Productive Reading: Indistractable, by Nir Eyal – TPW454

This week features the next installment in our recurring “Productive Reading” series, this time talking about key takeaways from Indistractable, by Nir Eyal. Indistractable asks us to think about the reason we do things and reflect upon our values before adding them to our busy schedule This week we're continuing our Productive Reading recurring series. In the past, we’ve talked about the lessons and key takeaways I found in books about productivity-related topics that I’ve found helpful and thought-provoking, including books by authors like Gary Keller, Charles Duhigg Brené Brown, Courtney Carver, Jeff Sanders, James Clear, Michael Hyatt, Maura Nevel Thomas, Joshua Becker, Greg McKeown, Cal Newport, Dominique Sachse, and most recently talking about Laura Vanderkam’s wonderful Tranquility by Tuesday (episode 420). This time I’m sharing some of my most important takeaways from an intriguing book by Nir Eyal, called Indistractable. Who is Nir Eyal? Book cover flap copy: “Nir Eyal has lectured at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. His first book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, is an international bestseller. Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. His writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, Time, The Week, Inc., and Psychology Today.” Why did I read this book? I heard him mentioned on another podcast and was intrigued by the book’s title and premise.  On the front flap, it asks a key question: “What could you accomplish if you could stay focused?” It goes on to say that in this book the author “unpacks the hidden psychology driving us to distraction--and explains why solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off our devices. Eyal lays bare the secret of finally doing what you say you will do with a four-step, research-backed model. Indistractable reveals the key to getting the best out of technology, without letting it get the best of us.” The book is subtitled How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. I found this intriguing. Don’t we all want to figure out what gets in the way of making the life we want for ourselves and those we love?   The book is divided into several parts The first two chapters explain what it means to become indistractable and the difference between traction and distraction (“Traction draws you toward what you want in life, while distraction pulls you away.”) and then address some of the problems of distraction, including its impacts on our lives, our relationships, and our work. He talks about how simply removing our online tech doesn’t solve the problem, and why: because, as he says many times in the book, “distraction starts from within.” “Being indistractable isn’t about being a Luddite. It’s about understanding the real reasons why we do things against our best interests.” “Distractions impede us from making progress toward the life we envision.” “Distractions will always exist; managing them is our responsibility.” “Being indistractable means striving to do what you say you will do.” In an interview with Arianna Huffington, the author said this about what it means to be indistractable: “Being indistractable means that you strive to do the things you say you’re going to do. It doesn’t mean that you never get distracted. That’s impossible.