If you’re always distracted, you need to read this.

Ever found yourself sitting down to work on something important, only to somehow end up 45 minutes deep in your ex's new partner's cousin's Instagram? Same.

The cycle of distraction and guilt is real. And in our hyper-connected world, it feels harder than ever to stay focused on what matters.

But according to Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, we're not as powerless against distraction as we might think.

Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett, Eyal shared his tips for staying focused.

And all it takes is a Post-It note, a pen, and 10 minutes.

Watch: Mindset coach Erika Cramer on the lies we tell ourselves that keep us stuck. Post continus after video.

The Post-it note technique that could change everything

Instead of beating yourself up about getting distracted, Eyal suggests keeping a Post-it note and pen on your desk. When you feel the urge to get distracted, pause and write down what you're feeling in that moment.

"Whenever I work, I have on my desk, I have a little Post-it note and a pen handy and when I get distracted, or when I even feel the sense of distraction, just noting down that sensation, just writing down, what is it that I felt right before the distraction?" said Eyal.

It might seem too simple to work, but there's power in identifying what's really going on when we get distracted.

Is it boredom? Anxiety? Fear? Uncertainty?

"Just writing it down is an incredible first step towards gaining power over that discomfort, because then you can start to identify it," Eyal explained.

The magic happens when you start ~re-framing~ these feelings. Rather than viewing them as something happening to you, see them as happening for you — like a signal your brain is sending.

"High performers across every field... experience loneliness and stress and anxiety, just like everyone else does, but they deal with it by using it as rocket fuel to push them towards traction, whereas distractible people, as soon as they feel that discomfort, they try and escape it with distraction. That's the big difference."

The 10-minute rule that actually works

A technique that doesn't involve downloading another app or buying a fancy planner? Sign us up.

According to Eyal, "you can give in to any distraction, any distraction... whatever distraction, you can give into that distraction, but not right now. You can give in, in 10 minutes."

He emphasises an important distinction: "Don't misunderstand, not for 10 minutes. Sometimes people get it wrong. It's in 10 minutes."

Why does this work better than just trying to power through? Because it puts you back in control.

"What many people do is they have strict abstinence. Strict abstinence says, 'No, I will not do it'... as opposed to saying, 'Hey, I'm an adult. I can do whatever I want. I choose not to go off track for the next 10 minutes. That's it. In 10 minutes, I can give in to whatever I want.'"

Take the act of smoking, for example.

"Part of the reason people get addicted to cigarettes is the rumination around, 'I want to smoke, but I can't,'" explained Eyal. "You ask smokers why they smoke, the number one reason is [that] it's relaxing. That makes no sense. Nicotine is a stimulant."

Why, then, would it be relaxing? Because the smoker doesn't have to "fight" with themselves any more, they can "finally give in".

If 10 minutes feels too challenging at first, the author suggests starting with five minutes. "The idea is that you're building that ability over time. So the 10-minute rule becomes the 12-minute rule, becomes the 15-minute rule, and you're learning, 'Wait a minute, I can actually delay gratification.'"

The power of this technique lies in proving to yourself that you're not powerless.

As Eyal put it: "I'm not addicted to these things. I'm not powerless. My brain isn't being hijacked. I do have control, as long as I use these practices."

Remember, all these problems of distraction are essentially about impulse control. By using the 10-minute rule, you're training your brain to understand that you can delay gratification — even if it's just for a few minutes at first.

So the next time you feel the urge to check your phone mid-task, grab that Post-it note, write down what you're feeling, and tell yourself you can absolutely check it — in 10 minutes.

Because let's be honest — unlike your deadline — your ex's new partner's cousin's Instagram will still be there in 10 minutes. Unless they block you, then you're on your own.

Feature Image: Friends/Warner Bros.