It’s time to embrace solitude.

Many adults fear being alone. But, the more we associate this quality time with distraction, the more we cripple its benefits. In this exploration of the positives of being alone, Nir Eyal provides tips on how to thrive in your own company.

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He was also dubbed “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology” by MIT Technology Review.

Nir Eyal

How to embrace, not fear, being alone

Nearly a third of Americans say they would. Why?

Our tech obsessions are becoming more and more invasive, and could even be affecting your love life. But with a small change in habit, Nir Eyal reveals that it is quite simple to become an indistractable lover.

Would you rather give up sex or your phone?

Struggling is key to a fulfilling life.

Today's world is a comparative utopia in stark contrast to how our ancestors lived for thousands of years. However, the evolutionary traits we developed make us ill-suited for the world of comfort we've expected over the past 100 years. Nir Eyal discusses how hedonic adaption makes us discontent, and if we want to push ourselves to reach our full potential, then we have to experience a little adversity.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

They employ double standards by habit.

We’re often the biggest hypocrites in our lives. We say we’ll do something, but we fail when it comes time to act on our commitment. Nir Eyal reveals that to live our values, we must be honest about how we fall short.

How to survive in a world that's full of hypocrites

More could be done to achieve a healthier usage pattern.

Social networks can help addicted users while leaving the rest of us alone. If they wanted to. In this analysis of tech addiction, Nir Eyal proposes that companies should implement policies to help vulnerable users.

Can we regulate social networks to curb addition without making them suck?

Good or bad, our feelings colour how we see people. 

In psychology, a “trapped prior” is a perception of reality that’s heavily influenced by past experiences. These can often weigh heavily on our relationships. Nir Eyal provides ways to release your trapped priors and refresh your perceptions of people.

Why it's so hard to shake the way people make you feel

Which of our habits are really worth improving?

The impulse to focus on your weaknesses is from an outmoded era in our evolution. In this instalment of Nir and Far, Auren Hoffman, the CEO of LiveRamp, argues that we need to focus on our talents and natural abilities to propel ourselves forward in life.

To become a superstar, improve your strengths (not your faults)

We need to understand what their purpose is first.

In this installment of Nir and Far, Nir Eyal takes a closer look into what the social and personal purpose of going to bars really is. Originally, it was a place to meet people, but since COVID changed the world and how we interact, does that really continue to be the case?

Are we really having fun at bars or just escaping reality?

What is the most effective way to conquer your vices? 

Ironic processing is a psychological phenomenon that says that the more effort you expend trying to avoid a thought, the more it will nag at you. Which is why thinking about your bad habits - snacking, biting fingernails, procrastinating - makes it tougher to avoid them. Nir Eyal explains the simple techniques that can help people overcome their unwanted habits and lessen the effect of ironic processing, including the 10-minute rule and recognising triggers. 

Stop thinking about your bad habit and do this instead

Overcoming distraction is the struggle of our time.

Distraction can overtake your life by diverting your mental resources toward things that don’t matter. In addition, time-wasting can easily manipulate your brain if you don't have the mechanisms to manage distraction.  Nir Eyal reveals the four pillars to becoming indistractable.

The 4 steps to becoming indistractable

It's important to embrace this negativity. 

Dissatisfaction is hardwired into our psyche, but surprisingly, this is a good thing. In this instalment of Nir and Far, Nir Eyal reveals why feeling perpetually perturbed can help us to work harder and strive for more and argues that it’s time we all lean into these feelings of discontent.

Why you're never going to be satisfied with life

It's ok to be unavailable. 

"Adopt this mindset shift: Any progress, even incremental, is progress." While many of us are scared of being unavailable and instead embracing an all-or-nothing mindset, Nir Eyal explores how life can be transformed by timeboxing.

The time management technique that can work for anyone

Use the psychology of self-image to transform your habits for good.

People don't often realise this, but some might feel distracted or struggle to focus on something because most of their thoughts are already pre-occupied with notions of themselves, who they are and what other people think of them. In this instalment of Nir and Far, Nir Eyal explains how taxing this practice can be and some of the keys to aligning our identity with our behaviour.

The key to behavior change is identity change

Is your workday consuming your life?

A September 2021 study discovered that the average Americans' work week has gotten longer, and with many of us now accustomed to working from home; it's no surprise. As Nir Eyal explains, we've lost the physical boundary between the office and everything else in our lives, which results in many of us being so distracted that our work schedules are taking out the entire day. But it doesn't have to be this way. Here is how you can take back control and become indistractable when it matters most. 

How to make sure working from home doesn't mean you're always working

Why time is key in the quest for impromptu fun.

It may seem counterintuitive, but spontaneity often can’t happen without a bit of advanced planning. In this instalment of Nir and Far, Nir Eyal provides three surefire ways that will help you organise your time and enable you to enjoy more spontaneity in your life.

Planning ahead is the key to living with more spontaneity

It’s much too easy to deflect responsibility.

Resolving almost any problem requires us to get to the bottom of what is causing it and distracting habits are no exception. In this instalment of Nir and Far, Nir Eyal provides us with ways to define the root causes for our distraction that can sometimes lie deep within us.

To fix your problems, find the root cause

Are you struggling to stay focused?

With technology rapidly advancing to allow instant communication almost anywhere in the world, it’s no wonder that many of us are struggling with an onslaught of notifications. Of course, it’s easy to blame yourself, but as Nir Eyal explains in this instalment of Nir and Far, these distractions aren’t caused by internal triggers but by cues that arise in your environment. So, if you’re finding it difficult to tune out these unnecessary distractions, here is how you can get back on track.

One more question to help you get more done

Why is it so hard to find?

When it comes to working, we all want to be in the zone — a kind of productivity nirvana where we get effortlessly get tasks done and are impervious to any kind of distraction. It's a nice idea. However, in reality, it's easier said than done. Nir Eyal discusses the dark side of the concept and explains how we can accomplish our goals whether we find it or not.

The pursuit of ‘flow’ is overrated

Pursuing knowledge is great until it becomes a distraction.

We live in a world of abundant and overwhelming amounts of information, which has given us the incredible opportunity to learn anything in a matter of seconds. But this has also made it increasingly difficult to focus on the things that matter. 

In this instalment of Nir and Far, Nir Eyal reveals ways to turn your values into time and help consume important information without being overwhelmed.

How to survive in a world of information overload

For Nir, it is disrespectful, degrading, and disempowering.

Everyone is familiar with the narrative that we're becoming increasingly addicted to the instant gratifications of social media. However, as Nir Eyal explains through five distinct points, most of us are not addicted. If we just start shifting our mindsets from 'addicted' to 'distracted', we can empower ourselves to hack back.