Still reflecting about the podcast episode I wrote about yesterday where the author Nir Eyal shared the 10-minute rule as a way to reduce distraction.

He said that as human beings we fear abstinence. Announcing “I will never do that thing again” might trigger the rebellious side we have and make it difficult to break our negative patterns.

What should we do instead?

If we feel agitated, and want to change our habit of responding with junk food or social media scrolling or a cigarette we could give ourselves the permission to do so, only in 10 minutes. This will calm us down a bit and help us regain our focus on the task at hand. We could also allow ourselves to be with the uncomfortable feeling for a while and try to label it. Emotions are not directives to act as Susan David says in Emotional Agility, they are simply data. Maybe, when allow the feeling to be, we would realize we can respond in healthier ways or just let it pass.

Let’s test out this rule to protect our focused attention.