“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.”
My latest guest, Nir Eyal - https://www.nirandfar.com/book-nir-eyal/, writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology - https://www.nirandfar.com/consumer-psychology-articles/, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing - https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/super-power-tomorrow-being-indistractable 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 has made it his mission to provide us a daring 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 - http://geni.us/indistractable (co-authored with Julie Li), which 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 intensely practical, and so I suggest you check out our Substack - https://newsletter.osv.llc/, where you’ll find the episode transcript, and a 1-pager of his framework. I also encourage you to buy Nir’s excellent book and apply his framework to live your most fulfilled life.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
Important Links:
- Nir’s personal blog - https://www.nirandfar.com/best-articles/
- Nir’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/
- Nir’s Twitter - https://www.youtube.com/user/nirandfar
- Nir’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/nirandfar
- Nir’s Habit Tracking Tool - https://www.nirandfar.com/habit-tracker/
- Nir’s Schedule Maker Tool - https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/
Show Notes:
0:00:00 Intro
0:00:50 Main podcast
0:02:34 What Being Indistractable Is All About
0:06:08 Etymology of the Word Distraction
0:09:50 The Strong Pull of Internal Triggers
0:12:57 The Tyranny of the To-Do List
0:24:44 The Difference Between High Performers and Low Performers
0:29:42 The Dangers of Labelling Ourselves
0:36:48 Using the Psychology of Identity
0:44:57 Using Self-Determination Theory to Diagnose Distraction
0:52:13 The Perils of Snowplow Parenting
1:02:29 Believe the Good Science
1:05:48 Nir as Emperor of the World
Books / Articles Mentioned:
- Indistractable - http://geni.us/indistractable; by Nir Eyal (+ bonus content - http://www.nirandfar.com/indistractable/)
- Nir’s articles on Timeboxing - https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxing/, Values - https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/, FOMO - https://www.nirandfar.com/fomo/ and Wage slavery - https://www.nirandfar.com/wage-slaves/
- 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
