239: “Don’t Wait Until You’re an Expert” — Scratch Your Own Curiosity Itch with Nir Eyal

Written By Jenny Blake

“I only write books for problems I can’t otherwise solve,” Nir Eyal says. “I don’t write my books for my readers; I write my books for myself.”

Driven by curiosity to fix his own problems, Nir’s books have sold over one million copies. Listen to today’s conversation on how he weathered the criticism storm around his first book, Hooked; the one essential skill to being an entrepreneur; how to turn your values into time, and turn time into traction; and if you’re an aspiring author, why the fear of not being qualified should not be one of your fears.

If you haven’t already, check out Pivot episode 131: Indistractable with Nir Eyal.

More About Nir

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today.

🌟 3 Key Takeaways

  • Distraction is not something that happens to us, it’s something we ourselves decide to do.

  • Traction is prioritizing the right things, on your chosen schedule.

  • Reactive work vs reflective work: you have to put time in your schedule to think.

📝 Permission

Live out your values without regret. There is no distraction you can’t overcome if you plan ahead, even if you can’t guarantee the outcome. You do control your time, and your attention. We need to stop moralizing or medicalizing normal behaviors, as long as you do them on your schedule.

✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next

Map out a time-blocked calendar that includes time with loved ones, a bedtime, and anything else that fits your values.

🔗 Resources Mentioned

📚 Books Mentioned

🎧 Related Episodes

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📝 Check out full show notes and share with friends: https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/239

Jenny Blake

Jenny Blake is a career and business strategist and international speaker who helps people people organize their brain, move beyond burnout and create sustainable careers they love. She is the author of PIVOT: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One (Portfolio/Penguin Random House, September 2016). Jenny left her job in career development at Google in 2011 after five and a half years at the company to launch her first book, Life After College, and has since run her own consulting business in New York City. Find her on Twitter @Jenny_Blake and subscribe to the Pivot Podcast. 

http://PivotMethod.com
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