#553: How to Become Indistractable

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2019

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you struggle with feeling distracted, you likely think that modern technology is to blame, and that if your phone wasn't so infuriatingly desirable to check, you'd be a lot more focused and productive. But my guest today argues that the problem of distraction doesn't lie with technology, but with you. His name is Nir Eyal, and he's a behavioral design expert and the author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Today on the show we first discuss Nir's work in helping companies create apps that hook people into using them, and why he thinks these methods of attraction can be positive as long as you put tech in its place. We then dig into how to do that, beginning with the idea that you can't complain about being distracted, if you don't know what you're distracted from, how the first step in getting control of your attention is understanding what you'd like to be doing with it by planning out your time, and why the opposite of distraction isn't focus. We discuss why time management is pain management, and why we need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable internal triggers that prompt us to use our devices for emotional pacification. Nir then walks us through how to deal with the external triggers of distraction, including managing your email inbox, making pre-commitments, and turning indistractability into part of your identity. Get the show notes at aom.is/indistractable.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.
0:11.2	If you struggle with feeling distracted, you likely think that modern technologies to
0:14.8	blame and that if your phone wasn't so infuriatingly desirable to check, you'd be a lot more
0:19.0	focused productive.
0:20.0	My guess they argue that the problem of distraction isn't live with technology, but with you.
0:23.4	His name is Near A.L., and he's a behavioral design expert in the author of Indistractable
0:27.8	How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.
0:30.1	Today on the show, we first discuss Nears Work and Helping Companies Create Apps that
0:33.5	hook people into using them, and why you think those methods of attraction can be positive
0:37.3	as long as you put tech in its place.
0:39.2	We then dig into how to do that, beginning with the idea that you can't complain about
0:42.3	being distracted if you don't know what you're distracted from.
0:45.6	How the first step in getting your troll of your attention is understanding what you'd
0:47.9	like to be doing with it by planning at your time, and why the opposite of distraction
0:51.5	isn't focused.
0:52.5	We discuss why time management is pain management, why we need to get comfortable with the
0:56.0	uncomfortable internal triggers that prompt us to use our devices for emotional pacification.
1:00.4	Near then walks us through how to deal with the external triggers of distraction, including
1:03.8	managing your email inbox, making pre-commendments, and turning indistractability into part of your
1:08.6	identity.
1:09.6	After the show's over, check out our show notes at aam.is slash indistractable.
1:13.6	Near joins me now via clearcast.io.
	...

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