I recently read a book called Making Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky & one of the major takeaways I got from the book is having a daily highlight. It's easy to get lost in a sea of things to do on our lists, but what if we focused on one or two things per day, that actually moved the needle, getting us closer to our long term goals? I'll share an edited excerpt from the book, along with an example of my daily highlight and how I structured my time so I could accomplish it.
“Making Time” book excerpt
What Will Be the Highlight of Your Day?
“Making Time” book excerpt
What Will Be the Highlight of Your Day?
"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 a Highlight gives you a chance to be proactive about how you spend your time, instead of letting technology, office defaults, and other people set your agenda. And although the Busy Bandwagon says you should try to be as productive as possible each day, we know it’s better to focus on your priorities, even if that means you don’t get to everything on your to-do list. Your highlight gives each day a focal point. This might seem obvious, but we think it’s a big deal: You can design your time by choosing where you direct your attention. And your daily Highlight is the target of that attention."
Here’s an example of my most recent highlight and the amount of time I allocated for it.
Highlight
Highlight
- Refine and do a writing pass on movie pitch.
I'm easily distracted, so the best way for me to focus is to do two or three 90 minute power sessions per day where I turn my phone off, as well as notifications on my computer and I just dive in for 90 minutes and see how far I can get through my highlight.
Because my brain tends to turn into mush after focusing for so long, I'll aim to take a break where I'll either grab something to eat or take a walk to get some fresh air and clear the mind before I dive in again. Here's an example of how my calendar looked that day.
Thankfully, I got through my highlight and felt really good about myself! There were 2 or 3 other things on my to do list that day but when I sat down and looked at it objectively, I realized that there's only 1 thing that I REALLY needed to do to move the career needle, and I did the best I could to make sure it got done.
What are your thoughts on having a daily highlight? Would love to hear any tips and tricks you use throughout your day to get things done. 🕺🏾