Becoming Indistractable with Nir Eyal

A Productive Conversation

On this episode, I’m joined by Nir Eyal, the author of what I consider to be the best productivity book I’ve read in a long time, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Without question I feel that Nir’s book Indistractable is the best book on the topic of productivity that I’ve read in a long time. We dig into the book throughout our lengthy discussion, discuss the concept of willpower (and my misinterpretation of how he feels about it), and so much more. There’s plenty to unpack in this episode and I’m pleased to be able to bring it to you. Talking Points Why I feel that Indistractable is one of the best productivity books out there Nir shares why the book covers for both Hooked and Indistractable are yellow The distinction between traction, time management, and becoming indistractable What is pseudowork? Nir Starts to reveal the four strategies that you’ll need to become indistractable This is what time management actually is We talk about willpower – and this is where I misinterpret Nir’s belief on the subject As a follow up to our willpower back-and-forth, Nir says that this is what we DO have available to us I share my external triggers with Nir and that leads to a discussion of the idea of identity Nir spends time discussing the other types of “pacts” you can put in place on your indistractable journey Nir gets personal as he discusses the power of “effort packs” I share my own examples of “effort packs” Nir talks about “progressive extremism” and its role in becoming indistractable Nir talks about to do lists Here’s what Nir says what you shouldn’t – and should – put on your calendar We chat about misinformation around the use of tech This is Nir’s definition of productivity… and his advice to live up to that definition Quote “The body gets what the body needs.” Helpful Links Good Life Project | Nir Eyal Ryan Holiday’s Recommended Reading The Productivityist Podcast: Willpower Doesn’t Work with Benjamin Hardy Schedule Maker The 106 Year Old Problem Indistractable.com Nir and Far [Podcast] The Productivityist Podcast Pick of the Week: Remote Work Friends This episode is longer than usual but it’s worth every second. Nir’s perspective on productivity is attuned to my own in many ways. Hearing him agree with me on the concept of theming your time and using the calendar as a directory for your day and a to do list for the details of your day made… well, my day. I hope that this discussion we had made your day too. Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.

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