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Nir Eyal
About
I'm sort of a a fan there.
Best quotes
the root of all distraction is the root of all human behavior which is a desire to escape discomfort. And that is worth contemplating for a minute because I think it's a huge misconception.
everything we do, everything you do, all human motivation stems from a desire to escape discomfort. So that must therefore mean that time management is pain management. I'd never heard that before.
You can't say you got distracted unless you know what you got distracted from. So if you feel like, "Oh my gosh, there's so much going on and I'm so overwhelmed and this is happening
Values are attributes of the person you want to become. How much time would the person I want to become spend catching up on the news? How much time? It won't be, oh, I'm going to use
FAQ
What is the root cause of distraction according to Nir Eyal?
The root of all distraction is the desire to escape discomfort. Because all human motivation stems from this desire, Eyal argues that time management is essentially pain management.
What is the difference between traction and distraction?
Traction is any action that pulls a person toward what they intended to do and aligns with their values. Distraction is any action that moves them away from their intent.
How does Nir Eyal define values?
He defines values as the attributes of the person an individual wants to become. To truly understand one's values, one should look at how they spend their time and their money.
What are the three powers of belief discussed in the episode?
The three powers are attention, anticipation, and agency. Beliefs change what we see, how we expect to experience sensations like pain, and our ability to follow through on our intentions.
Episode
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