Being “Indistractable”

Some tips from Nir Eyal in his new book Indistractable: How to control your attention and choose your life. 

Rethink group chats:

• Limit it - use sparingly and not at the expense of your time 
• Schedule it - Schedule your time to dive into chats and catchup.
• Pick your group - Be choosy about who you invite and what they will bring. 
• Use selectively - Avoid discussing sensitive topics.

Hack back your phone:

• For seeing the time use your desktop instead of the phone.
• rearrange any app that might trigger checking from the home screen.
• Change notification settings. Be very selective of what you allow. 
• Use do not disturb setting extensively.

Distractions have become a part of our everyday life. our dependence on smartphones and social media makes it very tempting to switch between various programs. The first step is to get out of this vicious cycle is to slashing the idea that we are addicted and helpless with technology.

Eyal says " Unless we deal with root causes of distraction, we will continue to find ways to distract ourselves. Distraction isn't about distraction itself but about how we respond to it"

here are some thoughts excerpted from an interview with Eyal.

technology is hijacking our brain and is highly addictive. It promotes learned helplessness. We stop trying to change because we think there is nothing that we can do. 

Distraction is an unhealthy escape from reality and is the root cause of our behavior. Instead of blaming technology, look for the discomfort that precedes it. By identifying the internal trigger - boredom, loneliness, anxiety, and exploring the sensation we can disarm it.

Work is an environment that influences our behavior. The main problem is that people do not talk about it in the first place. when the companies do not give the employees the psychological safety that they will not be punished for speaking their minds. Next, there may be an absence of a forum to talk about these issues. This is more of a culture issue rather than technology. Many companies don't struggle with distraction because they ensure that their culture respects people's time.

There is nothing wrong with scrolling FB, twitter if that is what you intended to do. taking a break is good for us. But it is when we do these things unintentionally that we get into trouble.

We perform better under constraints. The schedule gives us a framework and lack of it torments us with an abundance of choice. An unscheduled day is not freedom but a recipe for regret. When we don't plan our time, our life quickly falls out of balance.

So schedule your time properly so that you know ow your time will be spent during the day. this way there will be less distracted and you will get more done.

The Super Power of Tomorrow? Being “Indistractable”

Learn how to take back control of your attention span.

January 22, 2020, | by Jenny Luna