Indistractable

Author: Nir Eyal

ISBN: 9781948836531

Read: 7/22/21

Recommendation Rating: 10/10

Summary

I read this book to level up my focusing skills. As I approach turning 30 my goal is to become more intentional in all of my life choices including prioritizing family time, gaining new and meaningful experiences, and making a positive impact.

This book met all of my expectations. It is extremely readable and has a good flow. Each chapter is actionable. I have already recommended it to a few close friends and family.

I especially found the section on time-boxing to be particularly poignant. I have already applied a few of the tactics to my everyday life. For instance, my calendar is now very granular. I have scheduled time for important aspects of my life that I want to be more intentional about. This includes meditation, exercising, family time, and time in the evenings for studying.

Also, the psychology about why people give way to distractions in the first section was enlightening. The ideas that we are never satisfied for long and that distraction is only a way to ease pain have helped me reframe a lot of my decisions in retrospection.

My self-talk has evolved after reading this book. In Chapter 8, the idea that the way you think about yourself actually affects your outcomes was an aha moment for me. I struggle with a lot of negative self-talk as a default. I working on more positive language and self-ideation as a result.

Chapter Notes

Chapter 1 – What’s Your Superpower?

We need to learn how to avoid distraction. Living the lives we want not only requires doing the right things but also necessitates not doing the things we know we’ll regret.
The problem is deeper than tech. Being indistractable isn’t about being a Luddite. It’s about understanding the real reasons why we do the things against our best interests.
Here’s what it takes: we can be indistractable by learning and adopting 4 key strategies. Make time for traction, decrease distraction by using pacts, reduce external triggers, and learn how to master internal triggers.

Chapter 2 – Being Indistractable

Distraction stops you from achieving your goals. It is any action that moves you away from what you really want.
Traction leads you closer to your goals. It is any action that moves you toward what you really want.
Triggers prompt both traction and distraction. External triggers prompt you to action with cues in your environment. Internal triggers prompt you to action with cues within you.

Chapter 3 – What Motivates Us Really?

Understand the root cause of distraction. Distraction is about more than your devices. Separate proximate causes from the root cause.
All motivation is a desire to escape discomfort. If a behavior was previously effective at providing relief, we’re likely to continue using it as a tool to escape discomfort.
Anything that stops discomfort is potentially addictive, but that doesn’t make it irresistible. If you know the drivers of your behavior, you can take steps to manage them.

Chapter 4 – Time Management is Pain Management

Time management is pain management. Distractions cost us time, and like all actions, they are spurred by the desire to escape discomfort.
Evolution favored dissatisfaction over contentment. Our tendencies toward boredom, negativity bias, rumination, and hedonic adaptation conspire to make sure we are never satisfied for long.
Dissatisfaction is responsible for our species’ advancements as much as its faults. It is an innate power that can be channeled to help us make things better.
If we want to master distraction, we must learn to deal with discomfort.

Chapter 5 – Deal with Distraction from Within

Without techniques for disarming temptation, mental abstinence can backfire. Resisting an urge can trigger rumination and make the desire grow stronger.
We can manage distractions that originate from within by changing how we think about them. We can reimagine the trigger, the task, and our temperament.

Chapter 6 – Reimagine the Internal Trigger

By reimagining an uncomfortable internal trigger, we can disarm it.
Step 1: Look for the emotion preceding distraction.
Step 2: Write down the internal trigger.
Step 3: Explore the negative sensation with curiosity instead of contempt.
Step 4: Be extra cautious during liminal moments.

Chapter 7 – Reimagine the Task

Fun is looking for the variability in something other people don’t notice. It’s breaking through the boredom and monotony to discover its hidden beauty.
We can master internal triggers by reimagining an otherwise dreary task. Fun and play can be used as tools to keep us focused.
Play doesn’t have to be pleasurable. It just has to hold our attention.
Deliberateness and novelty can be added to any task to make it fun.

Chapter 8 – Reimagine Your Temperament

Reimagining our temperament can help us to manage our internal triggers.
We don’t run out of willpower. Believing we do makes us less likely to accomplish our goals by providing a rationale to quit when we could otherwise persist.
What we say to ourselves matters. Labeling yourself as having poor self-control is self-defeating.
Practice self-compassion. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend. People who are more self-compassionate are more resilient.

Chapter 9 – Turn Your Values into Time

You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it is distracting you from. Planning ahead is the only way to know the difference between traction and distraction.
Does your calendar reflect your values? To be the person you want to be, you have to make time to live your lives.
Timebox your day. The three life domains of you, relationships, and work provide a framework for planning how to spend your time.
Reflect and refine. Revise your schedule regularly, but you must commit to it once it’s set.

Chapter 10 – Control the Inputs, Not the Outcomes

Schedule time for yourself first. You are at the center of the three life domains. Without allocating time for yourself, the other two domains will suffer.
Show up when you say you will. You can’t always control what you get out of time you spend, but you can control how much time you put into a task.
Input is much more certain than outcome. When it comes to living the life you want, making sure you allocate time to living your values is the only thing you should focus on.

Chapter 11 – Schedule Important Relationships

The people you love deserve more than getting whatever time is left over. If someone is important to you, make regular time for them on your calendar.
Go beyond scheduling date days with your significant other. Put domestic chores on your calendar to ensure an equitable split.
A lack of close friendships may be hazardous to your health. Ensure you maintain important relationships by scheduling time for regular get-togethers.

Chapter 12 – Sync with Stakeholders at Work

Syncing your schedule with stakeholders at work is critical for making time for traction in your day. Without visibility into how you spend your time, colleagues and managers are more likely to distract you with superfluous tasks.
Sync as frequently as your schedule changes. If your schedule template changes from day-to-day, have a daily check-in. However, most people find a weekly alignment is sufficient.

Chapter 13 – Ask the Critical Question

External triggers often lead to distraction. Cues in our environment like the pings, dings, and rings from our devices, as well as interruptions from other people, frequently take us off track.
External triggers aren’t always harmful. If an external trigger leads us to traction, it serves us.
We must ask ourselves: is this trigger serving me, or am I serving it? Then we can hack back the external trigger that don’t serve us.

Chapter 14 – Hack Back Work Interruptions

Interruptions lead to mistakes. You can’t do your best work if you’re frequently distracted.
Open-office floor plans increase distractions.
Defend your focus. Signal when you do not want to be interrupted. Use a screen sign or some other clear cue to let people know you are indistractable.

Chapter 15 – Hack Back Email

Break down the problem. Time spend on email (T) is a function of the number of messages received (n) multiplied by the average time (t) spend per message: T = n x t.
Reduce the number of messages received. Schedule office hours, delay when messages are sent, and reduce time-wasting messages from reaching your inbox.
Spend less time on each message. Label emails by when each message needs a response. Reply to emails during a scheduled time on your calendar.

Chapter 16 – Hack Back Group Chat

Real-time communication channels should be used sparingly. Time spent communicating should not come at the sacrifice of time spend concentrating.
Company culture matters. Changing group chat practices may involve questioning company norms.
Different communication channels have different uses. Rather than use every technology as an always-on channel, use the best tools for the job.
Get in and get out. Group chat is great for replacing in-person meetings but terrible if it becomes an all-day affair.

Chapter 17 – Hack Back Meetings

Make it harder to call a meeting. To call a meeting, the organizer must circulate an agenda and briefing document.
Meetings are for consensus building. With few exceptions, creative problem-solving should occur before the meeting, individually or in very small groups.
Be fully present. People use devices during meetings to escape monotony and boredom, which subsequently makes meetings even worse.
Have one laptop per meeting. Devices in everyone’s hands makes it more difficult to achieve the purpose of the meeting. With the exception of one laptop in the room for presenting information and taking notes, leave devices outside.

Chapter 18 – Hack Back Your Smartphone

You can hack back the external triggers on your phone in four steps and in less than one hour.
Remove: Uninstall the apps you no longer need.
Replace: Shift where and when you use potentially distracting apps, like social media and YouTube, to your desktop instead of on your phone. Get a wristwatch so you don’t have to look at your phone for the time.
Rearrange: Move any apps that may trigger mindless checking from your phone’s home screen.
Reclaim: Change the notification settings for each app. Be very selective regarding which apps can send you sound and sight cues. Learn to use your phone’s Do Not Disturb settings.

Chapter 19 – Hack Back Your Desktop

Desktop clutter takes a heavy psychological toll on your attention. Clearing away external triggers in your digital workspace can help you stay focused.
Turn off desktop notifications. Disabling notifications on your computer ensures you won’t get distracted by external triggers while doing focused work.

Chapter 20 – Hack Back Online Articles

Online articles are full of potentially distracting external triggers. Open tabs can pull us off course and tend to suck us down a time-wasting content vortex.
Make a rule. Promise yourself you’ll save interesting content for later by using an app like Pocket.
Surprise! You can multitask. Use multichannel multitasking like listening to articles while working out or taking walking meetings.

Chapter 21 – Hack Back Feeds

Feeds, like the ones we scroll through on social media, are designed to keep you engaged. Feeds are full of external triggers that can drive us to distraction.
Take control of feeds by hacking back. Use free browser extensions like News Feed Eradicator for Facebook, Newsfeed Burner, Open Multiple Websites, and DF Tube to remove distracting external triggers.

Chapter 22 – The Power of Precommitments

Being indistractable does not only require keeping distractions out. It also necessitates reining ourselves in.
Precommitments can reduce the likelihood of distraction. They help us stick with decision we’ve made in advance.
Precommitments should only be used after the other three indistractable strategies have already been applied. Don’t skip the first three steps.

Chapter 23 – Prevent Distraction with Effort Pacts

An effort pact prevents distraction by making unwanted behaviors more difficult to do.
In the age of the personal computer, social pressure to stay on task has largely disappeared. No one can see what you’re working on, so it’s easier to slack off. Working next to a colleague or friend for a set period of time can be a highly effective effort pact.
You can use tech to stay off tech. Apps like SelfControl, Forest, or Focusmate can help you make effort pacts.

Chapter 24 – Prevent Distraction with Price Pacts

A price pact adds a cost to getting distracted. It has been shown to be a highly effective motivator.
Price pacts are most effective when you can remove the external triggers that lead to distraction.
Price pacts work best when the distraction is temporary.
Price pacts can be difficult to start. We fear making a price pact because we know we’ll have to actually do the thing we’re scared to do.
Learn self-compassion before making a price pact. These aren’t for people who beat themselves up.

Chapter 25 – Prevent Distraction with Identity Pacts

Identity greatly influences our behavior. People tend to align their actions with how they see themselves.
An identity pact is a precommitment to a self-image. You can prevent distraction by acting in line with your identity.
Become a noun. By assigning yourself a moniker, you increase the likelihood of following through with behaviors consistent with what you call yourself. Call yourself “indistractable.”
Share with others. Teaching others solidifies your commitment, even if you’re still struggling. A great way to be indistractable is to tell friends about what you learned in this book and the changes you’re making in your life.

Chapter 26 – Distraction Is a Sign of Dysfunction

Jobs where employees encounter high expectations and low control have been shown to lead to symptoms of depression.
Depression-like symptoms are painful. When people feel bad, they use distractions to avoid their pain and regain a sense of control.
Tech overuse at work is a symptom of a dysfunctional company culture.
More tech use makes the underlying problems worse, perpetuating a “cycle of responsiveness.”

Chapter 27 – Fixing Distraction Is a Test of Company Culture

Don’t suffer in silence. A workplace where people can’t talk about technology overuse is also one where people keep other important issues (and insights) to themselves.
Knowing that your voice matters is essential. Teams that foster psychological safety and facilitate regular open discussions about concerns not only have fewer problems with distraction but also have happier employees and customers.

Chapter 28 – The Indistractable Workplace

Indistractable organizations, like Slack and BCG, foster psychological safety, provide a place for open discussions about concerns, and most important, have leaders who exemplify the importance of doing focused work.

Chapter 29 – Avoid Convenient Excuses

Stop deflecting blame. When kids don’t act the way parents want, it’s natural to look for answers that help parents divert responsibility.
Techno-panics are nothing new. From the book, to the radio, to video games, the history of parenting is strewn with moral panic over things supposedly making kids act in strange ways.
Tech isn’t evil. Used in the right way and in the right amounts, kids’ tech use can be beneficial, while too much (or too little) can have slightly harmful effects.
Teach kids to be indistractable. Teaching children how to manage distraction will benefit them throughout their lives.

Chapter 30 – Understand Their Internal Triggers

Internal triggers drive behavior. To understand how to help kids manage distraction, we need to start by understanding the source of the problem.
Our kids need psychological nutrients. According to a widely accepted theory of human motivation, all people need is three things to survive: a sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Distractions satisfy deficiencies. When our kids’ psychological needs are not met in the real world, they go looking for satisfaction – often in virtual environments.
Kids need alternatives. Parents and guardians can take steps to help kids find balance between their online and offline worlds by providing more offline opportunities to find autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
The four-part Indistractable Model is valuable for kids as well. Teach them methods for handling distraction, and, most important, model being indistractable yourself.

Chapter 31 – Make Time for Traction Together

Teach traction. With so many potential distractions in kids’ lives, teaching them how to make time for traction is critical
Just as with our own timeboxed schedules, kids can learn how to make time for what’s important to them. If they don’t learn to make their own plans in advance, kids will turn to distractions.
It’s OK to let your kids fail. Failure is how we learn. Show kids how to adjust their schedules to make time to live up to their values.

Chapter 32 – Help Them with External Triggers

Teach your children to swim before they dive in. Like swimming in a pool, children should not be allowed to partake in certain risky behaviors before they are ready.
Test for tech readiness. A good measure of a child’s readiness is the ability to manage distraction by using the settings on the device to turn off external triggers.
Kids need sleep. There is little justification for having a television or other potential distractions in a kid’s room overnight. Make sure nothing gets in the way of them getting good rest.
Don’t be the unwanted external trigger. Respect their time and don’t interrupt them when they have scheduled time to focus on something, be that work or play.

Chapter 33 – Teach Them to Make Their Own Pacts

Don’t underestimate your child’s ability to precommit and follow through. Even young children can learn to use precommitments as long as they set the rules and know how to use a timer or some other binding system.
Consumer skepticism is healthy. Understanding that companies are motivated to keep kids spending time watching or playing is an important part of teaching media literacy.
Put the kids in charge. It’s only when kids practice monitoring their own behavior that they learn how to manage their own time and attention.

Chapter 34 – Spread Social Antibodies Among Friends

Distraction in social situations can keep us from being fully present with important people in our lives. Interruptions degrade our ability to form close social bonds.
Block the spread of unhealthy behaviors. “Social antibodies” are ways groups protect themselves from harmful behaviors by making the taboo.
Develop new social norms. We can tackle distraction among friends the same way we beat social smoking, by making it unacceptable to use devices in social settings. Prepare a few tactful phrases – like asking, “Is everything OK?” – to discourage phone usage among friends.

Chapter 35 – Be an Indistractable Lover

Distraction can be an impediment in our most intimate relationships. Instant digital connectivity can come at the expense of being fully present with those beside us.
Indistractable partners reclaim time for togetherness. Following the four steps to becoming indistractable can ensure you make time for your partner.