Indistractable

If we chronically neglect our values, we become something we’re not proud of—our

If we chronically neglect our values, we become something we’re not proud of—our lives feel out of balance and diminished.

Without planning ahead, it’s impossible to tell the difference between traction and distraction.

You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it’s distracting

You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it’s distracting you from.

we actually perform better under constraints. This is because limitations give us a structure, while a blank schedule and a mile-long to-do list torments us with too many choices.

“deciding what you’re going to do, and when you’re going to do it.”

The goal is to eliminate all white space on your calendar so you’re left with a template for how you intend to spend your time each day.

It doesn’t so much matter what you do with your time; rather, success is measured by whether you did what you planned to do.

planned to do. Alternatively, checking work email, a seemingly productive task, is a distraction if it’s done when you intended to spend time with your family or work on a presentation.

Keeping a timeboxed schedule is the only way to know if you’re distracted.

Keeping a timeboxed schedule is the only way to know if you’re distracted. If you’re not spending your time doing what you’d planned, you’re off track.

If an internal trigger distracts you, what strategies will you use to cope the next time it arises?

“Are there changes I can make to my calendar that will give me the time I need to better live out my values?”

The idea is to commit to a practice that improves your schedule over time by helping you know the difference between traction and distraction for every moment of the day.

Approaching the exercise of making a schedule as a curious scientist, rather than a drill sergeant, gives us the freedom to get better with each iteration.

Being indistractable is largely about making sure you make time for traction each day and eliminating the distraction that keeps you from living the life you want—one that involves taking care of yourself, your relationships, and your work.

Taking care of yourself is at the core of the three domains because the other two depend on your health and wellness. If you’re not taking care of yourself, your relationships suffer. Likewise, your work isn’t its best when you haven’t given yourself the time you need to stay physically and psychologically healthy.

“The body gets what the body needs.” That subtle mind-set shift took the pressure off by no longer making sleep a requirement.

“The body gets what the body needs.” That subtle mind-set shift took the pressure off by no longer making sleep a requirement. My job was to provide my body with the proper time and place to rest—what