Mastering Focus in a World of Distractions: Unleashing Your Potential with Nir Eyal's "Indistractable" Insights

Are distractions hijacking your potential for success, leaving you in a cycle of unproductivity and stress? Fear not, as I, Fabio, alongside insights from Nir Eyal's "Indestructible," arm you with the knowledge to conquer the chaos within and around you. Our exploration reveals the startling truth that the fiercest distractions come not from our devices but from our own internal struggles with emotions like boredom and stress. Together, we dissect the ways to manage these internal triggers and external pings that threaten to derail our focus, ensuring you can harness your attention for the things that truly matter.

Embark on a transformative journey as we unveil practical techniques to minimize digital disruptions and supercharge your productivity. From mastering your email inbox to organizing your smartphone for optimal focus, we cover it all. Learn how to create an environment that invites flow states and precommitments, leading to a disciplined, intentional digital existence. Tune in and equip yourself with strategies to become the architect of your own attention, crafting a life that's not only resilient to the lure of distractions but thrives in spite of them.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:28

Hi guys, my name is Fabio from the Fabio podcast and welcome. Today we're gonna talk about this new book and the name of the book is Indestructible. As you already know, I like to read my books via summary On this beautiful app. The name of the app is Story Shots, so just check a link on below. Storyshotscom is a beautiful app, is totally free, andi like to read the summary from it. So introduction Do you ever feel like the world has too many distractions?

Speaker 1: 1:16

Is that a resounding yes? Research highlights that being able to stay focused gives you a competitive age in life and work. But with so many demands on your attention, how can you enjoy using technology without it negatively affecting you? Near AL's book Indestructible can help People now recognize internal and external factors that trigger distraction. Additionally, psychological realities underline the various approaches to handling discomfort.

Speaker 1: 2:00

Indestructible empowers readers to gain control over factors that reduce productivity. These factors distract them from their values, damage relationships and diminish their well-being. In the current age, your brain is easily manipulated. This happens through time-insensitive diversions. You are manipulated particularly if you don't equip yourself to control and manage distractions. You plan to do something but never fulfill it. Fortunately, corporations are unlikely to produce less distracting products. Still humans can adapt to the treats.

Speaker 1: 2:44

In his book, indestructible, near AL provides a conceptual model for achieving this. He also gives many practical and efficient guidelines and examples. This helps readers put in place the strategies and overcome their struggles. These include the procedures for becoming Indestructible. After going through the book Eight Key Ideas you will understand what actions you need to gain control over your attention and life. Let's explore the key ideas to becoming Indestructible.

Speaker 1: 3:22

Okay, I like the introduction. It's very beautiful. It didn't say so much yet, but evidently this book helps the reader, the people who like to achieve success, who like to achieve a goal, to reach that dream with less triggers. In the previous episode we talked about the Pomodoro Technique. It's also a beautiful technique that has been invented from this Italian guy. I'm very proud of it. As I said also before in the previous episode, that can also be helpful for your journey. Let's read it. Let's continue. I'm very excited About Neil Ayal.

Speaker 1: 4:23

Who is this guy? Neil Ayal is a best-selling author. One of his best-known books is Hooked how to Build Habit for Me Products. He's also a public speaker, writer, teacher and business consultant. Ayal graduated from Emory University and Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He also taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Assoplattner Institute of Design. He was once the CEO of a renewable energy company. In addition, ayal was a lecturer and associate with Boston Consulting Group. His articles have appeared in our business review, the Atlantic and Tech Crunch. Okay, let's start my compliments. He has a lot of credits.

Speaker 1: 5:20

So distractions begin from within, and Chapter 1, technology, is the top reason why we are prone to distractions. If you ever try to let go of digital gadgets and devices, you know that giving them up doesn't necessarily stop your procrastination. The brain will always invent other forms of distraction. To know what happens when you get distracted, you need to understand triggers. This is a stimulus push us into action or direct us to do something. There are two forms of triggers External triggers from the outside world, for example, pop-up notifications on the laptop. Internal triggers from within, such as feeling stressed or bored. These triggers usually lead to either distraction or traction. Traction pulls you forward and pushes you to pursue your ambitions and goals. Distractions accomplish the opposite. It drags you away from your goals.

Speaker 1: 6:30

We can't blame technology alone for distraction. The true is that distraction is usually caused by internal sources. It always involves escaping discomfort. These could be marital issues, a rambling stomach or job dissatisfaction. Technology is a value color rather than a root cause. But people blame others for their lack of ability to complete tasks or when they fail to consider the underlying issue. However, discomfort is what has driven our evolution. Our ancestors kept growing, learning and ultimately surviving. They weren't content with what they had. That heritage appears in our nature. We tend to view things negatively and ruminate on negative experiences. Plus, we quickly become bored with new situations. These lead to increased vulnerability to distractions. But the good news is that no one has to bow to their negative feelings. You can easily harness them.

Speaker 1: 7:38

Okay, guys, so this was the first chapter very interesting chapter, and I don't know it's already interesting. What I like it? I like how he divides the triggers. So we have an external trigger. External triggers like everything, like pop-up phone, maybe your room is messy. That can also be an external trigger, right. And then we have an internal trigger from within, such as feeling stressed or bored.

Speaker 1: 8:17

But also, if I can add something, an internal trigger can be something that generally you cannot control. And when you cannot control this internal trigger, it means you have to do something to take control back. And it's helpful to take control back, handling better the external trigger, because we're not robots. We are not, we are human. It's so such beautiful being human. We have to accept the pros and the cons to be human, and one of the cons is that a lot of things happen in our life and we cannot control these things. And we can also accept. Now, I don't know where the writer wants to go to control the internal triggers, but I'm sure he has a good techniques. But generally it's more important to understand how to control the external one, because if you know how to control the external one, then you have more peace to manage better the internal one. So anyway, very beautiful chapter. I really love it. And also it says something very interesting, something that I think as well that technology is a vehicle rather than a root cause.

Speaker 1: 10:02

People blame Instagram. It's just an example. I can say Facebook, tiktok, whatever, to be too much on the phone and that is the cause of distraction. I read an article a couple of days ago about how Facebook ruined our life. Like, thank you, facebook. Something like that, you know doesn't work like that. I mean, if you want to blame someone, it's okay, it's your choice, but in the case you don't take the responsibility. And if you don't take the responsibility, you never grow, you never change, you never improve because you feel the victim of the situation. And that's not the point. The point is that you have to take the responsibility.

Speaker 1: 10:54

Of course, around there are a lot of triggers that some of them are not right for your environment. Very enough, let's say, like Facebook. I'm just say I think Facebook can be helpful for good things, and also Instagram and TikTok. But let's say that you are using these triggers in a wrong way. Right, of course you can blame them, you can blame these triggers, but at the same time, if you do, then you never improve. Okay, chapter two master internal triggers.

Speaker 1: 11:32

We are usually motivated by the desire to avoid suffering and free ourselves from the pain of wanting, so you usually find ways to divert yourself from priority jobs. This happens if you don't address the underlying causes of your distractions. Motivation often comes from a desire to avoid discomfort, so anything that relieves this comfort can be addictive. How you react to undesirable internal triggers will lead to either positive traction or negative diversion. Learn to address the discomfort instead of trying to escape it through distraction. Stop attempting to suppress urge, as this only makes them stronger. Instead, observe them and give them time to dissolve. By changing your view of distractions from within, you'll find it easier to control them. You need to keep yourself with new techniques. This will enable you to handle intrusive thoughts instead of trying to fight the urge to be distracted. You can do this by following these steps. Before. To go through with the steps is exactly what I said before.

Speaker 1: 12:53

It's hard and maybe impossible to address the internal discomfort, the internal triggers. So what you can do is maybe try to control what is around you and in this case you have more peace, you have more control to observe the internal trigger and in this way, if you observe how it evolves and, with all the grief steps, maybe deepens what happened in your life, then you have just to give time to make them dissolve. You can learn from it. So try to, you know to. So don't try to escape and try to suppress them. Otherwise, as he said, you only make them stronger. So try to kind of control your emotion. Simply breathe in and breathe out is a good method to control your internal trigger. It has not to be that difficult.

Speaker 1: 14:18

Reimagine your internal trigger. Look for the negative emotion that precedes the distraction. Note it down, including details such as the time of the day, the things you were doing and how you gave up on them. Focus on the negative sensation through curiosity instead of contempt. Beware of liminal moments, the transitions that move you from one thing to the next through to the day, for example, opening a new tab because you got irritated at how long their previous tab took to load. Reimagine your task. Rather than trying to run away from your discomfort, try to pay attention to the task. Find new issues you didn't see before. Make it more fun by treating like a game, break through the monotony and boredom. Find the variability and discover hidden beauty.

Speaker 1: 15:16

Also, here, guys, I'm going to make another example. Right now I'm practicing again the trading. Something that I say before as well, and something very hard to do in the trading, is the psychological part. It's not really to understand the strategies or to learn how works tools or a system or whatever. The difficult thing is to manage the risk management very enough, but to understand how to deal when you feel something that happens during your trading day. So let's say that goes maybe too much against your stop loss. So I'm reimagining my task as a suggestion I put in my pen drive and I check my trading once per day. At the start maybe I thought it was more difficult than I thought. The truth is that if you know how to use the right way to control your emotion, step by step, then it's easy for you to live more in a chilly way and manage better your emotions. So that's what I'm doing right now with the trading. I'm still doing the same example Every day. I just use that password, I look my trade goes up and goes down and then I log out and say, ciao, I see you tomorrow. And they get into more and tomorrow.

Speaker 1: 18:03

So try to find ways to manage the internal triggers. As I said before, there are moments in your life, there are situations in your life where you cannot do so much about it. But as much as you can try to understand a way to control them, then it's going to make your life more chill, more in peace. You always have to find the light in the darkness, so imagine your temperament. In most cases, addicts believe they are powerless, so they often relapse. Mindset is just as crucial as dependence. Don't tell yourself you fail because you are deficient. Be kind to yourself when faced setbacks. Self-compassion allows people to become more resilient to challenge. You can achieve this by breaking the virtual cycle of discomfort and stress. Talk to yourself as you would a friend Also here, very nice, imagine your temperament.

Speaker 1: 19:18

And here I can make also a personal example in my relationship. So we had a crazy moment with my fiancé because we bought a house and we're still working on it. My fiancé and I are literally one of the most romantic, beautiful couples ever on this world, but at the same time we struggle with our strong attitudes, and when these strong attitudes match the reality of what we were facing in our life right now created some issue in the relationship. Nothing to be worried about it, of course, but it was very heavy. So what we are doing now is just be kind with ourselves, kind with the mistake of each other, and in this way we understand better. We have a better overview about what's happening in the house, we understand better how to deal with it and, especially since we have a bigger vision, a bigger review, we know how to find a better solution. So be kind with yourself. It's very powerful.

Speaker 1: 20:51

Chapter 3, make time for traction. Traction is what you want more of. It pulls you toward the good things you are seeking. The best way to make traction is to follow a time box routine to prevent distractions. Focus on influencing the outcomes instead of the results. Outcomes are the broader overarching goals we strive to achieve, where results are the specific steps we take to reach those goals. Detach from the pressure of achieving specific results and instead focus on taking the actions that will ultimately lead to your desired outcomes. Similarly, you'll have low quality output when you have no time to maintain your mental and physical health. Stop stressing over things you can't control and focus on the inputs. To generate traction, ar recommends you take the following steps Turn your values into time.

Speaker 1: 21:54

Create a time box day with a scheduled template. Revise your schedule as often as possible and commit it once everything is set. Create a calendar reflecting your values. Also, ensure your schedule a weekly time to reflect and refine your actions. Schedule time for yourself while planning the inputs, so the positive outcome will naturally follow. Schedule time for critical relationships. Include household roles and time for your loved ones. Ensure this is a regular schedule. Synchronize your calendar with stakeholders to ensure non-distractions with excessive job. A time box schedule creates trust and understanding between employees and employers. Scheduling and time boxing your plans are essential steps to becoming indestructible. Ensure you do the critical things and disregard those that aren't crucial.

Speaker 1: 23:23

Chapter 4 Hackback external triggers. In today's fast-paced war, distraction is a struggle with our external triggers. For example, getting a notification without replying to it is just as distracting as responding to a caller message. The best strategy to reduce external triggers is expressing little tolerance for distractions. This can motivate people to reflect on their actions before disturbing others. Eliminating external triggers is disarmamentally simple. Whenever you experience an external trigger, ask yourself a critical question Is the trigger serving you or are you serving it? Does it lead to distraction or traction? If it's the later, it's serving you.

Speaker 1: 24:15

Hackback emails. You must send fewer emails to receive fewer emails. You'll be surprised how many things become irrelevant when you limit them. The lango reply gives the sender time to come up with an answer for themself. The issue may even disappear under the either way of other priorities. When you check your emails, tag each email with when the reply is needed. I respond at the same time.

Speaker 1: 24:43

I am also working for a company. I'm a step above the customer service, so I'm doing something else. But when I was doing customer service in this company and maybe I mentioned the company's meta, so when I used to do customer service. What I used to suggest to my colleagues around and that's what I'm suggesting also right now to another department, is to wait a little bit before to give the answer to the client, because in the meantime the client can solve the issue or the system itself can solve the issue for the client. And this is not a technique from meta itself, it's just how it works, the customer service. Sometimes they say to you to make a certain action, wait 24 hours. But that 24 hours is a though, to just put the client in a pause and make the client understand that the issue can be solved in that 24 hours, even if without our help. And of course it's not something that we say to the client. Okay, but that's how it works. I guess maybe the writer of this book had a lot of mail and then he decided to not answer for the same reason and then answer to that email that were very important for him and for the client or the other side that request a clear attention. So very enough back.

Speaker 1: 26:46

Group chat. It's crucial to schedule a time during the day to catch up on group chats, but try to avoid having long time consuming conversations. A short discussion, so thesis you can also have a private meetings. The primary AI of this should be to achieve a concious around the decision. This should be something other than a forum for the organiser to think aloud. People schedule frequent meetings to avoid dealing with a problem on their own. Make it hard to schedule meetings. If there is no agenda, there'll be no meeting. Meetings are usually for concessions building instead of problem solving.

Speaker 1: 27:30

Hack back your smartphone. Rerange, move from your home screen any apps that make house mindless. Checking. Remove, uninstall the mobile apps you no longer use or need. Replace, plan a set time to use distracting mobile apps instead of allowing them to distract you during schedule activities. Reclaim, change the notification setting for each app. I would like to add something else on this smartphone hack my fiancee used to do. I don't know if now she does, because she actually became really, really disciplined about it, but what she used to do she used to set the time for any app. So when, like it was a proper schedule time where after I don't know, after maybe seven or eight o'clock now I don't remember Any app that she was choosing was gray, so she couldn't do anything anymore with that specific app. Very smart Hack back to your desktop, eliminating unnecessary external triggers from your line of sight the clotters, the workplace.

Speaker 1: 28:54

Plus, it frees your mind to focus on what's crucial. The brain has limited horsepower. The more concentration is required, the less room it offers for anything else. But humans are perfectly capable of handling multi-channel inputs. As long as we're not required to concentrate too much on any channel, we're able to do more than one thing at a time. Also here, very nice, very important just be focused on one thing. Be focused on one thing per time. In this way, you are going to spread your energy on different things. Of course, if you're going to spread your energy, your brain, in different things, like in a multitasking way, then you are not going to improve or be better of one thing.

Speaker 1: 29:53

Some strategy, if we can call it strategy, something that I like to suggest is to be focused on just one thing for a while. Try to learn as much as possible. Be in a flow state and in a comfort zone in whatever you are doing. Be in control of what you're doing. Then, once, everything is in a comfort zone again, because when we learn, we're not in comfort zone, we are outside the comfort zone, we are in the learning zone. In the learning zone. We have so many things to learn, of course. But what happens when we are in the comfort zone? Then it means that we learn enough to do something else. Of course, you have not to rush this process. Also, in the comfort zone, you are still learning, but you are less tired. That's the reason why you can do something else. It's beautiful to learn as much as we like to learn. It depends on what we are passionate for.

Speaker 1: 31:18

But do time per time, articles and feet. It's not advisable to immediately read a new article in your web browser after it flashes. Instead, adjust the time to set a how and when you read online pieces. This will make it easy to read within a short time. Use multi-channel multitasking approach, like reading while conducting meetings. Save only online articles or other interesting content apps like Pocket. This helps you to listen to a read at a scheduled time. Avoid unnecessary new feeds. Use free feed and educator apps that help cut external triggers. Chapter 5 Prevent Distraction with Pax.

Speaker 1: 32:06

Precommitments prevent you from being distracted by eliminating a future choice. They push you to question where the distractions are warded and, in turn, help you make the right decision. These precommitments are effective as they solidify your regional plans and intentions. They also reduce the likelihood that you will go against your best interests. The three kinds of precommitment that can help you stay on track are effort packed. And effort packed prevents distractions by making unwanted behaviors difficult. Examples are the Chrome plugins that focus on the blocked sites like reddits and Facebook and hiding the TV remote.

Speaker 1: 32:57

Price packed A price packed assigns a cost to being distracted. However, price packs have three pitfalls. They are ineffective at changing behaviors with unavoidable external triggers. An example of these body focus repetitive behaviors like nail pitting. They are only useful only for short tasks like gym session. If a packed binds us for too long, we associate it with punishment. They are difficult to enter as they are scary. It's difficult to agree to a price packed, but they work. For price packed to work, self-compassion is prerequisite.

Speaker 1: 33:36

Identity packed this is a precommitment to a self-image. By aligning your behaviors to your identity, you make decisions based on who you believe you are. Become a nun by calling yourself something positive and believing it. Teach others to reinforce identity. Make your workplace indestructible. The use of tech tools like smartphones can trap us in a responsiveness cycle. This is when we are forever switched on. But overrosing them is a symptom of distraction, not the cause.

Speaker 1: 34:13

Reducing distraction is an organizational culture test. Companies need to pay more attention to the indicators of poor work culture. Examples of these are excessive use of tech tools and a high employee turnover. Knowing that your voice is here and not being treated as a part of an emotionalist machine positively impacts your well-being. Companies must provide workers with a psychologically secure workspace. These two overcome some of the most challenging workplace problems. This helps them voice their concerns and solve issues with one another. Indestructible organizations promote psychological safety. This also creates a forum for open and transparent conversations about various issues. Okay, that's enough. I would like to add something from my experience. Or right still, for the customer service environment, I'm sure other jobs as well.

Speaker 1: 35:14

Companies usually try to make the employer avoid distraction. They do so much to do that the desk has to be clean. Some of the companies don't allow to use your phone. Some of them don't even put a wallpaper on your computer or not even a camera. This way to be less and less trigger triggers the person, so leads the person to be more distracted, because we are still human and we need some distraction. Sometimes we need to, you know to, to just to breathe in and breathe out a little bit otherwise.

Speaker 1: 36:23

Otherwise the, the brain doesn't process what we are doing. If you are always trying to be focused so much on something, there is a point where your brain just try to distract you in different ways as much as possible your brain can do. Maybe makes a scene about, about the, the movie that you watched the day before, or something like that. So okay, but enough. You know it's important to reduce things, to be less distract. But there is a point where the brain decides itself and say, hey, yeah, okay, I need to breathe in and breathe out a little bit. I'm very strong, more than the triggers around you, and so I give you this. I give you the movie that you watched yesterday, I give you something that happened in your life one year ago. I give you the fight that you had a couple of days ago. So with everything, the balance is the most important thing.

Speaker 1: 37:48

Okay, raise indestructible children chapter seven while getting rid of distractions, you want your children to follow the same path. There are tips and essential insights you can use to raise indestructible children. Start by avoiding convenient excuses. Understand your kids internal triggers to assist them in becoming this indestructible. Children often turn to distractions for their psychological nourishment. This is particularly when competence, autonomy and the relatedness seem insufficient. Help them with internal triggers and let them learn how to create and use their packs for more. As they age their ability to comprehend and use the built-in option. For this guy, discarding external triggers helps to slow whether they are ready for a particular tech device, so allow them more freedom. This is after showing they have the skill to deal with external triggers. They are likely to be exposed to throw the devices. Create time for traction together. Allow children the autonomy to choose what's crucial for them and help them develop a schedule for their time.

Speaker 1: 39:07

Chapter eight creating distractible relationships. It's easy to mentally distance yourself from your friends through the effects of social distractions. While you follow the steps to become indestructible, some of your friends may still need to begin the process. You'll need to block negative behaviors. Also share your social norms via the indestructible model. This involves identify internal triggers and setting time to focus on crucial issues. Distractions often keep us from being fully present in crucial relationships. Even worst, there are high chances of adopting the behaviors of those who spend more time with. As such, distraction becomes contagious. To build indestructible relationships, beware of social contagion. Build and spread social antibodies and distraction defenses among friends. Highlight distractions and address them together. Be indestructible by removing devices from the bedroom. Automatically turn off the internet at specific times.

Speaker 1: 40:15

Okay, guys, this was the last chapter and there was something that I want to highlight. Yeah, you'll need to block negative behaviors. Okay, let's talk a little bit about this, this topic here. Life is short. I don't want to be so much dramatic, but at the end of the story, it's true. Life is short and there are millions of people, millions of people, where you can learn from them and you can become a better person, person you know, thanks to them and you can give value to these people.

Speaker 1: 41:00

Okay, it's this shareable energy. It is so much beautiful, but when you have a negative behavior, it doesn't matter if the negative behavior comes from you. Because it comes from you, it means there is someone or something around you that caused that, that negative behavior, and it doesn't matter if the the negative behavior comes directly from someone else. All right, but negative behaviors generally dry this energy. You cannot learn from it, you don't learn anything and the only thing they teach you is just to to check with another person, another environment, another community, another, another thing, another tool where you can get energy from it okay, so it's very, very, very important. That's just my last highlight. And what else? Beautiful book. Final summary review here the key insight from the nirayala's distractible distractions begin from within.

Speaker 1: 42:20

Master internal triggers. Make time for traction, heck back external triggers. Prevent distractions with pacts. Make your workplace indestructible. Raise indestructible children. Create indestructible relationships.

Speaker 1: 42:36

Technology is often blamed for increasing distractions. It also makes it difficult to do things we set out to do. This is because modern society is increasingly becoming more dependent on it. But it's crucial to explore the psychology of distractions. This help us determine why we humans are so easily sidetracked. Identify external and internal causes of this comfort will also help you overcome distraction triggers.

Speaker 1: 43:05

Nirayala suggests practical strategy to help you disable your triggers. Once you address your distractions, you can help order become indestructible. And that's it, guys. Beautiful book and, honestly, something that I suggest because he said something right. You know it's. We live in a society where we are more and more consistently inside these technology, everything around us, and I think we have a little bit enough about it, at least myself. But it's also depends how you approach them. And if you approach them in the right way, you can use them instead to be used from from the technology itself. So, guys, thank you so much for being here in the fabi podcast and very happy that you are here with me and see you next time in the next episode. Cheers.