In­dis­tractable

Gaining Traction in Life

Traction is a good thing. It propels us toward the goals and values we care about. The key to generating more traction is to thoughtfully structure our time. We must be intentional about how we allocate our hours and minutes.

An effective approach is time boxing - dividing each day into blocks devoted to specific domains of life. This ensures we act on what matters rather than get distracted. As the Roman philosopher Seneca observed, "People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time, they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy."

The standard time management technique is making daily to-do lists. But these often lack priorities. Tasks slide from one day to the next. A schedule built around values is far better. It ensures high-value activities get the time they deserve. Start by identifying your core domains - the areas of life that reflect your values. These usually include: You Time. Personal activities for health, learning, and enjoyment. Time to recharge. Relationships. Quality time with family, friends, and community.

Work. Activities to advance your career and provide income.

Next, estimate the hours per week needed in each domain to align with your values. This establishes ideal time allotments. With the totals defined, break each day into 15-minute blocks. Designate blocks for each domain - "you time", relationships, or work. This creates a template for an ideal week. Build your actual weekly schedule to match the template as closely as possible. Having time boxed, you'll know when you get distracted from the plan. Review weekly how well your schedule aligned with the template. Ask yourself: When did I follow the plan versus get distracted? What schedule tweaks would better reflect my values? As Nir Eyal writes, "When our lives change, our schedules can too. But once our schedule is set, the idea is to stick with it until we decide to improve it on the next go-round. 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." In short, "By turning our values into time, we make sure we have time for traction."

To become focused and productive, you must eliminate external triggers that distract you and waste your time. The key is simple: Pause when you get an external trigger and ask yourself, "Is this serving me or am I serving it?" Use helpful triggers and ignore unhelpful ones.

In 2007, Stanford's BJ Fogg created a model for "mass interpersonal persuasion." He taught it to students like Mike Krieger, who used it to co-found Instagram. Fogg's model says a behavior (B) happens when motivation (M), ability (A), and a trigger (T) align. B=MAT. Devices give many triggers for distraction. Evaluate triggers by their usefulness. You likely need to reduce these external trigger sources:

Studies show 400,000 US hospital patients get wrong medications yearly, costing $3.5 billion. "Medical error" is the #3 cause of death. Distractions and interruptions are the main issue. Hospitals now have nurses wear special vests when giving meds so others know not to interrupt. Create interruption-free zones for focus. Use signals when you can't be disturbed.

Email takes up 3+ hours daily if you spend 2 minutes per 100 emails. Send less email yourself. Schedule office hours to respond rather than replying instantly. Have a 15-minute block for emails. Don't stop productive work to answer every email. Write concise emails. Get to the point quickly. Group chat is an all-day meeting. Use it in spurts, not constantly. Schedule group chats rather than expecting 24/7 availability. Limit participants to those who truly need to join. Never discuss sensitive stuff since all see it.

Maintaining focus in today's world inundated with distractions requires more than just avoiding external triggers; it necessitates proactive strategies to prevent falling into distractions inadvertently. One of the most potent approaches is establishing precommitments or agreements with oneself that eliminate the possibility of succumbing to future distractions. However, for this method to be effective, it's essential to first address internal triggers, eliminate external triggers, and allocate time for focused activities.

Precommitments serve as the final safeguard against the allure of distractions, but they should only be employed after initial strategies for avoiding distractions have been applied. Skipping the initial steps can compromise the effectiveness of precommitments. By making commitments to prioritize productivity over leisure and voluntarily restricting oneself to accomplish more, individuals can significantly reduce the likelihood of acting against their own interests later.