Nir Eyal

Nir Eyal is a husband, father, former professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the International Best-Seller of two books: Hooked and Indistractable. Nir worked in the video gaming and advertising industries, where he used manipulative techniques to keep users distracted from their values. Now, he writes to help companies use positive behavioral techniques to form healthy habits that contribute to one's traction toward their values.  Today, we are going to be talking about what makes a habit-forming technology. Furthermore, we will be talking about the difference between a habit versus addiction and traction versus distraction. When an activity aligns with our values, it is known as traction. When an activity takes us away from our values, it is known as distraction. In this podcast, Nir goes over the four-step process to become indistractable. Step 1 focuses on mastering our internal triggers. Step 2 focuses on making time for traction. Step 3 focuses on hacking back external triggers. Lastly, Step 4 focuses on making precommitments to prevent distractions from happening.  For the show notes and exclusive links mentioned in this episode go to https://thedadedge.com/336/ ———— Join the Free Dad Edge Facebook Group at gooddadproject.com/group. Apply for The Dad Edge Alliance at gooddadproject.com/alliance. Watch this interview on YouTube gooddadproject.com/youtube. Follow us on Instagram at @thedadedge! FREE RESOURCE – 21 Days to an Extraordinary Marriage

Welcome to Episode #370: with Nir Eyal, an author and active investor.   During this episode, How to Become to Indistractable and Win, we talk about: Technology is not a bad thing. It's how we use it how responsible we are with our time and attention are the keys to get the best out of technology. To work effectively, it's really important to know how to hack back all those internal and external triggers and become in distractible. Always remember consistency over intensity. Oftentimes, we want the simple solutions, we want the pill, we want the magic formula. There is no magic formula, we have to do the hard work and we have to do it consistently.   Learn more about the contents discussed i this episode: Connect with Nir Eyal via Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter. Visit this website. Book recommendation: Indistractable, Hooked

Nir Eyal has spoken on some of the world’s biggest stages and his expertise focuses on the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He is a behavioural designer who works with companies to build the kind of products that build good habits in people’s lives. He discusses how distraction and traction can be applied to anything in life and how anyone can learn the habits and tactics that mean they can be "indistractable". What do you think is distracting you? Nir shares great content about why it might not be what you thought, and how to build habits and tactics that focus on traction, in a fascinating episode that every entrepreneur should listen to. KEY TAKEAWAYS Focus is one of the things people struggle with the most but we can all build good habits. You can’t buy customer retention and engagement it has to be designed into the product. You need to understand the fundamentals of how to bring people back and the psychology of habits. The opposite of distraction is traction. Traction is an action that pulls you towards what you said you were going to do, things you do with intent, things in line with your values that help you become the person you want to become. Distraction is any action that pulls you further away from what you planned to do, further from your intentions and values, and the person you want to become. Distraction and traction can be applied to anything in your life. We allow ourselves to be distracted by prioritising the urgent and easy over the important and hard work because we rationalise it all needs to be completed anyway. Anything that is not what you planned to do with your time in advance is a distraction. Traction is what you have planned to do. 10% of distraction comes through external triggers, 90% are internal triggers - an uncomfortable internal feeling that we want to escape such as boredom, loneliness, stress, anxiety, and fatigue. If you don’t learn how to control your emotions so they are serving you not controlling you, you will always be distracted. Learn to master your internal triggers, make time for traction, hack back your external triggers, and prevent distraction with pacts - making a pre-commitment to not be distracted. The human species is not designed to be happy all the time.  We are designed evolutionarily to be perpetually perturbed.  The solution is to move towards traction and away from distraction. The way we talk to ourselves is absolutely critical. Visualise and affirm not the outcome but what you will do when you are potentially distracted from doing the thing that will get you the outcome. BEST MOMENTS ‘We have a whole generation of entrepreneurs, who have all the intellect, the insight, and know exactly what they need to do; who are running real fast in the wrong direction, spending all their time with busyness not business.’ ‘Everything is a distraction unless it’s something you have planned.’ ‘It completely changed my life. Now I have personal integrity and I’m indistractable.' ‘Time management is pain management.' VALUABLE RESOURCES Scale Up Your Business – scaleup.vip/podcast Join the free Scale Up Your Business community: scaleup.vip/community Take the Predictable Growth Assessment™, to measure your current business performance and show you where to focus next to get to where you want to be: https://scaleup.vip/PredictableGrowthAssessment RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE Link to the book "Indistractable": http://geni.us/Indistractable "Indistractable" summary article: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-the-future/ Distraction guide: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/ Habits vs Routines article here: https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/ Why schedules are better than to-do lists: https://www.nirandfar.com/todo-vs-schedule-builder/ Timeboxing article: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxing Values article: https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/ The schedule maker tool mentioned in the interview: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/ ABOUT THE HOST My name is Nick Bradley. I’m an entrepreneur, author, speaker and investor. My background is in growing and scaling VC and Private Equity backed businesses. Having successfully built, bought and sold a number of companies, and removed myself from day-to-day operations, my focus now is on helping entrepreneurs get to where they want to be, in business and in life. As well as investing in growth businesses and backing turnarounds - with the ultimate aim of creating value from significant capital events. I’m passionate about personal and professional development - showing up and being the best version of myself ... every day. My bigger vision is to help bring entrepreneurial skills, experience and mindset to people in developing nations - so they can follow their dreams, live life more on their terms - utilising entrepreneurship as a global force for good. CONTACT METHOD Nick’s Facebook Page: https://scaleup.vip/FB Nick’s LinkedIn: https://scaleup.vip/LI Nick's Instagram: https://scaleup.vip/IG Scale Up Your Business website: www.suyb.globalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are living through a crisis of distraction. Plans get sidetracked, friends are ignored, work never seems to get done. Why does it feel like we're distracting our lives away? In "Indistractable", behavioural designer Nir Eyal reveals the hidden psychology driving you to distraction. Empowering and optimistic, this is the book that will help you design your time, realise your ambitions, and live the life you really want. He is a friend of the show, where we previously featured his book  “Hooked” and he is with us to share insights from his brilliant best-seller “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life”, Nir Eyal. More about Nir: https://www.nirandfar.com

Bestselling author Nir Eyal joins Jessi for the fourth week of the REOPENING series, as we look at which quarantine habits are worth keeping and which have to go.

Highlights0:01- The problem is no longer that we don't know what to do. The problem is we don't know how to stop getting in our own way. We don't know how to stop getting distracted.0:09- Conventional wisdom turns out not only to be wrong but turns out to be actually harmful.0:13-  And so this is why our self-image is so important that if we believe that we are limited in one way or another, we will act according to those beliefs.0:23- This is called learned helplessness. And so that's what we need to understand that the way we talk to ourselves, the way we imagine and perceive our temperament around our limitations, is incredibly important0:38- Again, you can't call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from(1:09) Introduction: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 Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003. And was dubbed by MIT Technology Review as the profit of habit-forming technology. He's the author of two best-selling books. Hooked: How to build habit-forming products and Indistractable- how to control your attention and choose your life. Indistractable, received critical acclaim winning outstanding works of literature, literature OWL Award as well as being named one of the best business and leadership books of the year by Amazon, and one of the best personal development books of the year by Audible. The Globe and Mail called indestructible, the best business book of 2019. In addition to blogging at nirandfar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, Time magazine, and psychology today. Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies.Some of his past investments include event pride anchor.fm, which was acquired by Spotify, Canva refresh.io, which was acquired by LinkedIn product and Marco Polo presence learning, seven cups, and many more. Nir has attended Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University.(2:55)So tell us a little bit about your new book Indistractable, how did it come about and what is the theme of this book?(3:04) The book Indistractable is about Nir's struggle with distraction. There was one moment in his life that made him reevaluate his relationship with it. He shares that experience that made him realize how distracted he must have been while eating or even while working on a task. Nir says the problem is no longer that we don't know what to do. The problem is we don't know how to stop getting in our own way. We don't know how to stop getting distracted. He shares how he was able to figure out the solution to prevent getting distracted after immersing himself in studying psychology.(6:25)You do very thorough research on every topic that you undertake. So tell us about that, like, you know, how do you come up with that process? How do you even start researching this, if nobody has done a good enough job of doing this, you're breaking new ground? How do you go about doing all this?(6:57) Nir says that to him every book starts with a personal problem. He shares that it’s the reason why he loves his job, as he can look at all that great academic research that's been done. Nir believes that it's about a problem that he’s having. He shares that we have a lot of problems out there that we don't know how to solve. The first step is introspection. Are you aware of what you need to do in order to get what you want? Then, if you can't find the answer, you can search for it online or in books, or ask other people who have experience in this field. If you still can't get a solution, you can always go deep into the research.(9:17)Can you give us a little bit of a preview of what you found in this research? And what are some of the challenges people face while getting distracted? (9:57) Nir wants people to know that he didn't write the book because he mastered distraction, but he wrote this book because he needed to master distractions, as he has always struggled with self-control and willpower. He says that there’s a lot of misinformation about willpower out there. Nir says that conventional wisdom turns out not only to be wrong but turns out to be actually harmful. Nir shares that first we need to understand what distraction is. He says that the opposite of distraction is traction. Traction is any action that moves you towards your goal or intent. And the opposite of that is a distraction. He explains how we can actually have more and better traction and not be distracted by every shiny object that comes in our way.  He shares four steps to being Indistractable. (18:42)What were the results? You obviously did all this research, you adopted, you went through with this with the, with the 1000s of people? What kind of results did they achieve? What kind of successes do they have? What kind of time did they save using these techniques?(19:24) Nir Eyal mentions that it took years of research to figure out what techniques were truly effective. Nir says he uses meta-studies to show this study is a well-established technique, it's been replicated time and time again, that's good research versus some techniques that are pretty bogus. He mentions a book named Mindset by Carol Dweck which is about ego depletion.  Nir says that our self-image is so important that if we believe that we are limited in one way or another, we will act according to those beliefs. Nir says that people are getting distracted by technology, not addicted. And that's a very big difference. He further explains why it is so. He also explains the term learned helplessness. He says it is important to understand that the way we talk to ourselves about our limitations influences the way we behave around them.(23:57)So what in your opinion, is going to happen with the level of productivity and with the level of distraction that people are experiencing in these changing environments during pandemics and lockdown?(24:24) Nir shares his experience while stating that there are so many new questions now that raise the anxiety and fear level. So the more internal triggers you have, the more you need to practice dealing with them, or else you're going to give in.  Nir mentions what all has changed after the pandemic. He explains that this is why some people got more productive during the lockdown and some got less productive because they are so stressed, anxious, and worried. He says that we don't have a structure anymore and home and work have blended. But it doesn't have to be that way. Nir says it's about making time for an attraction that you can't call something a distraction. Nir says you can't call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from. (28:19)So it seems like you know, your book is even more important right now for people to read and incorporate into their lives because of what they're going through right now. And so how should one go about it? Like should they get your book habit first and then go to indistractable? Indistractable and then go to have it? What is the sequence?(28:50) Nir's first book was about how to build habit-forming products about how to use technology to improve people's lives by building healthy habits. That book came out six years ago and has been used in every conceivable industry, from healthcare to education, to help people build good habits in their lives through technology. If you're an entrepreneur with a business, and if you want to build habits for your product, then this would be the book for you about how to build habit-forming products. The second book can be especially helpful if you have trouble getting work done or focusing on the right things. Nir recommends indistractable for everyone because it lets you focus on the important things. (29:55)As we are going through these huge shifts as you can imagine, certain sectors of the economy will be affected to a great deal. So what do you think will happen? In your view, how do you think things will unfold for people? Do you think people will gravitate towards more entrepreneurship rather than regular work-from-home jobs? Or what are the kinds of shifts you foresee as we go through this experience?(30:43) Nir says he is pretty optimistic. He thinks it really depends on whether this is a long-term change or a short-term change. Nir appreciates the technology that enabled us to work from home during the pandemic which was impossible if these apps like zoom weren’t there. Nir thinks that in many ways the pandemic has pushed people to try new technologies that will benefit us in the long run. This new technology, which will thrive in years to come, will provide tons of opportunities for entrepreneurs to create new businesses.(33:10)So how was, how's the socially distant economy affecting relationships? And once we incorporate the techniques that you're sharing, how does it help human relationships, because productivity in work is one thing, but you know, we also get distracted while maintaining these important relationships?(33:38) Nir says that half of the book is about how you can become indistractable and the other half is about how your environment shapes your behaviors and relationships. It is about how to raise indistractable kids, how to have an indestructible workplace, and finally, how to have indistracible relationships. He shares his personal experience of realizing how he wasn’t spending time with his loved ones and how he changed by applying these techniques to become indistractable once he realized that he was being distracted which was the problem, the technology was not to blame. Resources: nirandfar.comツ  CONNECT WITH ME  ツLeave a comment on this video and it'll get a response. Or you can connect with me on different social platforms too:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manujaggarwal/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manujagro/ • Website: https://manujaggarwal.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nir Eyal is a behavioural designer who has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. He is the bestselling author of "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life."His writing on technology, psychology, and business, appears in the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today and he blogs regularly at NirAndFar.com Today we discuss how you can use his principles to powerfully influence your own behaviour and you'll probably need to listen twice, as there are heaps of valuable nuggets.Here are some links to Nir's work:Indistractable book: http://geni.us/IndistractableIndistractable summary article: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-the-future/Distraction guide here: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/Habits vs routines article here: https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/Why schedules are better than to-do lists: https://www.nirandfar.com/todo-vs-schedule-builder/Timeboxing article: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxingSchedule maker tool: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/Indistractable Model graphic: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uip4bifw7fll6p4/How%20to%20be%20Indistractable%20%20by%20Nir%20Eyal.png?dl=0

You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague wants to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by and, once again, you put your most important personal and professional goals on hold. This episode will reveal the hidden psychology driving us to distraction and the reason why solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off our devices. The truth is abstinence is impractical and often makes us want more. Listen to learn the secret of finally doing what you say you will do with a four-step, research-backed model, and the key to getting the best out of technology without letting it get the best of us.  Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He 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 The M.I.T. Technology Review called him “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” 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. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. Listen out for: - Nir’s personal experience with distraction. - Why distraction is not a new problem. - The real definition of distraction. - 2 types of internal distraction triggers. - The 10-minute rule to help your distraction triggers. - The only metric of success. - How to use your phone to help you stay indistractable. Bonus:                                                                          - Discover how to rise above distractions, own your time, and regain your peak focus and performance, no matter what’s going on inside you or around you with Nir Eyal in this FREE Mindvalley Masterclass 👉https://go.mindvalley.com/NirFocus - Subscribe to 'Mindvalley Membership' to discover 30+ Mindvalley Quests – at a surprisingly low annual fee. You can also watch our podcast sessions live, interact with the guests, connect with the world’s best teachers and find your community here 👉 https://go.mindvalley.com/NOW Like this episode? Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting app. Share this with your friends on Instagram or Twitter.

1st interview with Nir Eyal in Growth Mindset Podcast Wiser Than Yesterday podcast Hooked - how to build habit-forming products by Nir Eyal Nir Eyal is the author of a New York Times best selling book about consumer psychology and technology: "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products".He is a prominent figure in the silicon valley start up scene with specialist expertise in product development and consumer psychology. Hooked is based on Eyal’s years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a startup founder – not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, startup founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behavior. 4 parts: Trigger — A ‘trigger’ is the actuator of behavior; comes in two types — External and Internal Action — The behavior done in anticipation of a reward Variable Reward — Rewarding users by solving a problem, reinforcing their motivation for the action taken in the previous phase. Investment — This implies an action that improves the service for the next go-around. Books Try a free Audible trial of any book here Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Subscribe! If you enjoyed the podcast please subscribe and rate it. And of course, share with your friends!Special Guest: Nico Vereecke.Support Growth Mindset Podcast

This is Part 2 of my talk with Nir Eyal. Again, you can't afford to miss this one if you want to absolutely optimize your time, relationships, work, and personal well being. Nir is my new sensei of time management.Nir writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He 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.”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. Indistractable received critical acclaim, winning the Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award as well as being named one of the Best Business and Leadership Books of the Year by Amazon and one of the Best Personal Development Books of the Year by Audible. The Globe and Mail called Indistractable, “the best business book of 2019.”In Part 2, listen as we discuss:Why making a time box calendar is the optimal time management strategy.Aligning your schedule with your values and relationships, first and foremost.Reactive Work vs. Reflective WorkSchedule syncing, or how to get your boss to worship the ground you walk on.Communicate your time boundaries clearly, and everyone wins.Indistractable people are reliable to their word and therefore easy to back.The #1 reason people call meetings? To hear themselves think out loud.Brainstorming in groups is a terrible idea, according to studies.Meetings should have one purpose: to gain consensus after doing pre-work.Make a Ulysses Pact by making plans in advance to prevent distraction.Effort Pacts allow you to keep your word by creating a barrier to breaking it.Nir's transition from obese to fit, and how he used his techniques to get there.Consistency over intensity is the best way to keep a habit.Instagram: @mo_gawdatFacebook: @mo.gawdat.officialTwitter: @mgawdatLinkedIn: /in/mogawdatWebsite: mogawdat.com/podcastConnect with Nir Eyal on Facebook @nirandfar, Instagram @neyal99, Twitter @nireyal, and his website, NirAndFar.com Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Sunday and Thursday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy