1, #19 - Distractions come from within
1, #19 - Distractions come from within
On Emotional Discomfort - Estimated Reading Time: 40 seconds.
“Distraction begins from within… Something will always distract you unless you understand what feeling you’re trying to escape.” Have you read Nir Eyal’s books? He’s most known for Hooked, but his second book, Indistractable, was the focus of an interview that caught my attention last week. As someone who often struggles with focus, I spend a lot of time managing external stimuli. But listening to this discussion made me realize how often I’m seeking distraction, to avoid some kind of emotional discomfort. Nir’s solution to all this starts with proposing that the opposite of distraction is not focus, but traction. Traction means positive momentum, while distraction means either negative momentum or just no momentum at all. Nir suggests gaining traction by (1) Mastering your internal triggers; (2) Making time for traction; (3) Taking control over your external triggers; (4) Making pacts with yourself. Whether or not these steps work for you, I hope that considering the emotional nature of distraction helps you, as it has helped me.
Insight Inspired by: Nir Eyal, via this episode of Farnam Steet’s The Knowledge Project podcast.