Overview
The Daily Highlights Method, popularized in the book "Make Time" by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, is a simple time management practice centered on choosing one priority task each day as your "Highlight." By identifying and protecting time for this single most important activity, you ensure meaningful progress regardless of the chaos and distractions that fill the rest of your day.
The Philosophy
Modern life defaults to two modes:
- Busy Bandwagon: Endless reactive tasks, emails, and meetings that feel productive but don't move the needle
- Infinity Pools: Bottomless apps and feeds designed to consume infinite time (social media, news, video)
Daily Highlights creates a third mode: intentional time focused on what actually matters to you.
How to Choose Your Daily Highlight
Each day, select ONE activity that will be your highlight—the thing you want to make sure happens today. Choose based on:
Urgency: What needs to happen today?
- Deadline approaching
- Time-sensitive commitment
- Blocking others if not completed
Satisfaction: What will bring the most joy or accomplishment?
- Activity that aligns with personal values
- Something you've been putting off
- Work that feels meaningful
Joy: What will be the most fun or energizing?
- Creative project you're excited about
- Activity that brings happiness
- Time with people you care about
Rotate between these three criteria throughout the week to balance different aspects of life.
Daily Highlight Guidelines
Size: 60-90 minutes of focused work
- Not too small ("respond to one email")
- Not too large ("finish entire project")
- Just right ("draft presentation outline" or "review Q4 budget")
Specificity: Clear and concrete
- Vague: "Work on project"
- Specific: "Write first draft of client proposal"
One Per Day: Resist the urge to choose multiple highlights
- More than one dilutes focus
- One meaningful accomplishment beats many minor ones
Implementation
Morning (5 minutes)
- Write down your highlight for the day
- Schedule a specific time to work on it (ideally 60-90 minutes)
- Identify what you'll sacrifice or delegate to protect this time
During the Day
- Treat highlight time like an important meeting—no canceling
- Remove distractions before starting
- Work on nothing else during highlight time
- If you finish early, that's great—enjoy the win
Evening
- Reflect: Did you complete your highlight?
- If yes: celebrate the win, notice what helped it happen
- If no: examine what got in the way, adjust tomorrow's plan
- Choose tomorrow's highlight
Supporting Tactics from Make Time
Laser Mode: Defend Your Highlight
- Block calendar time for highlight
- Turn off notifications
- Close email and chat apps
- Put phone in another room
- Use website blockers if needed
Energize: Build Energy for Highlights
- Prioritize sleep (7-9 hours)
- Move your body (exercise, walks)
- Eat real food (avoid sugar crashes)
- Optimize caffeine timing
- Take breaks between focus sessions
Reflect: Learn and Improve
- Daily: Did today's highlight work? Why or why not?
- Weekly: What patterns emerge? What needs adjustment?
- Monthly: Are highlights aligned with long-term goals?
Sample Daily Highlights
Work:
- "Finish slides 1-10 of quarterly presentation"
- "Write first draft of project proposal"
- "Complete code review for authentication feature"
- "Have one-on-one with Sarah about career development"
Personal:
- "Go for 30-minute walk in the park"
- "Cook a new recipe for dinner"
- "Video call with Mom"
- "Read for 45 minutes before bed"
Learning:
- "Complete first three lessons of Spanish course"
- "Watch tutorial and practice new Photoshop technique"
- "Read Chapter 5 of business book"
Benefits
Clarity: You always know what your most important task is
Progress: Consistent daily wins add up to significant achievement
Satisfaction: Completing highlights feels meaningful and energizing
Flexibility: Works alongside any other productivity system
Simplicity: No complex rules or tools required
Protection: Guardrails against busyness taking over
Balance: Can choose work, personal, or joy-based highlights
Common Challenges
Challenge: "I have too many important things—can't choose just one"
Solution: This feeling means everything feels equally urgent. Choosing one forces prioritization. The rest will still be there tomorrow. What would feel best to accomplish today?
Challenge: "My highlight keeps getting interrupted"
Solution: Schedule it earlier in the day before chaos arrives. Communicate boundaries to colleagues. Turn off notifications. Consider working from a different location.
Challenge: "I finished my highlight by 10 AM. Now what?"
Solution: Celebrate! Then work on regular tasks guilt-free, knowing you already accomplished what mattered most. Consider choosing a bonus highlight if you want.
Challenge: "I never complete my highlight"
Solution: Your highlights may be too ambitious. Make them smaller and more specific. Or external factors (meetings, interruptions) need addressing through better boundaries.
Integration with Other Methods
With Time Blocking:
- Block 60-90 minutes for your highlight
- Schedule it during peak energy time
- Treat the block as non-negotiable
With Pomodoro:
- Use 2-3 Pomodoros for your highlight
- Take breaks between Pomodoros
- Complete highlight before moving to other tasks
With GTD (Getting Things Done):
- Use GTD for comprehensive task management
- Choose one task from GTD system as daily highlight
- Highlight ensures GTD doesn't become passive list-making
With Weekly Planning:
- Plan week's highlights on Sunday
- Adjust daily based on what happened
- Review week's highlights for patterns
Success Stories
Author Writing a Book:
- Daily Highlight: "Write 750 words of Chapter 4"
- Completed 5 days/week for 6 months
- Result: Finished book manuscript despite full-time job
Career Changer Learning to Code:
- Daily Highlight: "Complete one coding challenge"
- Consistency over 90 days
- Result: Built portfolio and landed developer job
Parent Improving Family Time:
- Daily Highlight (2x/week): "30-minute device-free family game time"
- Result: Stronger connections, kids look forward to highlight nights
Getting Started
Week 1: Experiment
- Choose a different highlight each day
- Try different times of day for highlight work
- Notice what highlights feel most satisfying
- Don't worry about perfection
Week 2: Establish Routine
- Settle on a consistent time for highlights
- Build rituals around highlight time (coffee, music, location)
- Track completion rate
- Adjust highlight size if needed
Week 3+: Refine and Expand
- Balance work and personal highlights
- Share method with family/colleagues
- Experiment with supporting tactics (Laser, Energize, Reflect)
- Make it your own
Key Takeaway
You probably won't remember everything you did today, but you will remember whether you accomplished the thing that mattered most. Daily Highlights ensures that one thing happens.
