Is this book for you?
Make Time
Read it if…
- You get to the end of busy days and wonder where the time went.
- Your phone, inbox or feeds eat hours you meant to spend elsewhere.
- You keep putting off a project, hobby or habit until 'someday'.
- Strict productivity systems have never stuck for you.
- You want small changes you can try tomorrow, not a lifestyle overhaul.
Watch the summary
What the book is about
Most of us never chose to spend our days rushing from one task to the next or losing hours to our phones. Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky argue that it happens by default, because busy workplaces and addictive apps pull our attention in every direction.
Make Time is their answer. Rather than squeezing more into each day, it shows you how to make room for the things you actually care about, using a simple four-step daily routine and more than 80 small tactics you can mix and match.
What’s inside
Choose a Highlight Each day, pick one thing that matters most to you, whether it’s urgent work, something satisfying or simply a moment of joy, and protect time for it.
Laser focus Block out distractions so you can give your Highlight your full attention, from taking charge of your phone to slowing down your inbox.
Escape the Busy Bandwagon The book names the habit of filling every hour with tasks and meetings, and shows how to step off it.
Drain the Infinity Pools Endless feeds, apps and streaming soak up spare time. Small changes, like removing apps or making TV a sometimes treat, win it back.
Energize your body Move every day, eat real food, rest properly and spend time with people face to face, so you have the energy to focus.
Reflect each night Jot down a few notes on what worked and what didn’t, then adjust your approach the next day.
Pick your own tactics The authors stress there’s no single formula. You try a few ideas, keep what works and drop the rest.
Who wrote it
Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky are cofounders and general partners at Character Capital, and the creators of the Design Sprint and the Foundation Sprint. Jake helped build Gmail and Microsoft Encarta, cofounded Google Meet and was a partner at Google Ventures. John has written for the Wall Street Journal, Time, Harvard Business Review, Wired and Fast Company. Together they also wrote the New York Times bestseller Sprint, and Click.
What readers are saying
What they love: Readers say the ideas are easy to put into practice and that the book is full of useful tactics for blocking distractions and keeping your energy up. Many like that it treats time as something you design rather than something social media takes from you. Audiobook listeners enjoy the authors’ humour, and some go back for a second or third listen.
What well-known names said: Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, wrote: “If you want to achieve more (without going nuts), read this book.” Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, called it “essential reading for anyone who wants to create a happier, more successful life.” Harvard Business Review praised it as practical and engaging.
Quick facts
- Authors
- Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
- Publisher
- Bantam Press (UK), Currency (US)
- Length
- 304 pages (UK paperback)
- Published
- 27 September 2018 (UK)
- Formats
- Paperback, ebook and audiobook, read by both authors
- Recognition
- Picked by Insider among the best books for forming new habits
- Reading time
- Around 5 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy. Short chapters you can dip in and out of.
Our verdict
If your days disappear into meetings, messages and scrolling, this is the book that helps you take some of that time back. Its simple daily loop, built around choosing one Highlight each day, gives you a clear focus without a rigid system. It suits anyone who has given up on productivity books before, because you pick only the tactics that fit your life. The audiobook is read by both authors and runs just under five hours.
WillYouRead.com is independent and not affiliated with the author or publisher.
More in Habits and productivity
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (coming soon)
- Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy