Guest: Nir Eyal - Author of "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life". Nir is a renowned expert in the intersection of psychology, technology, and business, with his books selling over 1 million copies in over 30 languages. Key Takeaways: Distraction is primarily an emotional regulation problem, not just a technological one. Identify and address the internal triggers that lead to distraction. Implement the 10-minute rule: when tempted to get distracted, set a timer for 10 minutes and either return to the task or surf the urge. Create a time-boxed schedule to turn your values into time, ensuring you allocate specific periods for tasks, including leisure. Use pacts to prevent distraction: effort pacts (like using apps such as Forest), price pacts (financial commitments), and identity pacts (adopting an indistractable identity). In the workplace, foster psychological safety, provide forums for discussing distraction, and ensure management exemplifies indistractable behavior. Topics Covered: Distraction vs. traction, Internal triggers, Time-boxing, External triggers, Effort pacts, Workplace productivity, Psychological safety, Technology addiction myths, Building habit-forming products.
“The antidote for impulsiveness is forethought.”
“Distraction is not something that happens to us. It is an action that we ourselves take.”
“When you say you're going to do something and actually do it, how wonderful that feels.”
