As technology plays a bigger and bigger part in our lives, our attention, and who gets to grab it, becomes increasingly big business. From simple smartphone notifications to games, apps and platforms that are designed to make us hooked, developing our ability to choose and direct our own attention is an essential skill for staying focused and productive in the modern world. Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable, took a deep dive into the science, research and future of our attention spans, and shares his insights and recommendations in this conversation together.
Things we talk about in this episode:
- Developing good habits around tech, and managing existing bad habits
- Distraction vs traction
- Forethought vs impulse, and how the two interact
- How procrastination and distraction interlink
- Why to do lists are generally unhelpful
- The magic of ‘timeboxing’
- The importance of translating your values into time
- Using scheduling for relaxation time as well as work activity, so you don’t have to feel guilty
- The truth about multitasking
- Why seeking happiness all the time trips us up, and we need to allow discomfort
- Raising indistractable kids, with healthy habits around technology
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Nir’s Instagram and Twitter
- Nir’s newest book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
- Nir’s website, Nir & Far
- Atomic Habits, Nir’s previous book
- Nir’s free schedule maker
- The Full Focus Planner
- Brooke Castillo
- Forest App
- My Instagram and Twitter
- My free 15 Minute daily activity prompts for online businesses
- My 15 Minute Magic program
