Nir Eyal — How To Become An Indistractable Force (EP.235)

“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.”

My latest guest, Nir Eyal, writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

In our conversation, Nir gives it to us straight. Distraction is killing us, and stopping us from reaching our full potential. In a world that is constantly conspiring to keep us distracted, Nir provides an alternative: we can take back control. We can regain our agency.

All of these ideas are presented in his book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (co-authored with Julie Li). This book is a clear guide to understanding the psychology behind our impulses and is chock-full of great anecdotes and peer-reviewed studies to help you better manage your time, and your life.

Nir’s framework is not only interesting, it is practical, so I suggest you check out our Substack, where you’ll find the episode transcript and some actionable takeaways. I also encourage you to buy Nir’s excellent book and start applying his strategies to your own life. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

Important Links:

• Nir’s personal blog
• Nir’s LinkedIn
• Nir’s Twitter
• Nir’s YouTube channel
• Nir’s Habit Tracking Tool
• Nir’s Schedule Maker Tool

Show Notes:

• What Being Indistractable Is All About
• Etymology of the Word Distraction
• The Strong Pull of Internal Triggers
• The Tyranny of the To-Do List
• The Difference Between High Performers and Low Performers
• The Dangers of Labelling Ourselves
• Using the Psychology of Identity
• Using Self-Determination Theory to Diagnose Distraction
• The Perils of Snowplow Parenting
• Believe the Good Science
• Nir as Emperor of the World

Books / Articles Mentioned:

• Indistractable; by Nir Eyal (+ bonus content)
• Nir’s articles on Timeboxing, Values, FOMO and Wage slavery
• Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life; by Peter Gray