How to become 'indistractible' (and destroy anxiety) - [3 step framework]

If you’re anything like me, you go through periods that are racked with anxiety and lack of progress.

You get a few months into the year, and you’re already sidetracked from the big goals you set for yourself.

You feel like you’ve failed before you’ve even started, and start looking for ways to justify why you’ve not done what you said to yourself that you would.

This becomes a breeding ground for anxiety and inactivity. The doom scrolling commences, and you find yourself checking e-mails 72 times a day to see whether there’s anything ‘productive’ or interesting to do.

But, the more I think about this, the more I find it’s less about becoming MORE productive (even though there’s always a way to improve here). It’s about becoming LESS distracted.

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"Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore." —James Clear

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Think about it for a second.

• Do you struggle for time. Or is time taken from you?
• Do you get distracted by others. Or do you distract yourself?
• Are you making progress. Or are you getting caught in the noise?

Last year, I got caught up in all three of these.

Take this newsletter. I’ve not sent it in months. Not because I’ve not had the time, but because I’ve let myself become distracted.

My two biggest problems are:

1. The lure of social media and e-mail (I guess it’s the dopamine hit)
2. Wanting to please everyone (and taking on too much in the process)

So, just before Christmas I made myself a promise…

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I wouldn’t rely on brainpower alone to try and keep me on track.

I’d actively limit my ability to distract myself.

So with tech as my aid, I built digital walls to save myself from myself.

The result. A successful digital detox over Christmas, and what I’m confident will be a much less stressful 2025 where I’m (actually) making some progress.

Here’s how I’m doing it, in 3 simple steps, that you can get started with today.

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The Framework

1. De-noise

Do this step successfully and you’re 80% of the way there. The intention here is to remove as many notifications with the ability to distract you as possible.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Removing notifications from apps (phone & desktop)
• Removing social media from your phone
• Making DND your default

I tend to use apps like Teams / Slack in my browser now so I can them with intention, as opposed to having it permanently flashing on my desktop.

There’s also a lot to be said for turning your phone into a ‘Dumb Phone’

2. Block

This step involves deliberately blocking access to certain apps and websites that you’ll often open on autopilot.

I’m yet to find an app that does everything I want, so right now I’m using 3.

1. Blocksite (browser)
2. Freedom (desktop)
3. ScreenZen (mobile)

[Links at the end]

With Blocksite, I can block specific URLs instead of entire domains.

For example, I can block myself from looking at my LinkedIn profile (to avoid checking my followers every 5 seconds) but maintain access to be able to post, and view post analytics etc.

With Freedom, I can block specific desktop apps (like e-mail) for chunks of time, and with ScreenZen, I can do the same with mobile apps.

3. Time-limit

Sometimes, you might not want to block something in it's entirety.

For example, over Christmas, I limited myself to opening e-mails on my phone to 1 session 5 minutes per day.

All I did in those 5 minutes were archive non-important e-mails, and move important e-mails into task folders (that triggers an automation to create them as tasks in Notion to pick up later).

For web browsing I did the same, but allowed 2 x 5 minute sessions instead of 1.

I’ll be doing the same for e-mail on my desktop using Freedom

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I’m using the free versions of all of these apps. Which also means it’s super easy for you to get started.

So why not give it a try?

1. Download ScreenZen on your phone
2. Follow the wizard
3. Block / time limit your first app.
   
   

NOTE - I’m not affiliated with any of the apps I’ve mentioned here.

App links:

• Blocksite here
• Freedom here
• ScreenZen here

And if you’re looking for a deeper dive into how to become Indistractable, I’d thoroughly recommend the book - "In distract able: How to control your attention and choose your life" - Nir Ayal here.

So, whenever you’re feeling anxious, or caught in a sea of stuff that’s vying for attention.

Instead of thinking:

”How can I become MORE productive”

Think instead:

”How can I become LESS distracted”.

Your sanity (like mine) depends on it.

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Until next time.

Adam

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P.S - There’re 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Individual coaching here
2. Business consulting here
3. The 2-Hour Automator [Soon to be released] here