Podcasts Technology Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career Making time for what matters | Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (authors of Sprint and Make Time, co-founders of Character Capital)

Making time for what matters | Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (authors of Sprint and Make Time, co-founders of Character Capital)

Published: Feb. 11, 2024, 1:01 p.m.

Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky are the authors of best-selling books Sprint and Make Time. They have helped more than 300 teams design new products and bring them to market, including those at YouTube, Gusto, One Medical Group, and Slack. Jake and John are co-founders of the venture capital firm Character, where they support startups with capital and sprints. Previously, they were operating partners at Google Ventures and, before that, design leaders at Google, where John worked on Google Ads and YouTube and Jake helped build Gmail and co-founded Google Meet. In our conversation, we discuss:

\u2022 \u201cBusy bandwagon\u201d and \u201cinfinity pools\u201d

\u2022 Creating one \u201chighlight\u201d each day

\u2022 Their four-part framework for productivity

\u2022 How to use the calendar to design your day

\u2022 How creating friction can help you avoid distractions

\u2022 Tips on creating a distraction-free phone

\u2022 Strategies for managing email and distractions

\u2022 The importance of reflecting on the day and making time for meaningful work

\u2022 Design sprints

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Brought to you by:

\u2022 Sidebar\u2014Accelerate your career by surrounding yourself with extraordinary peers

\u2022 Whimsical\u2014The iterative product workspace

\u2022 WorkOS\u2014The modern API for auth and user identity

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-time-for-what-matters-jake

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Where to find Jake Knapp:

\u2022 X: https://twitter.com/jakek

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-knapp/

\u2022 Website: https://jakeknapp.com/

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Where to find John Zeratsky:

\u2022 X: https://twitter.com/jazer

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnzeratsky/

\u2022 Website: https://johnzeratsky.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) About Jake and John

(04:10) Recording the audiobook for Make Time

(06:06) What people often get wrong when trying to become more productive

(11:24) The busy bandwagon and infinity pools

(15:22) Real talk: Jake and John\u2019s productivity levels

(20:10) The four-part framework for getting more done: Highlight, Laser, Energize, Reflect

(25:15) Step 1: Highlight

(28:08) Designing your day with a calendar

(30:52) The Groundhog Day mentality

(35:10) Tactical advice for implementing the highlight method

(39:30) An example of a failed highlight

(48:08) Step 2: Laser

(51:12) Creating intentional friction to avoid distractions

(57:28) Curating a distraction-free phone

(01:07:58) Resetting expectations and slowing your inbox

(01:14:51) Systems over willpower

(01:18:14) Managing email distractions

(01:18:49) Step 3: Energize

(01:22:05) Step 4: Reflect

(01:26:30) Introduction to Sprint

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Referenced:

\u2022 Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Time-Focus-Matters-Every/dp/0525572422

\u2022 Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days: https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-audiobook/dp/B019R2DQIY

\u2022 Make Time blog: https://maketime.blog/

\u2022 Make Time blog on X: https://twitter.com/maketimeblog

\u2022 Character: https://www.character.vc/

\u2022 Google Ventures: https://www.gv.com/

\u2022 Character Labs: https://www.character.vc/labs

\u2022 Strategies for becoming less distracted and improving focus | Nir Eyal (author of Indistractable and Hooked): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/strategies-for-becoming-less-distracted-and-improving-focus-nir-eyal-author-of-indistractable-and/

\u2022 Groundhog Day on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Groundhog-Day-Bill-Murray/dp/B000SP1SH6

\u2022 Reclaim.ai: https://reclaim.ai/

\u2022 Feed Blocker for LinkedIn: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/feed-blocker-for-linkedin/eikaafmldiioljlilngpogcepiedpenf

\u2022 The Lord of the Rings: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544003411

\u2022 MagSafe charger: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MHXH3AM-A-MagSafe-Charger/dp/B08L5NP6NG/

\u2022 Nanit app: https://www.nanit.com/pages/nanit-app

\u2022 Arianna Huffington\u2019s Phone Bed Charging Station: https://www.amazon.com/Arianna-Huffingtons-Charging-Station-Walnut/dp/B0799ZG1LY

\u2022 Cell Phone Lock Box with Timer: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Android-Self-Discipline-Achieve-Addiction/dp/B0CG8V4YG3?th=1

\u2022 The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich: https://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/dp/0307465357

\u2022 The Economist: https://www.economist.com/

\u2022 Odysseus: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odysseus

\u2022 Mailman: https://www.mailmanhq.com/

\u2022 Future: https://www.future.co/

\u2022 Notion: https://www.notion.so/

\u2022 Miro: https://miro.com/

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



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