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How to Become Indistractable: Hacking Back External Triggers
Jun 28, 2024
How to Become Indistractable: Hacking Back External Triggers
Introduction
Presenter
: Nir Eyal, author of "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life"
Series
: Part three on becoming indistractable
Focus
: How to hack back external triggers
Key Points
Understanding External Triggers
Defined as
pings, dings, and rings
from the outside environment disrupting focus
Question to Ask
: Is this trigger serving me, or am I serving it?
If not serving, it must be removed
If it leads to planned activities (traction), it's positive; otherwise, it's a distraction
Hacking Back Workplace Interruptions
Primary distractions are often
other people
(e.g., open office floor plans)
Importance of
defending focus
for creative work, problem-solving
Tactical Tool
: Screen sign indicator for being indistractable
Available in the book or at "nearandfar.com/focus"
Hacking Back Email
Email Distraction Formula
: Total Time (T) = Number of Emails (N) x Time per Email (T)
Reducing email interaction reduces overall distraction time
Tactic
: Send fewer emails to receive fewer emails
Hacking Back Group Meetings
Group Chats (Online Meetings)
Apply focus and structure to avoid time waste
Rules
:
Get in and get out
Schedule specific times for group chats
Be selective about participation
Physical Meetings
Require an agenda, circulate briefings
Conduct for gaining consensus only, not brainstorming
Remove all distracting devices; use only one laptop for focused attention
Hacking Back Smartphones and Digital Devices
Remove superfluous apps
to reduce distractions
Replace functionalities
with non-digital alternatives (e.g., wristwatch instead of phone for time)
Rearrange
apps to make distracting ones less accessible
Reclaim notifications
: Minimize audible notifications
Hacking Back Desktop Clutter
Organize desktop
: Remove visual clutter that can distract
Turn off notifications on your desktop
Managing Information Overload
Use apps like
Pocket
for reading articles later
Multitasking strategies: Listen to saved articles while doing other activities (e.g., gym, walking)
Hack Social Media Feeds
Tools like
News Feed Eradicator
to remove distracting feeds, replacing them with useful content (e.g., quotes)
Summary
Always ask: Is this external trigger serving me, or am I serving it?
Apply strategies to
hack back workplace interruptions, emails, group meetings, smartphones
, and
digital clutter
.
Next Steps
Next part: How to prevent distraction with pacts
More resources:
Book:
Indistractable
Blog: nearandfar.com with free tools and resources
Conclusion
Stay strong and stay indistractable
📄
Full transcript