Dings, beeps and popups? Constantly interrupted? Cannot get real work done? Seem to have a fog in your mind? This is the book for you. In today’s always-on culture, we are constantly at the mercy of the Inbox, whatever it may come from.
Work evolved from memos that had to be typed down and proofread, and then hand-delivered; to email. We saw the benefits of it. We heralded instant communication as the ultimate productivity tool, but no one raised their voice enough predicting its diminishing returns.
If you are doing any work that matters, you need uninterrupted periods of time to do so. I have experienced this myself and know very well that sometimes the answer comes after quite some time staring at a screen while apparently doing nothing.
Recent studies have also shown that there is quite a steep cost in switching tasks. It takes a long time for your brain to settle into a new problem and deeply concentrate. In Indistractable, Nir Eyal analyzes the fundamental issues that we are facing when being distracted and how it is preventing us from being our best selves. He offers insights like: “you can’t call something a distraction unless you know what is distracting you from” or “the people you love deserve more than getting whatever time is left over”. But then it also goes into practical, actionable tips like “make it harder to call a meeting” and “remove the apps you no longer need”.
Definitely a good read. Make sure you turn on “Don’t disturb” when reading it.