Nir EyalSpeaker on Behavioral Science, NYT Bestselling Author, Former Stanford Lecturer

Learn How To Avoid Distraction In A World That Is Full Of It

Name: Learn How To Avoid Distraction In A World That Is Full Of It
Uploaded: 2020-08-03T13:00:14+00:00
Duration: 48 s
Channel: Nir Eyal
Description: A short talk by Nir Eyal defining distraction and proposing 'traction' as its functional opposite. The speaker frames traction as any action that moves a…

3 Aug 2020 · 1 min

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A short talk by Nir Eyal defining distraction and proposing 'traction' as its functional opposite. The speaker frames traction as any action that moves a person toward their true goals — examples include work on meaningful projects, sleep, exercise, healthy eating, meditation/prayer, and time with loved ones.

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What is the opposite of distraction? If you don't want to be distracted, presumably you want its opposite. But if you search distraction antonym, you will find that distraction doesn't have an exact opposite. Merriam Webster does suggest several near antonyms like assurance, certainty, confidence, and conviction. That doesn't really help when your goal is to move away from distraction toward what? I propose adopting the term traction as the opposite of distraction. Traction is any action that moves us towards what we really want. Any action, such as working on a big project, getting enough sleep or physical exercise, eating healthy food, taking time to meditate or pray, or spending time with loved ones are all forms of traction.