How to Beat Distraction and Still Enjoy Life (ft. Nir Eyal)

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You wake up with a get-shit-done attitude, coffee and to-do list in hand. You have big dreams, big goals for your life, and you’ve set out to make the most of your day. You put your ass in the chair. You’re primed to take that next step towards greatness. The time has come to dance with the gods. This is what you were made for. And so… …you check your email. Oh, and what was that hilarious, raunchy meme your friend shared other day? Hmmm, the weather has been strange lately, better check the forecast. Ah shit, you have 23 Slack messages to catch up on—do NOT let those get out of control! Also, the dog has had the shits for three days now and it’ll only take a few minutes to call the vet. Speaking of the shits, you’re dangerously low on toilet paper and you need a new shower curtain. You should make a quick shopping list before you forget. Aaaaaannnndddd… it’s time for lunch. Your day is half gone and you’ve got nothing to show for it. You sink back into your chair, defeated and frustrated with yourself. You start to wonder if you’re just not cut out for your own goals and dreams. Why can’t you just do the things you know you should do, the things you set out to do? To help us answer this age-old question, I sat down with my old friend, Nir Eyal (‪@nirandfar‬ ), a behavioral design expert and author of the best-selling book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. I love Nir’s approach because he doesn’t linger on the surface of the problem of distraction by hocking the latest app or hack or fancy new time management method. Instead, he dives right into the thorny emotional realities we all face in trying to lead productive, meaningful lives. In this episode, we talk about what it means to be “indistractable” and how it’s probably the most important skill of the 21st century. We also get Nir’s take on the role of social media in our lives (his views on this might surprise you). And finally, he answers that timeless question: Why don’t we just do what we know we should do? Enjoy. About Nir Eyal 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. Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003 and was dubbed by The M.I.T. Technology Review as, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Bloomberg Businessweek wrote, “Nir Eyal is the habits guy. Want to understand how to get app users to come back again and again? Then Eyal is your man.” He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. His books have resonated with readers worldwide, selling over 1 million copies in over 30 languages. Nir’s book, Indistractable: http://geni.us/indistractable Nir on time boxing: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxing/ Nir on values: https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/ Nir’s free schedule maker: https://www.nirandfar.com/schedule-ma... More articles by Nir: https://www.nirandfar.com/best-articles/ Follow Nir on social media:   / nireyal      / nirandfar     / nireyal     / nirandfar     / neyal99   2:02 The F*ck of the Week: Becoming Indistractable 23:04 Brilliant or Bullsh*t: The Social Dilemma 44:20 Q&A: How do I get myself to do the things I know I should do? My social media:   / markmanson     / iammarkmanson     / markmansonnet     / markmanson     / iammarkmanson   Theme music: “Icarus Lives” by ‪@Periphery‬ , used with permission from Periphery.