Podcast of the Week: The Opposite of Distraction isn’t Focus, it’s Traction

Nir Eyal is making the rounds promoting his new book, Indistractable. His behavioral design work is fascinating (see also Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products), and lends a lot of credibility to why we should pay attention to this new book. Eyal applies the same methods that get us hooked to our smartphone vibrations and notifications to help get us unhooked and on the right path. There are explanations of what we can try for ourselves, for our kids, and our human relationships (including our marriages). He shows us that our problem isn’t just focus, it’s gaining and maintaining traction so that the distractions don’t keep tripping us up.

Cal Fussman has my favorite interview so far (for the new book, probably because Cal has just really got himself technologically updated – so his questions come from a unique place). Honorable mention to Jordan Harbinger too. Check these and the book out. It is much more than just the average “how to get off social media” rant.