Max Pamies i del Campo's Key Ideas from Indistractable
by Nir Eyal, Julie Li

Distraction cost us time, and, like all actions, they are driven by the desire to escape discomfort.

As human beings, we have tendencies towards dissatisfaction and discomfort, which can play both against us or in favor.

Dissatisfaction is the driving force of our species' evolution, when alligned with curiosity and creativity it moves us forward.

For mastering distraction we must learn to deal with discomfort.

With no techniques for defusing temptation, mental abstinence can backfire. Resisting an impulse can cause rumination and reinforce desire.

We can deal with distractions that come from within by changing the way we think about them. It is possible to re-imagine the trigger, the task and our temperament.

We can't control what we feel and think, but we can control what we do with them. Discover how in four simple steps:

• Step 1: Look for the discomfort that precedes the distraction, focusing in on the internal trigger.
• Step 2: Write down the trigger. Note the time of the day, what you were doing and how you felt when noticing the internal trigger that led to the distracting beahviour.
• Step 3: Explore your sensations. What are your usual symptoms prior to engage in an impulse?
• Step 4: Beware of liminal moments. Liminal moments are transitions from one thing to the other throughout tour day.

Through fun and play we can hold focus easier and combat our internal triggers of distraction. By doing it so we can transform any task into irresistible, we just need to take it as seriously as it deserves.

Play doesn't have to be pleasurable. It just has to hold our attention.

Curiosity is key to holding our focus and from curiosity any task can be fun to perform.

Deliberateness and novelty can be added to any task to make it fun.

Reinventing our temperament can help us manage our internal triggers.

We don't run out of willpower. Believing we do makes us less likely to accomplish our goals, by providing a rationale to quit when we could otherwise persist.

What we say to ourselves matters. Labelling yourself as having poor self-control is self defeating.

Practise self-compassion. Talk to yourself the way you'd talk to a friend. People who are more self-compassionate are more resilient.