Nir Eyal separates traction, actions aligned with your values, from distraction, which pulls you away. Whether something distracts you depends on your schedule and values, not the activity itself. He warns against replacing hard work with easy tasks and argues technology isn't inherently addictive if you use it intentionally.
Chapters
There is no part of your life that doesn't depend on your ability to focus your attention in order to do whatever it is you want to do, rather than having all kinds of outsized influences manipulate your time and attention. But what is distraction really? What does that word even mean? Most people, when you ask them what is the opposite of distraction, they'll tell you it's focus. But that's not exactly right. You see, the opposite of distraction is not focus. The opposite of distraction is traction. If you look at the Latin origin of the word, both words come from the same root, trajare, which means to pull. And you'll notice that both traction and distraction end in the same six letters. A, C, T, I, O, N. That spells action, reminding us that distraction is not something that happens to us. Rather, it is an action that we ourselves take. So by definition, traction is any action that pulls you to, towards what you say you're going to do with your time. It's something that moves you closer to your values, helps you become the kind of person you want to become. Now, the opposite of traction is distraction. Distraction is any action that pulls you further away from what you plan to do, further away from your values, and further away from becoming the kind of person you want to become. Now, this isn't just some wordplay. This is really important. And here's why. Because I believe any action can be traction or distraction. Let me give you an example. How many times have you gotten into work, sat at your desk and said, okay, here's my to do list and here's all the things I need to do and there's the most important thing I need to do. I'm gonna get started right away on that most important task. Here I go. Nothing's gonna get in my way. I'm not gonna get distracted, I'm not gonna procrastinate. Here I go, I'm gonna get started. But first let me just check some email for a quick minute. Let me do that work related task that feels productive but is not what I said I'm going to do with my time. Let me do that one thing on my to do list that's not at the top, but maybe somewhere in the bottom. That's easy to do, just to get started, get some momentum. And this is the most dangerous, most pernicious form of distraction. The distractions that trick us into prioritizing the easy and the urgent at the expense of the important and hard work we have to do to move our careers and, and our lives forward. So just because it's a work related task doesn't mean it's not a distraction. In fact, that can be the worst kind of distraction because it's not what you plan to do with your time. Conversely, any action can also be traction so today we hear a lot in the media about how technology is melting our brains, how it's so evil and hijacking us and addicting everyone. And I'm here to tell you, I've spent the past five years researching the topic and I can tell you that is not true, that there's nothing morally inferior to playing a video game versus watching a football game on tv. Anything you plan to do with your time is fine. You want to watch a video on Netflix, you want to scroll YouTube or Facebook, no problem. There's nothing wrong with any of that stuff as long as you use it according to your values and your schedule, not somebody else's. If you enjoy this video and want to learn more about becoming indistractable, sign up for my free mindvalley Masterclass.
