124: How to be Indistractable with NYT Bestselling Author, Nir Eyal

More Happy Life with Andy Proctor

Read the full show notes at https://MoreHappyLife.co/indistractable

Do you get distracted? Do you struggle to stay on task and get taken down the digital rabbit hole more often than you would like? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone.

With all the technology that exists, if you aren’t deliberate about what you allow into your life, you’ll be bombarded. One study showed that the average US smartphone user receives 46 app push notifications per day!

I have experienced the overwhelm and frustration that comes from coming to the end of the day and realizing that I haven’t spent enough time on the things that I valued most. This is what I love about Nir Eyal’s newest book: Indistractable.

In my interview with Nir Eyal, we discuss that the source of our distraction may not be an undiagnosed case of ADHD, but that it is actually discomfort. And the critical factor for me was when he talked about matching our values with our calendars. Why? Because if we actually remember the values that are driving our calendar, it’s easier to do the things we plan. Otherwise, if our calendars do not align with our values, we will constantly be drawn away from them by even the smallest “shiny object” in our view (or our notifications).

This was a game changer for me!

Social media & technology are not our enemies. Our enemy is our own misalignment with our values that keeps us from experiencing what we most desire in life. We MUST prioritize values alignment or we will constantly be distracted.

How can you do this? Well, read the book! Also, here is an exercise the book inspired me to create for myself:

1. Write down the things that you value most in life.
2. Write down all the activities you actually have in your schedule and see which of those align with the values on your list.
3. Now write down things that you still highly value, but that are NOT on your schedule in any form.
4. Practice gratitude for the things on your list of scheduled items that already align with your deepest desires.
5. Add more items to your calendar that actually align with your values.
6. Let go of 3 things that DON’T align with your values (cancel, reschedule, reprioritize).

This exercise is life changing. Too many people feel down and get distracted on Monday (or any day) because they haven’t aligned their values with their schedule.

Is this you? Why do you keep doing things that don’t align with your values?

STOP IT!

Align with your values and be more happy!

Find Nir Eyal here:

Find more at: NirAndFar.com/Indistractable

The schedule maker tool mentioned is here: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/

Summary article: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-the-future/

And distraction guide here: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/

Habits vs routines article here: https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/

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