Overview:
I got a digital preview copy of this book via NetGalley. This book is all about how to handle distractions that are hurled at us from all directions.
What is the book about:
In his previous book – Hooked, Nir shared the framework that could be used to build habit forming products and in this book he shares strategies for consumers to avoid getting sucked into the habit forming products that were built using the framework he shared in his previous work 🙂
He is candid in sharing that he found himself constantly distracted by all the things that are coming at him, including products that designed habits among their consumers, not for the benefit of the consumers but for their own benefits.
Ease of reading:
The book is an easy read. As a matter of fact, the book seems to be like a series of blog posts, all centered around the theme of avoiding distractions so that we can do the work that we are meant to do or want to do.
You can start from wherever you want and stop at the end of the chapter. This makes the book an easy read and available even to those who think that they can’t read a full book.
What I loved about the book:
He has tried to cover all aspects of distractions – in personal life, in professional life and has some very practical strategies that we could put in place that can help us lead a distraction free life.
Some of these strategies are well known, like, remove all notifications on your mobile phone, remove all social media apps from the phone and only access them on your PC or laptop or make it difficult for you to reach your phone by keeping it within a closed drawer or 10 meters away or in a different room.
Some of the strategies are novel, like, deciding what you will do at certain times with certain people (friends or family) so that when the time comes, we don’t simply allow the time to pass but are intentional about what gets done. The whole concept of scheduling time for important relationships & planning for the time we spend together ahead of time is the best way to make the time together more enjoyable and fruitful.
Another interesting idea he shares comes from a hospital case study. HE says that in most modern workplaces (open offices), people do not realise if and when someone is trying to engage in deep work so everyone interrupts everyone else. What if we could clearly indicate to people walking around that we are in deep work mode and would like to be left alone by having a big sign that says exactly that.
He shares a lot of anecdotes, both from his personal life and also from the academic research which makes the book infinitely a better read than a how to manual, that it actually is.
What would I have done differently:
I don’t think that I would have done anything differently with this book. This seems to be as perfect, as it can get.
In Conclusion:
— This is a <<5>> star book for me. One of the few books that is not only interesting to read but also of infinitely practical use when put in practice. Nir has another bestseller in this book.
