Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

Nir Eyal

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. more

NonfictionSelf HelpProductivityPsychologyPersonal DevelopmentBusinessAudiobookLeadershipScienceTechnology

290 pages, Hardcover
First published BenBella Books

3.75

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20870

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2230

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Nir Eyal

10 books 31182 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

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Sean Gibson
701 reviews
5904 followers
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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. more


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Emma Sea
2197 reviews
1118 followers
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ACT theory + time blocking + habit setting + digital minimalism. There. Now you don't need to read it. more


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Jorge David
37 reviews
0 followers
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Could have been a blog post. Better off reading Atomic Habits, Deep Work or The Path of Least Resistance. more


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Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill)
1341 reviews
3152 followers
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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. more


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Bejinha
114 reviews
22 followers
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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. more


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8stitches 9lives
2856 reviews
1647 followers
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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. more


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Elvina Zafril
559 reviews
92 followers
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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. more


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Debbie
342 reviews
28 followers
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2. 5 starsLike 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. more


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Charles Roels
7 reviews
3 followers
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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. more


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Петър Стойков
1426 reviews
296 followers
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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. more


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Valentin
48 reviews
1 followers
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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. more


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Murtaza
679 reviews
3394 followers
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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. more


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Mehrsa
2235 reviews
3637 followers
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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. . more


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Arezoo Alipanah
234 reviews
142 followers
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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. more


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Alan Stout
1 reviews
0 followers
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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. more


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Adriana
245 reviews
45 followers
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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). more


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Mario Tomic
159 reviews
334 followers
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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. more


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Moh. Nasiri
305 reviews
98 followers
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خلاصه کتاب ذهن حواس جمع (Indistractable)ما می‌دونیم که حواس‌جمع بودن مهمه و خیلی وقت‌ها هم تلاش می‌کنیم تا عوامل 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. more


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Rod Moser
65 reviews
5 followers
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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. more


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Ryan Newton
1 reviews
1 followers
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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. more


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Andreea Chiuaru
352 reviews
774 followers
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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. . more


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Milan
292 reviews
2 followers
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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. . more


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JJ Khodadadi
425 reviews
105 followers
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توی این کتاب یاد میگیرید که چطور تمرکزتون رو ببرید بالاسعی شده ریشه این حواس پرتی هارو شناسایی کنه و بگه چطور میشه از اونها دوری کرد. more


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Harshita Gupta
154 reviews
43 followers
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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. more


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SeyedMostafa Meshkati
57 reviews
19 followers
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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. more


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Austin Rief
1 reviews
3 followers
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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. more


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Suzanne
225 reviews
36575 followers
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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. more


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Ramón Nogueras Pérez
604 reviews
299 followers
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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. . more


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Nopadol Rompho
418 reviews
333 followers
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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. more


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Kerry-louise Jones
430 reviews
18 followers
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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. more


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