419: Defeating Distraction and Why “To-Do” Lists are Dangerous with Nir Eyal

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Ever missed out on an important moment because you were staring at your phone, distracted by TV, or just zoning out? Nir Eyal, author of Indistractable, felt the same way when he missed an important moment with his daughter because he was locked in on his phone.

This spurred Nir’s curiosity on why people get distracted, what they’re getting distracted by, and how people can turn their distractions into the opposite: traction.

As a business owner, angel investor, Stanford lecturer, and father, Nir understands what it feels like to live a hectic life, but he also understands that most of the time, we ourselves are the ones making it hectic.

So what prompts us to take action? What prompts us to take inaction? How can we make ourselves do the things we need to do, with better results, and still have time for our children, relationships, hobbies, and even down time?

It’s all possible, and the key to a distraction-free life is even easier than you would think.

In This Episode We Cover

• Why most people know their distractions, but not how to eliminate them
• Why we need to “get out of our own way” to accomplish our goals
• How to find your “traction” and use it to get ahead
• The 4 steps to eliminate distraction
• Understanding your values and using them to schedule your time
• How to “time box” your calendar and get your tasks done
• Leaving the victim mentality behind and empowering yourself to do what’s important
• The 3 “life domains” that we revolve around
• Why you need to prioritize consistency over intensity
• And So Much More!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Podcast
• Indistractable book’s Website
• Nir’s schedule maker tool
• Article “Why schedules are better than to-do lists”
• Brandon’s Instagram
• David’s Instagram

Books Mentioned in this Show

• Hooked by Nir Eyal
• Indistractable by Nir Eyal

Connect with Nir:

• Nir's website

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