
Question 7 of 10
Which of the following is NOT one of the three 'flavors' or approaches for choosing a daily highlight?
  • A. Important (Urgent or absolutely necessary)
  • B. Satisfying (Meaningful projects you want to do)
  • C. Joyful (Doing something simply for the fun of it)
  • D. Profitable (Activities that directly increase your income)
Question 8 of 10
To avoid distractions and stay focused on your highlight, which extreme but effective tactic do the authors suggest regarding your smartphone?
  • A. Replacing your smartphone with a basic flip phone
  • B. Deleting your phone's email app
  • C. Changing your phone's screen to black and white
  • D. Leaving your phone at home while you go to work
Question 9 of 10
What specific advice do the authors give to avoid a devastating caffeine crash?
  • A. Switch entirely to decaffeinated beverages after 12:00 PM.
  • B. Drink a large glass of water immediately after consuming coffee.
  • C. Re-caffeinate about 30 minutes before you typically experience a crash.
  • D. Only consume caffeine alongside a meal high in complex carbohydrates.
Question 10 of 10
How do the authors recommend implementing the numerous tactics provided in the book?
  • A. Treat them like a checklist and try to master all of them within a month.
  • B. Treat them like recipes in a cookbook, testing just one new tactic at a time to see what works.
  • C. Implement all the Focus tactics first before moving on to the Energize tactics.
  • D. Choose exactly five tactics and commit to them rigidly for the rest of the year.

Make Time — Full Chapter Overview

Make Time Summary & Overview

Modern life can feel like a constant sprint: meetings pile up, notifications tug at attention, and days blur together even when the calendar is full. This summary explores why that happens—through the pull of constant busyness and the lure of endless digital distraction—and offers a calmer, more human way to work and live.

Centered on the “Make Time” approach, the book introduces four daily steps: pick one highlight, build a distraction-resistant focus, recharge your energy, and reflect each evening to learn what works. With practical tactics and an encouraging mindset, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s making space, most days, for what matters most.

Who Should Listen to Make Time?

  • People who feel constantly busy yet still end most days wondering where the time went
  • Anyone who wants a realistic way to reduce digital distraction without relying on willpower alone
  • Readers who want to protect time for relationships, health, creativity, or learning—without overhauling their entire life

About the Author: Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky are designers and former Google colleagues who helped shape influential ways of working, including the “design sprint.” Their work focuses on building practical systems that make it easier to do meaningful work while staying grounded and intentional in daily life.

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