Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

Rate this book
You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold.  

What would be possible if you followed through on your best intentions? What could you accomplish if you could stay focused and overcome distractions? What if you had the power to become "indistractable"?  

International best-selling author, former Stanford lecturer, and behavioral design expert, Nir Eyal, wrote Silicon Valley's handbook for making technology habit-forming. Five years after publishing Hooked, Eyal reveals distraction's Achilles' heel in his groundbreaking new book.  

In Indistractable, Eyal reveals the hidden psychology driving us to distraction. He describes why solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off our devices: Abstinence is impractical and often makes us want more.  

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.  

Inside, Eyal overturns conventional wisdom and reveals: 


Why distraction at work is a symptom of a dysfunctional company culture - and how to fix it  
What really drives human behavior and why "time management is pain management"  
Why your relationships (and your sex life) depend on you becoming indistractable  
How to raise indistractable children in an increasingly distracting world 
Empowering and optimistic, Indistractable provides practical, novel techniques to control your time and attention - helping you live the life you really want.

290 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2019

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Nir Eyal

10 books31.2k followers
Nir Eyal is the bestselling author of "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" (a finalist for the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards) and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life." (nominated for the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards)

He has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. His writing on technology, psychology and business appears in the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today.

Nir blogs regularly at NirAndFar.com

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
5,241 (24%)
4 stars
7,900 (37%)
3 stars
6,044 (28%)
2 stars
1,629 (7%)
1 star
428 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,260 reviews
Profile Image for Sean Gibson.
Author 6 books5,926 followers
November 14, 2019
Let’s get this out of the way up front: the guy who (literally) wrote the book on making addictive tech writing a guide on how to not get distracted by addictive tech is like someone writing a book on the merits of veganism and then writing a follow-up called “Eating Yummy Baby Cows and Other Ways to Fill Your Cramhole With the Savory Flesh of Delicious, Fluffy Creatures!”

That said, I came into this hoping for a Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking-like exploration of science, psychology, and data that would inform recommendations; instead, I got a Quiet-light self-help tome that occasionally proffers some good ideas (timeboxing your schedule (in order to, for example, reserve time to respond to emails rather than responding as they come in), turning off notifications on all apps, and carving out time specifically for social media as opposed to checking intermittently all day), but is generally simplistically repetitive while also forcing the reader to picture the author working hard to put down his phone to make sexy times with his previously equally distracted wife (so, keep your mental eye bleach handy).

Helpful? Yeah, sort of. Could it be condensed down to a much shorter version and make the same points? Like every self-help book, emphatically yes.

Really, though, what really chapped my behind as I worked my way through the book was the fact that there’s a rational case for its existence. My god. What have we done to ourselves (and I include myself very much in the group of people doing it to himself…and yes, I realize that didn’t come out right)? Why have we packed our lives with so many empty interactions with technology and virtual people that we have to forcibly schedule time in our lives to just sit and think, or to talk to other real people, and or to just NOT respond to some dopamine-inducing ping?

I don’t intend this to come off as an old guy, “BACK IN MY DAY WE ATE WEASELS FOR BREAKFAST BECAUSE THAT’S ALL WE HAD AND WE LIKED IT AND THEN WE USED EVERY PART OF THOSE DAMN WEASELS FOR SOME USEFUL PURPOSE, INCLUDING TURNING THEIR GUTS INTO BOWSTRINGS SO WE COULD HUNT MORE WEASELS FOR FOOD AND BOWSTRINGS AND YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ALL AWFUL SO LET’S IGNORE THEM” kind of screed. I really don’t.

But, I am concerned about where we’re going. Heck, I’m concerned about where we are. And I’m really troubled that this book needs to exist, and that we have to fight and scrap to make time for things that are truly important in the face of an overwhelming onslaught of digital ephemera that—oh, hell yeah! You know what that ping means, people.

That’s right: there’s a new Candy Crush update. I gotta run; you know how it is—stuff to do.
Profile Image for Jorge David.
37 reviews
September 30, 2019
Could have been a blog post. Better off reading Atomic Habits, Deep Work or The Path of Least Resistance.
Profile Image for Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill).
1,358 reviews3,244 followers
December 22, 2023
Is time management some sort of pain management? What is the best way to stay focused in this world filled with distractions? Nir Eyal tries to answer these questions through this book.

The positive of this book is that you will get some key takeaways that will be helpful to you from this book.

Some ideas are repeated multiple times, which ironically will distract you from reading this book written to avoid distractions.

My favorite three lines from this book.
“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.”


“Dissatisfaction and discomfort dominate our brain’s default state, but we can use them to motivate us instead of defeat us.”


Hedonic adaptation, the tendency to quickly return to a baseline level of satisfaction, no matter what happens to us in life, is Mother Nature’s bait and switch. All sorts of life events we think would make us happier actually don’t, or at least they don’t for long.”


Keeping the negatives aside, you will get some good ideas to improve the quality of your life.

—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Threads ID - Dasfill | X ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
Profile Image for Bejinha.
121 reviews22 followers
November 19, 2022
Too many fillers, and the whole premise is flawed, as Johann Hari explains in chapter eight of Stolen Focus (a great book). The author, who has worked for some technology companies, believes that it is ok for these companies to spend millions and an army of psychologists and casino experts to get as many people as possible hooked to their apps and that people are responsible to have the self-control for not getting addicted. Sort of what tobacco companies use to say.

Go for Digital Minimalism, instead. Or better yet, Stolen Focus.

Note to self: always be aware of books that have a lot of good reviews before publishing. Probably fans, people who got the book as a gift. Or those services where you buy good reviews.
Profile Image for 8stitches 9lives.
2,856 reviews1,653 followers
October 17, 2019
We live in a world where distractions exist around every corner, and I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes procrastinate. It's a timely and pretty important book as the modern age of technology appears to have become like opium to some. So what can we do to become more productive you ask? Well, Stanford Professor Nir Eyal is about to tell us in an understandable, conversational way how to get more done and there is plenty of technical detail included for those of us who enjoy knowing the ins and outs. Of course, it heavily focuses on social media given it is one of the habits most of us seem to have that takes our attention away from more important issues; I must admit that I rarely use social media as it simply doesn't hold my interest for very long, but I can see that this would help those who have let social sites take over their lives and could be applied to other situations easily too.

Time is a finite resource and that means we should spend it wisely. I liked that Eyal admitted to falling victim to the dreaded time stealing monster himself and shares the solutions that helped him to overcome this. Being interested in psychology I particularly appreciated the parts in which he described the psychology behind the forming of habits, how to break them and how just being free of them will impact our lives for the better. He discusses how to implement the solutions to make use of them in everyday life and I found the book to be extensively-researched with case studies throughout to illustrate some of the points he makes. He also places bullet-point summaries at the end of each chapter to remind us of key points. Overall, it offers a refreshingly different approach to time management than other books on the subject.

Indistractable is a helpful, comprehensive guide that should be on the reading list of all of those who wish to spend their time in a better manner. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC.
Profile Image for Elvina Zafril.
564 reviews97 followers
October 15, 2019
I sometimes when I'm with friends, I constantly checking out my phone. I know my friends were annoyed. HAHAH until I read this book, I can call myself 'phubber' meaning phone snubber.

I loved this book so much. It was really incredible. I loved that this book is relatable in some kind of ways in my personal life.

I am always being distracted by something. I'm so glad I read this book. I can apply all the tips in my daily life. I really enjoyed the section in this book. I'm the type of people who learn by example. This author put the section in his book. So I started with the section 5 first and then I will go back to section 1 to know more about the details in section 5.

I think I have discovered some of the root cause why I'm easily get distracted.

All the tips are practical and very useful. There are also reminders in the book and I have already recommended it to some of my friends.

Thank you Pansing @definitlybooks for sending me a copy of Indistractable in return for an honest review. This book will be available at all good bookstores October onwards.
Profile Image for Debbie.
348 reviews29 followers
January 28, 2021
2.5 stars

Like many self-help books, Indistractable is full of both hits and misses.

While there are definitely some interesting and applicable points made (particularly the recommendation to timebox your schedule), most aren’t explored thoroughly enough or feel a little too generic. While there are definitely some benefits to the short-and-sweet approach—including bring easy to digest, quick to read, and full of memorable sound bites—in this instance it felt light on content and substance, much like a drawn out blog post. This book would have benefitted from either additional evidence or deeper exploration of the information that was presented, along with more presentations of how to apply the approaches in practice.

This setup also gave the book the feeling of being rushed, like the author didn’t thoughtfully flesh out the content of this book in favor of meeting a deadline. Which very well may have been the case, as we learned in Chapter 24 when the author revealed he made a price pact with his friend that Eyal would owe the friend $10,000 if he didn’t complete his book in time. Is it really meeting your deadline if the book feels unfinished? The final product felt like a long article rather than a full-fledged book, or like a beginning draft, like the author got the surface-level high points to paper, but hadn’t yet reached the round of revision where he’d fill in the gaps with additional research, evidence and studies.

While I appreciated the “Remember This” section at the end of each chapter because it made highlighting my ebook easy, it almost felt unnecessary because of how short each chapter was and how little content was covered.

I also found myself conflicted by the writing style of this book. While the simple, straightforward, and to-the-point approach made the content easily digestible and quick to read, it further exacerbated the feeling of the book being light on content. However, I will say one benefit of this sound bite writing style is it did make the tips easy to remember, even if the ideas, suggestions or action items weren’t necessarily novel concepts. For example, the reminder that allowing yourself to fall into distraction means you’re taking away time that can be spent on things you value makes a good mental note to tell yourself when you find yourself reaching for a distraction when you should be doing something else.

Another aspect I found frustrating about the writing style was the slightly condescending or braggadocious tone that occasionally cropped up (especially when it came to subtly flaunting his wealth). I imagine that wasn’t the intention, but it was hard to ignore when he bragged about what other books he wrote and what companies he invested in.

Overall, this book served the purpose of being a broad, high-level introduction to the topic of becoming indistractible, but didn’t have enough substance to take it all the way. You’d get about all you need to glean from this book by simply reading the the “Remember This” synopses at the end of each chapter, or the chapter takeaways that are helpfully compiled together towards the end of the book. Whether you read the summaries or the full book, don’t expect a fully flesh out investigation on what it takes to eliminate distractions from your life.
7 reviews3 followers
June 11, 2019
I was an early reader of the book and was fascinated from beginning to end.
Indistractable is an in-depth, scientifically underpinned, guide on how to take back control of your life and removing distractions that take you away from being present in the moment.
I loved the the very personal elements, for example the superpower story at the beginning and the end, which emphasise the arguments in a very gentle and kind way.
The whole book is very relatable, from a professional point of view, but equally in your personal life with your kids or partner.
The practical tips and recap at the end of each chapter are very useful if you want to put the learnings in practice and live without distractions!
Profile Image for Петър Стойков.
Author 2 books299 followers
May 12, 2023
В днешния свят на неспирна комуникация отблизо и далеч, все по-важно става отсяването на зърното от плявата, що се отнася до информацията, която стига до нас. Може да се каже даже, че достигаме някаква критична точка, отвъд която не само неспирният информационен поток става досаден и разсейващ, ами даже е невъзможно човек да се съсредоточи и да отдели подобаващо време и внимание на работата, семейството и себе си, ако не го ограничи.


Да, общественият детски възторг от новата "информационна епоха" все повече намалява и бива заместван от тъжното осъзнаване, че вниманието и мозъкът ни си имат предели и тия предели съвсем не са толкова високи, колкото си въобразяваха някои хора. "Отворените офиси" се оказаха рак, такова нещо като "мултитаскинг" всъщност не съществува в репертоара на човешкия мозък, а медии, приложения и технологии се научиха да използват нашите слабости, за да заграбват постоянно вниманието ни с неспирни съобщения, звуци и изкушения за "повече приятели", "по-добра свързаност" и други, както се оказа, алабализми.

Не, че Нир Еял прави някакви знаменателни прозрения или дава незаменими съвети за решаването на проблема - по-скоро го посочва и насочва вниманието ни към неговата важност, като също така дава и известни примерни решения, които човек да използва в личния си си и професионален живот, за да не си гледа телефона през 5 сек. и да не си прекъсва работата през 5 мин. за да отговори на имейл.
Profile Image for Valentin.
49 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2019
I liked Nir's other book, "Hooked." It is one of my favorite and best product/business books ever (and also useful for non-product people). After "Hooked" taught the whole industry how to build addictive products, Nir is now basically selling the "cure."

The first half of "Indistractable" is ok, and there is some good general idea on "why" you are so easily addicted to your smartphone, Facebook, etc. However, I think I was intuitively trying and applying most of them just because of the knowledge I got from "Hooked."

The second half goes into all sort of anecdotes, some very cheesy. And the last section deals a lot with kids & technology addiction. I'm quite surprised that after popularizing the "Hooked" model and even mentioning it at the beginning of this book; the author offers such impractical advice. The strategies feel so "frail" and require effort and have substantial "friction." The anecdotes are borderlines dystopian or from a black mirror episode. Not to mention some sound like a "one-off" success

I think you can intuitively guess most of the advice in this book, or just by googling "how to stop tech addiction." I sincerely recommend reading his other book, though.

Interesting note: The author also references an article by Paul Graham which I found very interesting http://www.paulgraham.com/addiction.html
Profile Image for Murtaza .
680 reviews3,393 followers
August 15, 2021
Completely boring and basic instructions on how to cut down distraction (remove apps from your phone! schedule your time!). The only useful reminders I gleaned from this were the 10 minute rule, where if you feel tempted to do something wait ten minutes and see if you still want to do it, and another principle about recalling your thoughts immediately before you reach to do something distracting. Oftentimes it is less about the pull of the thing that is distracting you than an attempt to escape a preexisting discomfort in the moment. After those two points early in the book its all filler.
Profile Image for Mehrsa.
2,235 reviews3,633 followers
August 20, 2019
There are some helpful hints and reminders in here that I will be adopting. I read a lot of books like this but it's amazing how distractions creep back in and you have to remind yourself to take control of your own time.
Profile Image for Arezoo Alipanah.
234 reviews140 followers
April 16, 2023
متاسفانه هرروزمون پر‌شده با نوتیفیکیشنا. *بینگ و دینگ و ویبره* های بدون توقفی که اجازه نمیدن ذهنمون‌رو یه جا نگه داریم، و اپلیکیشنایی که جوری طراحی شدن که تمرکزتون رو میخورن و شما‌رو کور کورانه سمت خودشون میکشن و توی سیاهچاله‌ی خودشون اسیر میکنن.
همینه که وقتی رفته بودین ۱ دقیقه تو یوتوب گشت بزنین به‌خودتون میاین و میبینین یه دقیقه‌تون شده ۳ ساعت.
نیر ایال با کتاب hooked مشهور شد. میدونین موضوع اون کتاب چی بود؟ چطور کمپانیا باید محصولشونو طراحی کنن که مصرف کننده ها نتونن دست ازشون بکشن و دائم و دائم‌ازشون استفاده کنن.
حالا داره میگه خودشم افتاده تو دام‌ همین چیزایی که به کمپانیا توصیه کرده بوده و این بار میخواد برای مصرف کننده‌ی اسیرشده یه راه چاره پیدا کنه که مصرفشو کمتر کنه و به ارزشهای واقعی زندگیش برسه.
در کل کتاب خوبی بود میتونم بگم.
اما خیلی از این کتابا ( یادمه مثلا first 20 hours و 4 hour workweek هم همینطوری بودن) کل شیره‌ی حرفشونو میشه تو ۵ صفحه خلاصه کرد و از اون ببعدش میشه پروموت کردن یه سری اپلیکیشنو وبسایت جدید که شاااید برای بعضیا مفید باشن ولی نه برای همه.
تو همین حوزه deep work و willpower instinct و atomic habits رو خیلی خیلی بیشتر دوست داشتم و به نظرم مفیدتر بودن و خوندن هر سه تاشون تقریبا همه‌ی چیزایی‌که لازم دارین رو بهتون میده.
پی‌نوشت: این اواخر به مبحث adhd خیلی علاقه پیدا کردم و شرایط الان و ترسناکه که تا مدتها علائم adhd باید از کودکی دیده میشد (به طور خاص تا ۱۲سالگی) ولی امروزه با مصرف خیلی زیاد از گوشیهای همراه الان بزرگسالها هم دارن علائم این اختلال رو پیدا میکنن و انگار باعث بوجود اومدن اختلال تمرکز تو خودشون میشن. واقعا کنترل زیاده روی تو استفاده‌ از اسمارت فون ها و ... الان از اهمیت خیلی خیلی بالایی برخورداره.
تاریخ خوانش: ۱۶ مارچ ۲۰۲۳
امتیاز: ۳ از ۵
1 review
June 16, 2019
I am reviewing this book because I received a preliminary copy and think it is a vitally important topic.

How many stars would I give Indistractable? (1-5)

5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How would I summarize the book in one sentence?

Live a fulfilling life by becoming aware and controling both the internal and external triggers that constantly bombard me.

What were the most memorable or helpful parts of the book?

Changing some of my beliefs such the reframing of my thinking about will power. (Refuting Ego depletion). Although I was aware of some of the studies it really didn’t sink in before. Very important and wide ranging applications. This has important implications, for example, in the basic beliefs of the AA program. Also the overwhelming data about the improving focus of nurses when they were being constantly distracted and even when initially they resisted methods used to lower their distractibility.

The distraction-traction matrix is a very useful way of thinking. Similar but different way to model like the urgent important matrix. Footnotes were excellent although ironically it made me want to click on them. Maybe best if I read them separately.

All motivation is a desire to escape discomfort is IMHO an extremely important concept. 5 Stars.

Although I once reported to the CEO of a major S & P 500 company, I am retired and almost 3 times the age of the author I am less interested in the company related and parent and children related topics and more interested in how these ideas can personably help me learn. However, I am sure there is a broad audience for the book.

I thought that giving the why and underlying structure of distraction was perhaps the most important contribution. The individual “tricks” were less important to me than understanding why and how distractions occur and how I can minimize them.

The remember this sections get an A+.

I spend far too much time on Apple News (mostly saving stories to gmail folders or bookmarks in Chrome but I have a wide range of interests and they cover over 200 publications. I do not plan to stop using Apple News but am defiantly being more selective and delaying my reading to a later time.

Also cleaning out my apps is a very good idea. And I very much relate to a googleplex of Tabs and did not realize that Pocket has a text to speech feature.

Getting rid of Notations has been really helpful. Before I just took them for granted.

The Hooked book was more about how we are being “Hooked” by social media and large corporations. This book is about being conscious and aware of what we can do to take back control of our lives. Although Hooked is a very highly rated book the new book is my favorite of the two.
Profile Image for Adriana.
247 reviews45 followers
September 12, 2019
The best part of this entire book was his advice on setting guidelines on tech usage with your kids, partner, and your friends.

The rest was a very high-level introduction to behavioral adaption and change, with easy-to-use pointers to remember at the end of every chapter. It felt very informal, like a webinar or a collection of PowerPoint slides, and less in-depth or researched analysis, like I was hoping.

Also, while the idea of timeboxing is appreciated, the truth is not everyone has the ability to plan, at the beginning of each week, slots of work, personal and free time in boxed increments. Certainly pre-planning can prevent distraction, but as we are not highly efficient robots with consistent programming which we adhere to, it would have been more helpful to obtain new ideas on how to slowly adapt behavioral changes (like in Newport's Digital Minimalism), or how to further develop the desire to focus and commit to your personal driving motivations (like in McKeown's Essentialism, and others).
Profile Image for Mario Tomic.
159 reviews341 followers
September 20, 2019
Simple and quick read covering helpful strategies and tactics for effectively managing attention in an ever more distracting world. The tips were backed by research data as well as some interesting anecdotes. The reason why I'm giving it 4/5 because I've heard and applied most of the tactics discussed in the brook. This is not to say that they don't work but I was expecting deeper insights. Having said all of this, I would recommend this book. It's a great read and I also recommend picking up Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by the same author - It's one of my favorite books on the subject of habit formation.
Profile Image for Moh. Nasiri.
307 reviews99 followers
October 30, 2020
خلاصه کتاب ذهن حواس جمع (Indistractable)

ما می‌دونیم که حواس‌جمع بودن مهمه و خیلی وقت‌ها هم تلاش می‌کنیم تا عوا��ل حواس پرتی رو کنار بذاریم اما چرا اینقدر راحت حواسمون پرت میشه؟ یا یه قدم عقب‌تر چرا محرک‌های بیرونی و درونی به راحتی می‌تونن حواسمون رو پرت کنن؟ تمام مشکل از شبکه‌های اجتماعی و پیشرفت تکنولوژیه؟ قبل از شبکه‌های اجتماعی ما حواس جمع بودیم؟ نیر ایال نویسنده کتاب ذهن حواس جمع دنبال جوابی برای این پرسش‌هاست.

لینک پادکست بی پلاس:
https://bpluslinks.ir/f8Sx
Profile Image for Rod Moser.
66 reviews6 followers
June 20, 2019
Have you ever gone out with friends or family and there is that one guy who is constantly checking out of the conversation and checking into his phone? Super annoying, right? Well, I'm that guy. I didn't realize what it was called until I read Nir Eyal's book but I am a 'phubber' (phone snubber).

As a real estate broker, coach, and father of 6 boys, I am always being distracted by something. I would get anxious every time the phone chirped or beeped or pinged. Was it a client emergency, do my kids need me ... and most of the time it was nothing but a distraction.

Wow! Practical advice galore in this one. I am already putting it to use and I am beginning to find peace. Spending more time following our life values in traction and being aware of the triggers that pull us away from what's important can lead to a more productive and peaceful life. Nir uses case studies that will challenge the way you have always thought of things and open your mind to other options.

I especially enjoyed the section he put in the book on how to help our children become less distracted. As a father concerned with screen time and non-productive behaviors, there were some absolute gems here. Not surprisingly, I discovered where the problem lies. It's not the screen, it's the parenting and there are some brilliant ideas on how to achieve a better outcome.

Now to put this all into practice. Don't miss this one.
1 review1 follower
October 3, 2019
I really wanted to like this book. Hooked was great and I was excited to develop techniques to combat the draw of my phone.

Unfortunately, Indistractable just doesn't deliver. It's composed of 36 very short chapters that are loosely grouped into sections but that never really come together. And the lessons in each chapter mostly rehash generic productivity advice - plan your day, set aside enough time for family, etc.

Ultimately I found the book to be generic and forgettable.
Profile Image for Andreea Chiuaru.
Author 1 book780 followers
August 13, 2020
Awesome book, mi-a plăcut mult mai mult decât Captivat. Dacă nu aș fi ascultat varianta audio, probabil că aș fi subliniat jumătate din carte.
Profile Image for Milan.
292 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2020
When you collect your blog posts into a book this is what you get. Something which can be described in a couple of pages has been turned into a book.
Profile Image for JJ Khodadadi.
435 reviews109 followers
October 6, 2020
توی این کتاب یاد میگیرید که چطور تمرکزتون رو ببرید بالا
سعی شده ریشه این حواس پرتی هارو شناسایی کنه و بگه چطور میشه از اونها دوری کرد
Profile Image for Harshita Gupta.
154 reviews44 followers
October 13, 2019
Well, I completed this book today and was contemplating the right kind of words to pen down. I do love non-fiction reads be it belongs to self-help books, business reads, biographies or autobiographies, books on mind or life. I read all the styles of non-fiction. But Indistractable wasn’t the book for me.
Indistractable focuses on the reduction of distractions that is mainly caused by the use of technology and gadgets. It comprises of easy to read short chapters with further sections talking about dealing with distractions from within, reimagining internal triggers, hacking back external triggers, workplace distractions, having Indistractable relationships and, etc. etc.
The first few chapters were compelling, my interest was building up, but as I moved further to the next chapters, it looked like the addition of content was only done with the purpose to increase the volume of the book. It also includes a lot of research material just to present facts but I couldn’t understand how it is useful as a solution or benefits the readers. It is merely like a collection of numerous anecdotes.
I found a lot of positive reviews of the book online, so some of you might like the book, but it wasn’t a great read for me. I recommend reading both reviews before picking it up to read.
Profile Image for SeyedMostafa Meshkati.
57 reviews19 followers
July 30, 2022
کتاب در ابتدا یک مدل ۴ بخشی رو تعریف می‌کنه و هدفش رو بر این می‌ذاره که خواننده‌هارو، تبدیل به آدم‌های « حواس‌جمع » کنه. حالا حواس‌جمع بودن یعنی چی؟ یعنی « اهتمام به کاری که می‌گوییم انجام خواهیم داد ». خب، حالا چطوری قراره این قضیه انجام بشه؟
با معرفی همون مدل ۴ بخشی و پیشنهادها و پرکتیس‌هایی برای رسیدن بهشون.

اساس این مدل چیه حالا؟ این که ما عموما می‌ریم سراغ حواس‌پرتی، چون در لحظه یه رنجی، ناراحتی‌ای چیزی داریم. انگار که رفتیم سراغ شیرینی. چطوری باید حلش کنیم؟ این که اول از همه بفهمیم توی وضعیت حواس‌پرتی / جمعی هستیم و دوما به محرک‌های درونی و بیرونی غلبه کنیم. همین ۴ چیز ( تمرکز حواس، حواس‌پرتی، محرک درونی و محرک بیرونی ) می‌شن بخش‌های مدلمون.

کلا به نظرم کتاب واقع‌بینانه بود، فناوری رو دشمن در نظر نمی‌گرفت و راه‌هاش عموما در کنار فناوری زندگی کردن به صورت منطقی بود، به جای فناوری رو دور ریختن. کلا این تلاشی که سعی می‌کرد دلیل اصلی قضایا رو در بیاره برام خیلی زیبا بود. اکککککثر حرفایی هم که می‌زدن مستند و مستدل بود، یه سری هم خب پرکتیس‌های زندگی شخصی خود نویسنده بود که به صورت کلی به نظرم مفید بودن.
به نظرم یه جورایی مکمل کتاب « کار عمیق » هست و حتما خوندنش رو توصیه می‌کنم.
1 review3 followers
Read
June 8, 2019
I read Indistractible last weekend in 1 sitting… it was really incredible. Very thought provoking, packed with lots of action items. Really enjoyed it and have already recommended it to multiple people!
Profile Image for Suzanne.
227 reviews36.6k followers
December 30, 2019
In a world filled with an ever increasing number of distractions, Nir Eyal comes to the rescue with a book full of well researched and thoroughly tested ideas to help you choose how to spend your time wisely. It's all in service of the idea that what you consistently do over time is going to make you the person you end up being. Are you spending your time according to your values and who you want to be?

The book covers a lot from being more focused at work to parenting to relationships and I learned several new ideas. What I loved the most, though, is how practical this book is. There are solid recommendations on new approaches to try as well as lots of useful and creative app recommendations to help you stay focused. I'm already putting several things into practice and seeing good results.

Some notes for myself:

"When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck." (philosopher Paul Virilio) <- Love this quote as it reinforces that technology can be used for good and/or bad, but it's up to the user to control it.

Time management = pain management. The drive to relieve discomfort is the root cause of all our behavior. Everything else is a proximate cause.

"How we deal with uncomfortable internal triggers determines whether we pursue healthful acts of traction or self-defeating distractions."

"It's good to know that feeling bad isn't actually bad; it's exactly what survival of the fittest intended."

One way to let go of thoughts or feelings that are not helpful is to use the "leaves on the stream" method. Imagine you sitting next to a gently flowing stream with leaves floating by. Put the thought or emotion on one of the leaves and watch the leaf carry on floating on down the river.

If you're faced with a boring task, try and get curious about some part of it. Look for a way to add fun to it.

According to Michael Inzlicht, professor at University of Toronto, willpower is not finite. It's more like an emotion. "Just as we don't 'run out' of joy or anger, willpower ebbs and flows in response to what's happening to us and how we feel." Let go of this belief as it encourages you to believe you have a reason to quit because you have used up your willpower.

For anyone dealing with an inner critic, here's another reason to focus on being more self-compassionate. "A 2015 review of 79 studies looking at the responses of over 16,000 volunteers found that people who have 'a positive and caring attitude ... toward her- or himself in the face of failures and individual shortcomings' tend to be happier." And people who have a tendency towards self-blame, are more likely to deal with depression and anxiety.

True friendship has three qualities: someone to talk to, to depend on, and to enjoy. But you need to nurture your friendships. One idea Nir does with his wife is to meet up with three other couples every two weeks for a picnic lunch and discuss one question ranging from practical (Should we push our kids to learn things they don't want, like learning a piano?) to deeper ideas (What is the one thing you are thankful your parents taught you?).

The chapter around identity was interesting. Much easier to make good decisions when you identify as someone who eats healthily or isn't a smoker than if you identify as someone who has a sweet tooth or a smoker trying to give up.

Timeboxing = decide not only what you're going to do but also when you're going to do it. And block off your calendar to protect that time.

People want autonomy yet, according to Robert Epstein, author of "The Myth of the Teen Brain" in Scientific American, his surveys showed that "teens in the U.S. are subjected to more than ten times as many restrictions as are mainstream adults, twice as many restrictions as active-duty U.S. Marines, and even twice as many restrictions as incarcerated felons." No wonder they love playing video games that give them a sense of control.

Anya Kamenetz, author of The Art of Screen Time, "writes that making sure kids get enough sleep is 'the one issues with the most incontrovertible evidence.' Kamenetz strongly advises that 'screens and sleep don't mix' and implores parents to keep all digital devices out of kids rooms at nighttime and to shut down screens at least an hour before bedtime."

Thank you to BenBella Books for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Ramón Nogueras Pérez.
616 reviews310 followers
November 15, 2023
Un libro de referencia sobre cómo cultivar la atención y la concentración y evitar las distracciones, bien asentado en evidencia científica y justificado, y alejado de catastrofismos y teorías conspiranoicas. Lleno de cosas que hacer y pautas claramente estructuradas. Totalmente recomendable.
Profile Image for Nopadol Rompho.
Author 4 books343 followers
July 21, 2021
If you have a problem with distractions, this book will tell you how to solve this problem. The main idea is to eliminate or decrease internal and external triggers. Strongly recommended.
Profile Image for Kerry-louise Jones.
430 reviews19 followers
September 16, 2019
This book is full of interesting studies and facts to help you understand why you are being distracted and gives you simple solutions to help improve how you spend the time you have.

I would recommend this to anyone who is struggling with high screen time or work/life balance. It is really relatable and non-judgemental, the author himself admits to falling victim of so many of the struggles that we face today such as checking social media when spending time with his child. A lot of the findings really resonated with me especially the part about lying awake at night stressing about not being able to get back to sleep! I have put Nir words in to effect and now those hours at 2am are not full of stress and I fall back to sleep much quicker!

Thanks to Net Galley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,260 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.