Make Time, summarized!

Hello Reader (insert your name here), I hope you are doing okay?

After writing the previous post. I took a break from my phone last week (Quick update: It was serene and inexplicably satisfying). With so much time on my hand, I completed reading Make Time - How to focus on what matters every day by Jake Knapp (Jake) and John Zeratsky (JZ). This book makes it to one of my favourite books list. Yes, it falls under the self-help genre (I see some judgment getting passed here :p).

I understand, most self-help books rub off in the wrong way on people. The notion of getting criticized and being told what to do is something people don't usually fancy. For some people, books are an escape from reality and I would not force any specific reading genre upon anyone. I myself have abandoned a couple of self-help books because of not liking their writing style, mismatch of vibes (Also, because I dozed off at times. Guilty! :p).

Irrespective (of my dozing off), I have managed to read a tonne of self-help books (I secretly like this productivity shit). I have come to realize that there are always a few key points that do make sense. Rest might just be BS (Bullshit) to some or irrelevant to your current situation. I hope you do not mind me cussing (I sincerely wish the self-help gods would forgive me for saying this). Coming back to the point, I thought once in a while let's write a quick (you might object to this at the end) summary of self-help books I read. I will try not to bore you and I hope something inspiring stays with you :)

Friendly Disclaimer: Below content can make you jump out of your bed/chair/sofa (whatever your resting throne is). It will get you pumped up to seize the day or it can have zero impact on you (either ways I see no loss)

The pretty yellow covered book

Jake and JZ (authors) are outstanding. Their style of writing is breezy and relatable (I am still in awe). In the book, they make a cocktail of their personal experiences, academic studies, and humor (who does not like a good humor?) to deliver a book loaded with tactics on how to not allow time to dribble away and live a deliberate life. Both of them are Time dorks who have worked at big giant companies like YouTube, Gmail, and Google Hangouts (creators of some of the distracting time sinks, these guys remind me of the Netflix documentary - The Social Dilemma) in product designing.

The book is about slowing down and it is outlined around "making time" for things that truly matter to you. Make time is not about productivity (precisely highlighted like this in the book). It is not about getting more done or striking off the gazillion to-do lists. Instead, they have designed a framework to help you create more time in your day for things you care about, whether that is writing a book someday (hope so), learning a language, starting a new business, or playing video games (if this is what truly matters to you on some days). These tasks become a part of your Highlight (More on this term as you progress)

At the beginning, they address why life is busy and chaotic these days. And why, you feel constantly stressed and distracted (It's probably not our fault). We are introduced to the 21st century's two very powerful forces contending for every minute of our time.

They (Jake and JZ) coined them brilliantly as:

1. The Busy Bandwagons

It is our culture of constant busyness - endless to-dos, stuffed calenders. The idea of functioning in modern society, we feel the necessity to fill every minute with productivity. After all, everyone else is busy. If we slow down we will fall behind and never catch up.

The below line hit me the same way it hit Jake :

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

2. Infinity pools

Applications and other sources of an endless supply of content. If you can pull it to refresh, it's an Infinity Pool.

They say that the above two forces are so powerful because they have become our defaults (A preselected option). The Busy Bandwagon defaults to endless tasks, the Infinity Pools default to endless distraction.

Everything is at our fingertips, irresistible, even addictive. Every bump of friction is smoothed away. Is this constant busyness really mandatory? Is the never-ending distraction really a reward? Are we all stuck on autopilot?

To take back control of your time and free your attention from those competing forces.

It is not about "having" time. It is about making time.

Make Time Is Just Four Steps, Repeated Every Day

Source: From the Make Time website (https://maketimebook.com)

Step 1: Highlight - Start each day by choosing a priority.

Magic happens when you start your day with one high-priority goal. Each day's goal is ambitious, but it is just one achievable thing. This focal point would create clarity. It does not have to necessarily have to be something you have to do rather something you want to do.

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, what activity or accomplishment or the moment you want to savor? That is your HIGHLIGHT.

Of course, it’s not the only thing you’ll do in your day(your emails and bosses will not be happy), but it’s the most important one. In the book, they suggest that the highlight should take 60–90 minutes of your time. Any less might not let you get into the flow. Any more might reduce your concentration and tempt you into taking a break.

They also talk about how to pick a highlight. A unique style of to-do lists (The might-do list and the burner list). In the interest of trying to keep this brief, I cannot possibly cover this. (Feel free to reach out to me if you want to or go BUY this Freaking Book. They also have fascinating fun doodles and hilarious conversations unlike the other boring self-help books). The day I read about this Hightlight. I have started implementing and writing down the highlight for my day and man it works like wonders. Blocking the calender for one important task for the day. My yesterday's highlight was to write this blog. Day before that was to spend time with my family. I recommend trying this out and see how it works for you.

Quoting some obvious but big deal kind of lines from the book

"The way you experience your days is not determined primarily by what happens to you. You create your reality by choosing what you pay attention to"

Step 2: Employ tactics to stay Laser-focused on that Highlight.

Instead of relying on your willpower (which can range from low to high). They talk about being intentional and getting away from distractions. After you have identified your highlight the next thing to do is manageable (yet very hard). Control your state of mind and focus. Get rid of distraction and that ting notification sound (The usual story of get away from your phone and blah blah). SHUT THE DOOR. The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business(By Stephan King)

If something is urgent it will unearth you, the rest is either not necessary or just does not matter.

- By Ambica (not sure if I am supposed to credit my own lines :p)

Step 3: Energize so you can stay in control of your time and attention.

The above two steps are the core of Make time but this is a secret ingredient. If you have energy, it’s easier to maintain your focus. The book has the most apparent methods for this, take a walk, exercise. Eat right and healthy (you might say shut up Ambica, I am already aware of this but it is a matter of consistency and trying each day). If you are doing all/some of the above then let me tell you, I am a big fan of yours.

The book (and a lot of others) says - Exercise every day (but don't be a hero). Try the "just enough" approach, Do it for 20 minutes, each day .. and give yourself partial credit (4 out of 7 days, 10 out of 20 mins, any amount/some amount is better than zero)

Go small and Go every day - or as close to every day as possible.

One of my favorite chapters in this section was Optimize Caffeine and the subchapter about Trick yourself into mediation (Watch out, I plan to write a post/posts on this sooner/later).

Step 4: Finally you Reflect on the day with simple notes.

They suggest you use a little science to tailor the system to you: your habits, your lifestyle, your preferences, and even your unique body.

OBSERVE what is going on

GUESS why things are happening the way they are

EXPERIMENT to test your hypothesis

MEASURE the results and decide whether you were right.

This step is super easy. All you do is collect data. Were you able to make time for your highlight? How was your focus during that time? (rate it if you have to). What were your energy levels? Some crazy observations? (did your crush distract you during your laser time?). Jot them all down and analyse.

Source: From the Make Time website (https://maketimebook.com)

There are 87 tactics (too much?) in the book. Some may work and some won't (you might find them monotonous) Use it like a cookbook they say. You will not try all the recipes at once. You don't need to either. Instead, you'll

Pick, Test and Repeat

The Make Time notes shouldn't feel like (yet another) obligation in your life; it's just a way to learn about yourself and fine-tune the system to work best for you.

I hope this wasn't a massive dose of information for you. I would like to close by saying,

"Take whatever serves you and blissfully snub the rest. Turn down the noise of the modern world, and find more joy in each day"

See you next Monday. Until then Mask up, Stay Safe, and Stay Healthy.

P.S.: The footnotes in the book are occasionally hilarious. Do not miss them if you ever end up reading this book. The book’s website with resources: https://maketimebook.com