Distractions are often the result of proximate causes, like our cell phones, that we think are the culprit, but the root cause remains hidden. This distinction is important, as addressing the proximate doesn’t actually fix the problem. In other words, it’s what allows you to deflect responsibility onto something or someone else. You can think of a root cause as the underlying reason and the proximate cause as what is immediately responsible for a problem. Nir argues that the root cause of all our behavior is simply the drive to relieve discomfort - even the drive caused by desire is there to free ourselves from the pain of wanting. External triggers, on the other hand, are those arising from the environment, like a notification on your phone. Let’s begin with internal triggers, which are cues arising from within, like feeling hunger or cold. Rather than blaming technology for our inability to stay on track, we must take responsibility and understand the root causes if we have any hope of reclaiming our attention. While many of us vilify technology as being the cause for our distractions, Nir emphasizes that distraction is nothing new. This is how to reclaim a hold on your attention, ability to do deep work, and become indistractable in a new age of the attention economy. Now he’s using his expertise to help the little guys with his new book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Nir Eyal is an expert on habit-forming technology, best known for his book Hooked, which teaches companies how to build apps that you simply can’t resist. Living our ideal life, then, isn’t just about doing all the right things, but also not doing the things you’ll regret – like checking your Instagram for the 37th time today.

But the hard part isn’t knowing what to do – it’s resisting distractions. Most of us, myself included, strive to continuously improve our productivity and effectiveness, and we know that in order to accomplish our goals, we need to stop wasting time and do the actual work. Premed & Medical Student Annual Scholarship.2020 Medical School Application Updates.

Indistractable book