Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life | Nir Eyal

"Indistractable provides a framework that will deliver the focus you need to get results." —James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

"If you value your time, your focus, or your relationships, this book is essential reading. I'm putting these ideas into practice." —Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING WORKS OF LITERATURE (OWL) AWARD

INCLUDED IN THE TOP 5 BEST PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY AUDIBLE

INCLUDED IN THE TOP 20 BEST BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY AMAZON

FEATURED IN THE AMAZON BOOK REVIEW NEWSLETTER, JANUARY 2020

GOODREADS BEST SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY OF 2019 FINALIST


You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold.

What would be possible if you followed through on your best intentions? What could you accomplish if you could stay focused? What if you had the power to become "indistractable?"

International bestselling author, former Stanford lecturer, and behavioral design expert, Nir Eyal, wrote Silicon Valley's handbook for making technology habit-forming. Five years after publishing Hooked, Eyal reveals distraction's Achilles' heel in his groundbreaking new book.

In Indistractable, Eyal reveals the hidden psychology driving us to distraction. He describes why solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off our devices: Abstinence is impractical and often makes us want more.

Eyal lays bare the secret of finally doing what you say you will do with a four-step, research-backed model. Indistractable reveals the key to getting the best out of technology, without letting it get the best of us.

Inside, Eyal overturns conventional wisdom and reveals:

   • Why distraction at work is a symptom of a dysfunctional company culture—and how to fix it
   • What really drives human behavior and why "time management is pain management"
   • Why your relationships (and your sex life) depend on you becoming indistractable
   • How to raise indistractable children in an increasingly distracting world

Empowering and optimistic, Indistractable provides practical, novel techniques to control your time and attention—helping you live the life you really want.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Another must-read/listen from Nir Eyal . . . I was vigorously nodding along to parts of this book. A great foundation for bringing intention and focus to your work—and home—life."

—Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit

"Exceptionally well-written."
—Midwest Book Review

"The author offers some helpful behavioral and time-management strategies to help us re-engage with real life . . . Eyal takes a Marie Kondo-style approach to eliminating digital clutter."

—The Wall Street Journal

"If you value your time, your focus, or your relationships, this book is essential reading. I'm putting these ideas into practice."

—Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind

"Indistractable is the most practical and realistic approach to balancing technology with well-being. A must-read for anyone with a smartphone."

—Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

"This book is full of insights, stories, cutting-edge research and—most helpful—concrete, manageable strategies for becoming indistractable."

—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

"In a world filled with noise, Indistractable provides a framework that will deliver the focus you need to get results."

—James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

"Success and happiness belong to people who can control their attention. Nir Eyal is on a mission to protect you from distraction—and his lively book is full of actionable ideas"

—Adam Grant, author of Give and Take and Originals

"In the future, there will be two kinds of people in the world: those who read and apply the principles in Indistractable and those who wish they had read it sooner."

—Kintan Brahmbhatt, global head of product at Amazon Music

"Being indistractable is the essential skill for our time. Skip this book at your peril! My advice is this: Read it. Live it. Repeat."

—Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism

"This is such an important book. Indistractable is the best guide I've read for reclaiming our attention, our focus, and our lives."

—Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive, Global and founder of The Huffington Post

"I can think of no more important skill than focus and no better teacher than Nir Eyal. Being indistractable is the skill of the century."

—Shane Parrish, founder of Farnam Street

"As a lifelong procrastinator, I'm painfully aware of how much productivity-related advice there is out there and how little of it is actually helpful. Indistractable is an exception."

—Tim Urban, author of WaitButWhy.com

"This book has done more to change the way I see the world than anything I've read in the past several years. The actionable insights from Indistractable have helped me reduce my daily time spent on email by 90%."

—Shane Snow, author of Smartcuts

"Indistractable puts humans back where we belong when it comes to distraction: in the cockpit of our own lives."

—Anya Kamenetz, author of The Art of Screen Time

"Indistractable will help you make the most of your time and find peace and productivity in an increasingly distracting world."

—Charlotte Blank, chief behavioral officer at Maritz

"Dive headfirst into this book. Indistractable is a fascinating, visual, and profoundly helpful guide to overcoming distraction. The deeper you dig into this book, the more productive you'll become."

—Chris Bailey, author of Hyperfocus

"Indistractable is filled with both wisdom and humor. This is a valuable read for anyone navigating our modern world."

—Richard M. Ryan, cofounder of self-determination theory

"Nir Eyal understands the modern technologies of attention from the inside, and in this practical and timely book, he shares the secrets to regaining and sustaining the capacity to focus on what matters. Your brain (not to mention your spouse, your kids, and your friends) will thank you for reading it."

—Oliver Burkeman, columnist for The Guardian

"An essential book for anyone trying to think, work, or live better."

—Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy

"Indistractable is priceless. You can't afford to ignore this book."

—Eric Barker, author of Barking Up The Wrong Tree

"By following Eyal's four-step, research-backed model, you'll be able to gain control of your attention and leverage the incredible benefits of modern technology without feeling scattered and drained. Indistractable is an essential book for people looking to make big things happen in the digital age."

—Taylor Pearson, author of The End of Jobs

"Indistractable helped me realize technology was not the real reason I got distracted and struggled to get things done. It changed how I manage every part of my day, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Everybody should read this book!"

—Steve Kamb, founder of Nerd Fitness and author of Level Up Your Life

"Indistractable is a masterclass in understanding the root cause of distraction. Recommended for anyone looking to do more deep work."

—Cal Newport, author of Deep Work

"Indistractable was an ‘ah-ha moment' for me. Eyal distills academic research without ignoring the nuances and he values the readers' time with a Goldilocks amount of detail, relevant examples, and practical strategies."

—Jocelyn Brewer, founder of Digital Nutrition

"Indistractable is the most complete guide I've ever read on being focused. This book is a gift for anyone looking to free up time so that they can live a better, more fulfilling, and less hectic life."

—Dan Schawbel, author of Back to Human

About the Author

Nir Eyal lectured at Stanford's Graduate School of Business and Institute of Design. His first book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, is an international bestseller and taught Silicon Valley how to design user behavior. 
His second book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, reveals the Achilles' heel of distraction and provides a guidebook for getting the best of technology without letting it get the best of us. 
Nir writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business at NirAndFar.com and his writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, Time, The Week, Inc.,and Psychology Today.