Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

by Nir Eyal

distractions can get out of hand, leaving us with a feeling that our decisions are not our own.

if you are not equipped to manage distraction, your brain will be manipulated by time-wasting diversions.

two kinds of people in the world: those who let their attention and lives be controlled and coerced by others and those who proudly call themselves “indistractable.”

you’ve been conditioned to expect instant gratification.

The antidote to impulsiveness is forethought. Planning ahead ensures you will follow through.

living the life we want requires not only doing the right things; it also requires we stop doing the wrong things that take us off track.

Imagine the incredible power of following through on your intentions.

Living the lives we want not only requires doing the right things but also necessitates not doing the things we know we’ll regret.

We are constantly reaching for something: more money, more experiences, more knowledge, more status, more stuff.

we think we’re seeking pleasure, we’re actually driven by the desire to free ourselves from the pain of wanting.

the drive to relieve discomfort is the root cause of all our behavior, while everything else is a proximate cause.

people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.

“If satisfaction and pleasure were permanent, there might be little incentive to continue seeking further benefits or advances.”

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

feeling bad isn’t actually bad; it’s exactly what survival of the fittest intended.