getbetter

Nir Eyal

Our minds seek distraction and crave relief when we are bored, anxious or stressed. Identify and acknowledge this urge, then learn to ride the “wave of discomfort” — knowing that the craving will peak and fall naturally regardless if you act on it or not.

• “10 Minute Rule”. Procrastinate on the distraction and tell yourself that you're allowed to give in — but only after 10 minutes.

• “Leaves on a Stream” Visualization. Recognize that you are the observer of your thoughts, not the thoughts themselves. Imagine sitting next to a stream, placing each distracting thought on a leaf, and letting it float by.

• Practice Self-Compassion. Instead of blaming yourself for giving in to a distraction, talk to yourself using words of caring and kindness as you would to a good friend who had slipped up.

• Use “Pacts” to Prevent Distraction. “Effort Pacts” make unwanted behaviors more difficult. “Price Pacts” impose fines for missing targets. “Identity Pacts” commit to living up to a positive image of your future self => use “I don't” instead of “I can't” [do something].

• Minimize External Triggers. Clean up your computer's desktop and phone's home screen. Remove all notifications unless absolutely necessary. Log out distracting apps between uses. Place physical “do not disturb” signs during periods of sustained focus. Leave distracting devices out of meetings. Schedule and timebox your calendar for things that really matter.

Barbara Oakley

Invest time in learning how to learn. Switch between focused and diffuse modes of thinking. Recall and retell instead of review. Separate “process” from “product”, and beat procrastination by just starting doing something small.

• Mode Switching. Toggle between “focused mode” and “diffuse mode” of thinking. After a period of focused attention, relax and take a break (go for a walk or even take a nap) — this allows our unconscious brain to continue working in the background and relate the newly-acquired knowledge to the “bigger picture”.

• Chunks, Mental Scaffolds and Interleaving. Unite bits of information through meaning, and form new easier-to-remember logical “chunks”. Use analogies and imageries to make abstract concepts concrete and relatable to existing knowledge. Interleaving by mixing up problem types and/or across disciplines, which prevents over-learning and allows application/transfer across multiple contexts.

• Recall and Spaced Repetition. To avoid the “illusion of competence”, look away and try to recall the material you’ve learnt. Recall, which takes mental effort, is far more effective than simply reviewing the material. Use “spaced repetition” to move items from working memory to long-term memory. Retell and teach the material to yourself/others in simple language (“explain like I'm five”).

• Beat Procrastination. Start doing something small. Separate “process” from “product”. When writing, for example, let ideas to flow without any friction, before going back to edit and refine. Use the “Pomodoro technique” to focus and work intently in 25-minute blocks, followed by 5-minute breaks.

• Bonus Tip: Pause and spend 30 seconds writing down the “most important points” immediately after every meeting, lecture, reading, or any significant experience.