Afterpage

Indistractable

Nir Eyal

For people who know what they should be doing but keep drifting to their phone, inbox, or feeds. Useful if “just delete the apps” advice hasn't worked, because it starts with why you reach for them.

A week with this book

A short summary today, then one small action a day for six days. Free for your first book.

Indistractable Nir Eyal

Free for your first book. No card. One click to stop.

Day 1

The ideas the week uses

Nir Eyal, who previously wrote about building habit-forming products, argues that distraction starts inside us. Technology is a trigger, but the real driver is the wish to escape discomfort, and that can be managed.

  1. Traction versus distraction. Traction is any action that moves you toward what you said you'd do. Distraction moves you away. Eyal argues you can only spot a distraction once you've decided what you meant to be doing instead.
  2. Master internal triggers. Most distraction is an attempt to escape an uncomfortable feeling such as boredom, anxiety, or uncertainty. Notice the feeling, write it down, and wait it out before acting.
  3. Make time for traction. Plan your day in time boxes based on your values, including time for yourself, relationships, and work. A schedule tells you what to do; without one, everything is a potential distraction.
  4. Hack back external triggers. Ask of each ping, notification, or meeting: is this serving me, or am I serving it? Remove or reduce the triggers that don't help.
  5. Prevent distraction with pacts. Pre-commitments make it harder to drift: an effort pact (adding friction), a price pact (putting money on the line), and an identity pact (seeing yourself as someone who doesn't get distracted).

Where it overreachesSome readers find it awkward that the author's earlier book taught companies to build habit-forming products. The advice also puts most responsibility on the individual rather than on product design.

Days 2 to 7

How to apply Indistractable

10 to 20 minutes each, with a two-minute version for a bad day.

Printable week card (one page)

  1. 2Log your internal triggersEach time you get distracted today, write down the time, what you were doing, and what you felt just before.
  2. 3Wait ten minutesNext time you feel the urge to check something during work, wait ten minutes before you do.
  3. 4Time-box tomorrowPlan tomorrow in time boxes, giving each block a specific task, including time for yourself and other people.
  4. 5Cut external triggersGo through your phone and computer notifications and turn off every one that doesn't serve your goals.
  5. 6Make an effort pactSet up one barrier that makes it harder to get distracted during your most important work block.
  6. 7Make an identity pactWrite a short statement about the kind of person you are when it comes to attention, and review your week against it.

Sample

Day 3, in full

This is what lands in your inbox that morning.

AfterpageDay 3 of 7 · Action

Wait ten minutes

Today’s action · 10 to 20 minutes

Next time you feel the urge to check something during work, wait ten minutes before you do.

How

Note the urge on paper, then set a ten-minute timer and return to the task. If you still want to check after the timer, you can. Count how often the urge passes on its own.

Why this one

Eyal recommends this ten-minute rule as a way to ride out internal triggers instead of obeying them.

If today is a bad day

Delay one urge to check your phone by two minutes.

In short

Questions about this book

Who is Indistractable by Nir Eyal for?

For people who know what they should be doing but keep drifting to their phone, inbox, or feeds. Useful if “just delete the apps” advice hasn't worked, because it starts with why you reach for them.

What are the main ideas in Indistractable?

Nir Eyal, who previously wrote about building habit-forming products, argues that distraction starts inside us. Technology is a trigger, but the real driver is the wish to escape discomfort, and that can be managed. Traction versus distraction; Master internal triggers; Make time for traction; Hack back external triggers; Prevent distraction with pacts.

What do you do in the Afterpage week for Indistractable?

Day 1 is a short summary. Then one action a day, each 10 to 20 minutes: Log your internal triggers; Wait ten minutes; Time-box tomorrow; Cut external triggers; Make an effort pact; Make an identity pact. Day 7 also has a recap.

Where does Indistractable overreach?

Some readers find it awkward that the author's earlier book taught companies to build habit-forming products. The advice also puts most responsibility on the individual rather than on product design.

What is the first action in the Indistractable week?

Log your internal triggers. Each time you get distracted today, write down the time, what you were doing, and what you felt just before. If you only have two minutes: Next time you reach for your phone, write the feeling you had just before.

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