Nir EyalSpeaker on Behavioral Science, NYT Bestselling Author, Former Stanford Lecturer

The Most Important Skill of the Future is Being ‘Indistractable’

Name: The Most Important Skill of the Future is Being ‘Indistractable’
Uploaded: 2020-09-21T13:00:05+00:00
Duration: 59 s
Channel: Nir Eyal
Description: Nir Eyal explains how tech companies use external triggers (pings, dings) to capture attention and how individuals can manage these triggers to pursue…

21 Sept 2020 · 1 min

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Nir Eyal explains how tech companies use external triggers (pings, dings) to capture attention and how individuals can manage these triggers to pursue intended tasks. He distinguishes between helpful external triggers that lead to traction (support planned actions) and harmful ones that cause distraction, and identifies smartphones as a particularly pervasive source of unhelpful external triggers.

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Tech companies use external triggers to hack our attention. The pings and dings from our devices often distract us by pulling us away from what we really want to do. We may try to ignore those triggers, but research shows that ignoring a call or message can be just as distracting as responding to one. Not all external triggers are distractions, however. If used to help you accomplish tasks, external triggers can remind you to do what you planned. The right approach is to ask whether the external trigger is serving you or whether you are serving it. If the prompt leads you to traction, keep it. If it leads you to distraction, eliminate it. External triggers are all Around Us One of the most potentially troublesome sources of unhelpful external triggers is, of course, our smartphones. Whether it's to keep in contact with family, navigate around town, or listen to audiobooks, this miracle device in your pocket has become indispensable. It can also be a major source of distraction.