\u201cDistraction, it turns out, isn\u2019t about the distraction itself<\/em>,\u201d says Nir Eyal<\/strong>, a habit-forming expert and trainer of Mindvalley\u2019s Becoming Focused and Indistractable<\/em> Quest. <\/em>\u201cRather, it\u2019s about how we respond to it.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With his expertise and insights, consider this a go-to guide to help you take control of your time and stay on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you feel like you\u2019re not as productive as you could be, welcome to the club\u2014it\u2019s a common struggle everyone goes through in their daily routine<\/a>. However, according to Nir Eyal, there are three main reasons why we struggle with short attention spans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a closer look at what they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The social media rabbit hole, the latest Netflix series, your Everest-like pile of laundry… These are pretty little somethings that take your attention away from what you\u2019re supposed to be doing. Let’s call it the \u201cpretty butterfly\u201d syndrome\u2014like a child walking home who sees a pretty butterfly, starts following it, and ends up forgetting what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is, as Nir explains in his Mindvalley Quest, what psychologists call \u201chyperbolic discounting<\/a>,\u201d the tendency to choose smaller, short-term rewards over benefits that take longer to gain. He adds that immediate rewards have a stronger influence on us, making future events seem less important in comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we, as humans, are prone to being \u201cpresent biased,\u201d we also tend to be marginal thinkers, focusing on small improvements instead of pursuing bigger goals. It\u2019s settling for mediocrity instead of striving for excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nir gives an example of squirrels foraging for nuts, which follows the marginal value theorem<\/a>. He explains the squirrels will stay in an area as long as they\u2019re finding a lot of nuts quickly. However, when the nuts start to run out or are harder to find, they\u2019ll move on to a new area to search for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Humans do the same but with information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe switch between email, television, [and] our phones, constantly looking for the next information reward,<\/em>\u201d says Nir. \u201cWhen one source becomes less interesting, we jump to the next, and then the next.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all engage in daily habits, often without thinking about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They could be high-performance habits<\/a>; for example, meditating in the morning or maintaining a gratitude journal practice. On the other hand, they could be not-so-great habits, like nervous nail-biting or checking the socials as soon as we wake up. And interestingly, research<\/a> from Duke University found that about 40% of our daily behaviors are habitual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s just the way our brains are wired, as Nir explains. It\u2019s called \u201cneuroplasticity,\u201d which is the brain\u2019s ability to change and adapt in response to new experiences. And when we repeat a behavior over and over again, our brains create neural pathways that make it more automatic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s essentially the 80\/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, which states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Meaning, 80% of your happiness may come from 20% of your daily habits, and in the case of procrastinating, 80% of your stress and frustration may come from 20% of your daily distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether we\u2019d like to admit it or not, many of us prioritize distractions over the people we love. \u201cWe are,<\/em>\u201d Nir says, \u201cwhat we pay attention to.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, you can learn one of the essential habits of productive people: doing what you say you\u2019ll do or being, what Nir calls, \u201cindistractable.\u201d Taking insights from his Mindvalley Quest, explore how to become more productive, how to focus<\/a> better, and how to build more fulfilling relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your internal triggers can come in the form of negative emotions\u2014boredom, anxiety, and stress being a few of them. They can lead you to seek distractions, like checking social media, playing video games, or watching television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people don\u2019t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.<\/p>\n\u2014 Nir Eyal, trainer of Mindvalley\u2019s Becoming Focused and Indistractable<\/em> Quest<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n So how can you master these triggers and get in the flow<\/a>? It helps to understand and manage your internal thoughts and emotions so you won\u2019t get easily distracted and procrastinate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nir suggests a technique called \u201csurfing the urge.\u201d It involves recognizing the urge to distract yourself and waiting a few minutes before acting on it. By doing so, you can regain control over your triggers and make a more conscious decision about how to respond to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnless we deal with the root causes of our distraction, we\u2019ll continue to find ways to distract ourselves<\/em>,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The opposite of distraction is not focus. Rather, as Nir explains, it\u2019s traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both words come from the same Latin root, meaning \u201cto pull.\u201d Therefore, traction<\/em> pulls you towards what you want to do, and distraction<\/em> pulls you away from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be hard to tell at times which direction you\u2019re being pulled towards. For example, checking your email may feel productive as you\u2019re doing it. However, if there\u2019s a big project requiring your attention, cleaning out your inbox might not be the best use of your time as you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So make time for traction by deliberately scheduling your tasks. Writing and replying to emails? Put that on your calendar. Got a pitch deck to create? Pencil it in. Want quality time with your kids? You know what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only by setting aside a specific time in our schedules for traction (the actions that draw us toward what we want in life) can we turn our backs on distraction.<\/p>\n\u2014 Nir Eyal, trainer of Mindvalley\u2019s Becoming Focused and Indistractable<\/em> Quest<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Timeboxing, which is a similar concept to time blocking<\/a>, is something that Nir highly recommends doing. It\u2019s based on implementation intentions<\/a>, where you decide what you\u2019re going to do and when you\u2019re going to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This technique is about dividing your day into chunks of time, called “timeboxes,” and assigning each timebox to a particular task or activity. \u201cThe goal,<\/em>\u201d Nir explains, \u201cis to eliminate all the white spaces in your calendar so that you\u2019re left with a template for how you intend to spend your time each and every day.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you might timebox from 8\u20139 a.m. to clear out your inbox, then dedicate 9\u201311 a.m. to work on your pitch deck, followed by a lunch break from 12\u20131 p.m., and so on. You can adjust the length of each timebox based on the nature of the task or your personal preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t matter what you do with your time, be it work, quality time with loved ones, scrolling through social media, watching television, and so on and so forth. The success of your timeboxes, according to Nir, is <\/em>\u201cmeasured by whether you did what you planned to do.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can\u2019t control what others do, but you can control your own reactions. This advice is particularly useful when it comes to external triggers, which Nir explains as \u201cstimuli in [your] environment that prompt [you] to act<\/em>,\u201d usually away from your tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are examples of what it can look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem of distractions has as much to do with us as it has to do with the distractions in our environment.<\/p>\n\u2014 Nir Eyal, trainer of Mindvalley\u2019s Becoming Focused and Indistractable<\/em> Quest<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Our daily lives are constantly in high-sensory environments, so knowing how to not get distracted<\/a> is key. And what Nir suggests is to \u201chack back” at these triggers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe real problem is when we receive these external triggers on somebody else\u2019s schedule, as opposed to our schedule<\/em>,\u201d Nir says. \u201cThis can wreak havoc on our productivity, our happiness, and even our safety.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So when it comes to knowing how to be more productive in life, this is where hack backs can really be a game changer. To reduce the impact of external triggers, you\u2019ll need to take active measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few simple things Nir suggests you can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you learn how to be more focused and productive, you may just find it easier to be present for the tasks at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The home is a sanctuary, but, not surprisingly, it\u2019s full of distractions. From the television to the endless list of chores, it can sometimes leave you feeling chaotic rather than calm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more and more people having the option to work remotely, it\u2019s becoming increasingly important to know how to be productive at home. Here are a few tips on how to set yourself up to make the most of your time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also important to remember to communicate your work schedule and boundaries to those you live with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It goes without saying that productivity is essential in the workplace, where efficiency and results can impact your success and career advancement. However, with numerous demands and distractions at work, it can be a challenge to not procrastinate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few strategies that you can use to stay laser-focused:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep in mind, being productive at work is about working smarter, not harder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat kinds of biases, habits, and patterns of thinking distract us from the lives we want to live?\u201d<\/em> It\u2019s a question Nir encourages you to ask yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because how you feel and take care of yourself impacts how much energy and focus you have, which can influence your ability to complete tasks effectively. In short, being healthy is connected to your productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding healthy habits to your daily routine can improve your health and productivity. Here are a few ways to do so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you identify the triggers that keep you from being your best self, you can start taking steps toward a more indistractable life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t have to be a slave to your distractions. Instead, you can master how to be more productive with your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3 reasons you\u2019re not productive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. We are “present biased”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. We are marginal thinkers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. We are creatures of habit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3 steps to boost your productivity today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Master your internal triggers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
How to be more productive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. Make time for traction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
How to be more productive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. Hack back external triggers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
How to be more productive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Nir](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/mv-prod-blog-en-assets\/2023\/03\/0e10a33d-how-to-be-more-productive-mindvalley_nir_colossalpro__w6a43679.jpg\")
How to be more productive at home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
How to be more productive at work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
How to be a healthier and more productive human being<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Seek to be indistractable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n