Nir Eyal

actually finish more they get more done the to-do list people because the to-do list people they work on a test for five minutes uh let me just check email let me go get a cup of coffee oh janet's at the water cooler they do this they oh what was i working on again i totally forgot whereas the people who time box and they say i'm just going to focus on this one task now they know how long things take and they can plan accordingly so the solution to these liminal moments is to have a hard stop to say okay i've got this meeting on the way back from that meeting i'm going to look at my phone because i'm just walking back to my desk

This is another ancillary benefit of time boxing is that when you allow yourself the time and measure yourself simply by that metric of, did I do nothing but focus on the task at hand? Sometimes you can get into those flow states and that's terrific. You're very lucky.

This is another ancillary benefit of time boxing is that when you allow yourself the time and measure yourself simply by that metric of, did I do nothing but focus on the task at hand? Sometimes you can get into those flow states and that's terrific. You're very lucky.

This is another ancillary benefit of time boxing is that when you allow yourself the time and measure yourself simply by that metric of, did I do nothing but focus on the task at hand? Sometimes you can get into those flow states and that's terrific. You're very lucky.

What I would caution against, and my beef with flow states, is that flow states only happen for fun things, for things people enjoy doing. When you read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book, he talks about basketball players. He talks about artists. He talks about poets. He talks about people who are doing things they enjoy doing.

What I would caution against, and my beef with flow states, is that flow states only happen for fun things, for things people enjoy doing. When you read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book, he talks about basketball players. He talks about artists. He talks about poets. He talks about people who are doing things they enjoy doing.

What I would caution against, and my beef with flow states, is that flow states only happen for fun things, for things people enjoy doing. When you read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book, he talks about basketball players. He talks about artists. He talks about poets. He talks about people who are doing things they enjoy doing.

I've never heard of anyone getting into flow state doing their taxes, maybe accountants, hopefully, if they love their job.

I've never heard of anyone getting into flow state doing their taxes, maybe accountants, hopefully, if they love their job.

I've never heard of anyone getting into flow state doing their taxes, maybe accountants, hopefully, if they love their job.

it's very difficult to get into flow state for a a task you don't want to do which is the stuff that we get distracted while we're doing right it's when a chapter is not going well not when i'm in flow state when i'm in flow state i don't want to get out of it when a chapter is not going well that's when i get distracted so i just want to caution people don't expect that flow state don't think that you're somehow doing something wrong if you don't feel a flow state because you know what hard tasks are hard don't expect them to feel easy

it's very difficult to get into flow state for a a task you don't want to do which is the stuff that we get distracted while we're doing right it's when a chapter is not going well not when i'm in flow state when i'm in flow state i don't want to get out of it when a chapter is not going well that's when i get distracted so i just want to caution people don't expect that flow state don't think that you're somehow doing something wrong if you don't feel a flow state because you know what hard tasks are hard don't expect them to feel easy

it's very difficult to get into flow state for a a task you don't want to do which is the stuff that we get distracted while we're doing right it's when a chapter is not going well not when i'm in flow state when i'm in flow state i don't want to get out of it when a chapter is not going well that's when i get distracted so i just want to caution people don't expect that flow state don't think that you're somehow doing something wrong if you don't feel a flow state because you know what hard tasks are hard don't expect them to feel easy

Sure, so I'll give you, I think if you want a summary of my decade of research, it would be this, that the antidote for impulsiveness is forethought. The antidote for impulsiveness is forethought, meaning that everything we're talking about, distraction, is simply an impulse control issue. That's all it is. It's not a character flaw. It's not a moral failing. There's nothing broken about you.

Sure, so I'll give you, I think if you want a summary of my decade of research, it would be this, that the antidote for impulsiveness is forethought. The antidote for impulsiveness is forethought, meaning that everything we're talking about, distraction, is simply an impulse control issue. That's all it is. It's not a character flaw. It's not a moral failing. There's nothing broken about you.

Sure, so I'll give you, I think if you want a summary of my decade of research, it would be this, that the antidote for impulsiveness is forethought. The antidote for impulsiveness is forethought, meaning that everything we're talking about, distraction, is simply an impulse control issue. That's all it is. It's not a character flaw. It's not a moral failing. There's nothing broken about you.

It's simply a skill issue that you haven't learned how to deal with this impulse control issue. But the antidote is forethought. What do I mean by that? That if you wait to the last minute, you're gonna lose. If you're on a diet and you have a piece of chocolate cake on the fork on the way to your mouth, you're gonna eat it.

It's simply a skill issue that you haven't learned how to deal with this impulse control issue. But the antidote is forethought. What do I mean by that? That if you wait to the last minute, you're gonna lose. If you're on a diet and you have a piece of chocolate cake on the fork on the way to your mouth, you're gonna eat it.

It's simply a skill issue that you haven't learned how to deal with this impulse control issue. But the antidote is forethought. What do I mean by that? That if you wait to the last minute, you're gonna lose. If you're on a diet and you have a piece of chocolate cake on the fork on the way to your mouth, you're gonna eat it.

If you are trying to quit smoking, but you have a cigarette in your hand lit, you're gonna smoke it. If you sleep next to your cell phone every night, it's gonna be the first thing you reach for in the morning before you even say hello to your loved one. So if you leave it to the last minute, too late, you will lose, they will get you.