Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day

And we evolved to love unpredictable rewards, whether from a blackberry bush or a smartphone notification, because the possibility of those rewards kept us hunting and gathering even when we returned home empty-handed.

When you wake up in the morning, whether you slept for five hours or ten, you’ve had a nice long break from the Busy Bandwagon and the Infinity Pools. This is a golden moment. The day is fresh, your brain is rested, and you have no reason to feel distracted yet. No news items to stress about, no work emails to stew over. Savor it. Don’t reach for e

Life is a lot like the video game Mario Kart: You’ve got to use your turbo boosts strategically.

1. OBSERVE what’s going on. 2. GUESS why things are happening the way they are. 3. EXPERIMENT to test your hypothesis. 4. MEASURE the results and decide whether you were right.

A blank homescreen provides a tiny moment of quiet every time you use your phone. It’s an intentional inconvenience, a small pause—a speed bump keeping distraction one step away. If you unlocked your phone reflexively, a blank homescreen offers you a moment to ask yourself, “Do I really want to be distracted right now?”

most people keep their favorite apps right on their homescreen for immediate access. Scan, tap, app! This friction-free process is great when you’re getting driving directions, but when you’re trying to get into Laser mode, it’s an autobahn to distraction.

distraction is quite literally a full-time job.

When you’re doing something you care about and have the energy to focus, Laser mode simply appears. Unless … you get distracted. Distraction is the enemy of Laser mode. It’s like a giant disco ball in the path of your laser beam: Light goes everywhere except in the direction of the target. When that happens, you can easily end up missing out on you

being intentional is an essential step toward making more…

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