The Four Parts: Highlight, Laser, Energize, and Reflect | 3min snip from Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth

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

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

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The Four Parts: Highlight, Laser, Energize, and Reflect

The four parts consist of: 1. Highlight, which involves envisioning the highlight of the day and allocating 60 to 90 minutes for it; 2. Laser, which focuses on tactics for paying attention to the highlight; 3. Energize, which is about having the right energy for the task at hand; and 4. Reflect, which is about reviewing how the day aligned with the envisioned highlight.

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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:

• “Busy bandwagon” and “infinity pools”

• Creating one “highlight” each day

• Their four-part framework for productivity

• How to use the calendar to design your day

• How creating friction can help you avoid distractions

• Tips on creating a distraction-free phone

• Strategies for managing email and distractions

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

• Design sprints

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