14. Nir Eyal: How To Become Indistractable & Control Your Attention

The Reader's Journey

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways Distraction is not a new occurrence, it’s been around for thousands of years“It’s certainly not a new problem. Plato called it akrasia in Greek–the tendency to do things against our better interests.” – Nir EyalThe opposite of distraction is not focus, it’s traction:Distraction is any action that pulls you away from what you said you’d doTraction is any action that pulls you towards what you said you’d doThe most dangerous form of distraction is anything that tricks you into prioritizing the urgent at the expense of the importantDistractions tend to come from 2 things:Internal TriggersAny uncomfortable emotional state (anxiety, stress, fatigue, boredom) that makes you want to shift your attention to escape the pain at handExternal TriggersAny outside source (like a text message or boss) that shifts your attention The first step to mastering your internal triggers is to become aware of the sensation of being uncomfortable. Simply naming or writing down the feeling (boredom, fatigue, loneliness, etc.) is a huge step.Then explore that feeling with curiosity rather than contempt. Don’t blame or shame yourself for feeling bad or getting distracted.Instead of blaming or shaming, try claiming. Claim responsibility for your reaction to your feelings. You can’t control your feelings, but you can control how you respond to those feelings. If you have no plans on your calendar, everything is a distraction. You have to plan your day or someone or something is going to plan it for you.“You cannot call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from” – Nir Eyal

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

My guest today is Nir Eyal, the author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Nir Eyal is a bestselling author, former Stanford lecturer, and behavioral design expert.

In Indistractable, Nir explains the hidden psychology behind distractions and shares practical advice on how to get the best out of technology without letting it get the best of us. In our conversation, Nir talks about what really drives human behavior,  what to do when you get distracted, how to prevent distractions such as email and smartphones, how to raise kids to use technology properly, and much more.
 

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:43] - What it means to be Indistractable  [03:17] - Why discomfort is the root cause of our distraction[05:33] - The opposite of distraction is traction[10:14] - Why you shouldn't shame or blame yourself when you get distracted[15:17] - The role of willpower and mindset in minimizing distractions[17:46] - How knowing your values & planning ahead helps avoid distractions[22:51] - Greg McKeown & Essentialism[24:11] - How to hack back emails[31:17] - How to hack back your smartphone[36:22] - How to make your kids Indistractable[41:50] - Kids & social media[43:48] - Two books that had a big impact on Nir Eyal[

Learn more about the author:

Twitter: @nireyalWebsite: nirandfar.com

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