164 How To Focus and Become Indistractable: Interview with Nir Eyal

Have you ever planned out what you wanted to accomplish in a given day, only to succumb to distractions that throw your schedule off track? While it’s common to blame distraction on smartphones, social media, urgent emails, or any number of other things that may interrupt our focus, studies indicate that “external triggers” such as these are responsible for only about 10% of distraction. The remainder is caused by internal triggers, including boredom, stress, loneliness, and other uncomfortable emotional states – and mastering these internal triggers is the key to leading a more productive, balanced, and fulfilling life.

As the author of the best-selling books, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” and “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life”, as well as a sought-after keynote speaker on consumer psychology, habits, personal productivity, and dealing with distraction in and out of the workplace, Nir Eyal’s specialties lie at the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He is also a former lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, and his writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. In Episode 164 of The MINDSet Game® podcast, Nir discusses the following ideas from “Indistractable”: 

• The true meaning of distraction – it’s not something that happens to you, but rather an action you take that pulls you further away from your goals and values
• Four strategies for becoming indistractable: mastering internal triggers; making time for traction; hacking back external triggers; and preventing distraction with pacts
• The concept of timeboxing and the advantages it offers compared to other productivity techniques, including the traditional to-do list
• How to remain indistractable while also honoring your personal values 

To purchase “Indistractable”, visit http://geni.us/indistractable. To access bonus content, please visit http://www.nirandfar.com/indistractable/ 

Nir's free habit tracker tool can be found at https://www.nirandfar.com/habit-tracker/

To access his free schedule maker tool, visit https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/

To learn more about Nir and access a wealth of resources, visit NirAndFar.com. 

To subscribe to The MINDset Game, visit www.TheMINDsetGame.com.