I once tried a digital detox. It failed miserably. When I realized I was distracted during quality time with my daughter, I blamed my smartphone and made some extreme changes. I replaced my smartphone with an old-school flip phone so I couldn’t be tempted to use email, Instagram, and Twitter. But I found it too difficult to get around without GPS and the addresses saved inside my calendar app. I missed listening to audiobooks while I walked, as well as all the other handy things my smartphone co...
Oct 24, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast They’re part of the secret of becoming Indistractable. Got a few minutes? Then why not use them to implement these quick fixes that cut distraction and aid productivity? I uncovered these productivity fixes while researching how to combat distraction and increase productivity for my book Indistractable , and I’ve relied on them ever since. From adjustments to your phone, desktop, email, and more, these productivity hacks all take less than 30 minutes to complete, and they’ll help you thwart thos...
Oct 17, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manifesting is bull. There, I said it. According to Oprah , manifesting is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief—i.e. if you think it, it will come. It encourages people to bring a goal to life by making vision boards, writing in manifestation journals , chanting positive affirmations, and speaking it into existence . Cue eye roll. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: The Surprising Science of “Manifestation” https://www.nirandfar.com/science-of-manifesta...
Oct 10, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since writing Indistractable , I’m often asked what tools and apps I personally use to get the most out of my day. But after years of research into the psychology of productivity , focus , and the causes of distraction , I’ve learned that there is no one magic, best productivity tool. Rather, the best tool is the one you’ll actually use ,which is why I only rely on a few to be at my best. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Best Productivity Tools: 6 That Stuck With Me https://www.nirandf...
Sep 26, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast The internet is inundated with articles that have titles like “The Best Productivity Tools of the Year” and “Productivity Apps That Will Make Your Life Easier.” Dozens if not hundreds of apps claim to help people focus, manage their time, and stick to healthy habits. The productivity app market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 13.8% from 2022 to 2030. If you’re not careful, the search for productivity apps can become a distraction in itself. You’re in danger of going fro...
Sep 19, 2022•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast This essay is adapted from the book Build For Tomorrow , in which Entrepreneur magazine editor in chief Jason Feifer shows how to thrive by harnessing the power of change. The loudest voices in our culture today say yes. During a conversation about technology on his mega-popular podcast, Joe Rogan said, “We’ve got a real addiction problem in this country.” In a congressional hearing in 2021, U.S. representative Kathy Castor of Florida said that apps are “designed to be addictive.” During his 202...
Sep 12, 2022•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast My daughter had just pulled the caramel corn out of the oven, and the sticky-sweet smell was almost irresistible. Despite knowing it wasn’t going to help my diet, I was gnawing for a taste. But instead of kindly asking for a small bite, as I should have, I barked, “Damn this caramel corn!” Cursing my daughter’s hard work earned me a scowl and, if I’m honest with myself, didn’t set a good example for how a grown-up should handle himself. It wasn’t my daughter’s responsibility to manage what I put...
Sep 05, 2022•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast If we can’t focus, we can’t do our best work. It seems we’re all checking our phones constantly these days. But all that time spent on our phones leaves little time for anything else. We need time to think in order to come up with novel solutions to our business challenges. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Distraction at work is a symptom of dysfunction. Here’s how to fix it. https://www.nirandfar.com/distraction-at-work/ Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the brain b...
Aug 29, 2022•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast They’re part of the secret of becoming Indistractable. Got a few minutes? Then why not use them to implement these quick fixes that cut distraction and aid productivity? I uncovered these productivity fixes while researching how to combat distraction and increase productivity for my book Indistractable , and I’ve relied on them ever since. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: 8 Productivity Hacks You Can Do in 30 Minutes https://www.nirandfar.com/productivity-hacks/ Nir And Far, a podcast ...
Aug 22, 2022•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast You don’t have to agree on everything, but you do have to align values in a relationship. Divorce sucks. My friend is going through one right now. The worst part is that he saw it coming. And he’s not the first of my friends to tell me they ignored the warning signs of an eventual breakup. Although there isn’t a surefire way to predict which relationships will last, there are some guidelines anyone entering or in a committed relationship should be aware of. They involve having honest discussions...
Aug 15, 2022•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our baseline dissatisfaction is what motivates us, but we must harness it correctly. Do you often experience a strange malaise, that feeling of blah-ness you can’t quite explain? The good news is you’re not alone. You may be surprised to learn that, although people don’t often admit it, everyone’s default state is dissatisfaction; it’s how we evolved. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Why People See Problems Where There Are None https://www.nirandfar.com/problems-that-dont-exist/ Nir An...
Aug 08, 2022•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to friendships, quality matters more than quantity. Thirty-six percent of Americans say they are “seriously lonely.” For many people, the solution may seem to be to go out and get more friends. Yet one study shows that when it comes to friendships, less is more. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: 3 Ways to Filter Your Friends https://www.nirandfar.com/quality-over-quantity-of-friends/ Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the brain by Nir Eyal. If you enjoy t...
Aug 01, 2022•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are you afraid of being alone? Well, you’re not alone in that. In a 2014 survey of 2,000 adults, one in three said they fear being alone: 40% of women and 35% of men. The world is riddled with distractions that prevent us from having to feel alone even when we aren’t in the physical presence of another person. While no study pinpoints social media as a cause of depression and feelings of isolation—in fact, social media can be a tool for combatting loneliness —it, along with texting, televi...
Jul 25, 2022•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast When I first started using Strava ( Android / iOS ), my weekly running mileage skyrocketed. Nothing had changed other than my perception of how much running was “enough.” Lots of people in my feed were clocking 40 to 60 miles a week, and suddenly my 20-mile weekly average seemed negligible. The products we use can shape our perception of reality and, as a result, change our actions and lives—all by leveraging the much-studied yet still mysterious power of mindsets. You can read the Nir And Far b...
Jul 18, 2022•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re facing a burnout epidemic that goes beyond work. Understanding its causes can help us fix it. A 2021 Indeed survey shows 52% of 1,500 American respondents say they feel burned out, compared with 43% the year prior; 67% believe that burnout worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s not surprising. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on How to Prevent Burnout Using Timeboxing https://www.nirandfar.com/how-to-prevent-burnout/ Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the bra...
Jul 11, 2022•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Stepping outside your comfort zone seriously improves your life. Humans have an evolutionary need to be challenged—to feel discomfort. That’s the main revelation of journalist Michael Easter’s The Comfort Crisis , a book about embracing discomfort to “reclaim your wild, happy, healthy self.” You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable https://www.nirandfar.com/comfortable-with-discomfort/ Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the brain by Ni...
Jul 04, 2022•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here’s how to get more out of your day without overtaxing your brain. Everyone knows that multitasking destroys productivity , right? Haven’t we all seen studies and read articles telling us that it’s impossible to do two things at once? In some ways, that’s true. The evidence is pretty clear that humans are awful at performing two complex tasks simultaneously. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Surprise! There’s a Right Way to Multitask https://www.nirandfar.com/multitask-the-right-way/...
Jun 27, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anyone can use the Indistractable Model, and it can be especially helpful for those with ADHD Does my book Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life work for the ADHD brain? It’s a question I’ve been getting a lot lately. Though I didn’t specifically write the book for people with ADHD, I wanted to get an honest opinion from an expert. I reached out to Caitlin O’Brient Bauer, who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 8 and is now a certified ADHD coach . You can read the Nir An...
Jun 20, 2022•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Get the most out of your vacation—and life—with just a little planning. When I was 13, my parents and I went to Europe on vacation. It was miserable. My father wanted to hit all the major sites, while my mother just wanted to relax. Because they couldn’t agree on what to do, none of us got the vacation we’d hoped for. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Planning a Vacation Is Practice for a Great Life https://www.nirandfar.com/ultimate-vacation-hack/ Nir And Far, a podcast about business,...
Jun 13, 2022•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Good or bad, our feelings color how we see people. In psychology, a “trapped prior” is a perception of reality that’s colored, or trapped , by past experiences. If not treated, trapped priors can turn into debilitating phobias. For instance, someone might have an overwhelming fear of dogs because they were bitten as a child. Though not nearly as extreme, our trapped priors can shape how we perceive others. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Why It’s So Hard to Shake the Way People Make Y...
Jun 06, 2022•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many authors write what they know. I don’t. I am writing to learn about what I don’t know. For me, writing is a wonderful way to go deep on a problem I’m struggling with. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Don’t Write About What You Already Know — Instead, I’m “Writing To Learn” https://www.nirandfar.com/writing-to-learn/ Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the brain by Nir Eyal. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe on iTunes and leave an iTunes review. It will gr...
May 30, 2022•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Taking a hard look at how we socialize helps us spend time the way we truly want. The coronavirus pandemic gave us a pause to ask ourselves if we really should go back to the old way of doing things. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Are We Really Having Fun at Bars or Just Escaping Reality? https://www.nirandfar.com/why-do-people-go-to-bars/?swcfpc=1 Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the brain by Nir Eyal. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe on iTunes and lea...
May 23, 2022•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Books are like stepping stones through a stream — they can help us through obstacles on our path. However, it’s only in retrospect that we realize which books were critical and which were superfluous. I’m surprised I ended up an author. I’m dyslexic, English is not my first language, and writing was always my worst subject in school. Just as surprising as my unlikely path are the mix of books that got me here. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: The 6 Books That Paved My Career as a Behav...
May 16, 2022•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every building needs a sturdy foundation. Your daily habits are a foundation on which you are building who you are—your values , goals, personality, etc. If you track your daily habits , you may be surprised to find a collection of suboptimal habits: you may not be reaching your full potential. One of those suboptimal habits is being easily distracted. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: The 4 Steps to Becoming Indistractable https://www.nirandfar.com/how-to-be-indistractable/ Nir And Far...
May 09, 2022•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The surprising psychology of why dissatisfaction is hardwired … a good thing! Why are we perpetually restless and unsatisfied? We live in the safest, healthiest, most well-educated, most democratic time in history—and yet, some part of the human psyche causes us to constantly look for an escape from things stirring inside us. As the eighteenth-century poet Samuel Johnson said, “My life is one long escape from myself.” Me too, brother. Me too. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Why You’re...
May 02, 2022•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Overcoming the fear of being unavailable is essential to making timeboxing stick Too often, people eschew a method of bettering their life by naming the reasons it won’t work for them. “I can’t adhere to that diet because…” “Using an app to find love just isn’t for me because…” People regularly give me similar excuses about timeboxing , a powerful technique I recommend in my bestselling book, Indistractable . You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: The Time Management Technique That Can Work ...
Apr 25, 2022•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even when something is weighing on your mind, taking a minute to write it out can help you get the most out of your day. Here’s how… Though we may strive in vain to be productive machines all day every day, unexpected life events inevitably get in our way. Maybe you had an argument with a close friend or loved one. Or perhaps you’re figuring out how to care for aging parents, or your child care fell through. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: How a Morning Brain Dump Helps You Stay on Tr...
Apr 18, 2022•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Use the psychology of self-image to transform your habits for good. One of the most effective ways to change your behavior is to change your identity. I don’t mean joining the CIA or a witness protection program, or adopting an alter ego. I mean, rather, changing the way you see yourself. Our perception of who we are—our identity or self-image—has a dramatic effect on our future actions. You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: The Key to Behavior Change is Identity Change https://www.nirandfa...
Apr 11, 2022•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, I sit down for a discussion with certified ADHD and Life Coach, Caitlin O'Brient Bauer. We talk about how people with ADHD can utilize the techniques I share in my book, Indistractable , to fit their specific needs. Links mentioned in the podcast: SF ADHD Coach www.sfadhdcoach.com CHADD - Children & Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADDA - Attention Deficit Disorder Association ACO - ADHD Coaches Organization - Coach Directory ADDCA - ADD Coach Academ...
Apr 04, 2022•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast When large swaths of the U.S. population transitioned to work from home in March 2020, they lost that critical physical boundary between their work domain and other life domains. As a result, those facets of life have bled into each other, with work often taking precedence. A September 2021 study showed Americans’ work week has gotten 10 percent longer; it determined the length of a workday based on when employees sent their first and last messages each day. What does that mean? You can read the...
Mar 28, 2022•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
