The Three Pacts
Pre-commitment devices — effort, price, and identity pacts — as the firewall against distraction
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 90%
The fourth step of the Indistractable model: pacts are pre-commitment devices you set in advance to keep yourself on task. There are three types — effort pacts (add friction between you and the distraction), price pacts (put money on the line), and identity pacts (become the kind of person who doesn't get distracted). They're the last line of defence, not the first.
Origin
Eyal illustrates the effort pact with a $10 hardware-store outlet timer that cuts his household internet at 10pm, a friction device that quietly restored his sleep and his marriage's intimacy.
Core principles
- 01A pact is decided in advance, before the moment of temptation.
- 02Effort pacts work by adding friction, not by making the distraction impossible.
- 03Identity pacts leverage self-image: becoming 'an indistractable person' changes behaviour.
- 04Pacts are the final firewall — useless if the internal triggers aren't handled first.
How to run it
- 1
Add an effort pact
Put friction between you and the distraction so giving in requires deliberate effort.
Pro tip A $10 outlet timer that kills the router at a set time makes late-night scrolling a conscious choice, not a default.
- 2
Add a price pact
Attach a financial cost to going off-plan so there's a tangible stake in staying on task.
- 3
Add an identity pact
Adopt the identity of an indistractable person; act in accordance with who you say you are.
Pro tip Tell your social environment about the rule (e.g. the 10pm shutoff) so it becomes a shared expectation.
Watch out Pacts fail if you haven't first mastered the internal triggers — you'll route around them.
In the wild
Eyal and his wife were going to bed late fondling devices; a $10 outlet timer shut the router at 10pm, adding just enough friction to reset the ritual.
→ Better sleep and a restored intimacy — 'I did need a timer', because friction beat willpower in the tired moment.
Common mistakes
Reaching for a pact first
Buying a timer or blocker before addressing internal triggers just pushes you to find another distraction.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who want durable guardrails around focus, sleep, or screen habits.
Not ideal for
Anyone who hasn't yet done the internal-trigger work — the pact won't hold.
From the transcript
“there's three types of pacts. We have effort pacts, price pacts, and identity pacts”
“I bought us this $10 outlet timer... every night in our household at 10 p.m. the internet shuts off”
From the episode
No.1 Habit & Procrastination Expert: We've Got ADHD Wrong! Break Any Habit & Never Be Distracted!
Nir Eyal