20 Common Values [and Why People Can’t Agree On More]

When you replace the typical definition of ‘values’ with a better one, your life suddenly becomes clearer. When I recently came across the headline “The World’s Most Influential Values, In One Graphic,” I couldn’t help but click–a good data visualization is like catnip for me. The chart, compiled by global research company Valuegraphics, shows the […]...

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Why Do People Believe the ‘Social Media is Mind Control’ Myth?

In our search for easy answers, we give up control. The evidence is overwhelming: we are far more powerful than the technology that is supposedly mind-controlling us. It’s not even close. As I’ve discussed in other articles, we need to give ourselves more credit. Instead of passively accepting the idea that we’re all being puppeteered […] The post Why...

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Timeboxing: The Most Powerful Time Management Technique You’re Probably Not Using

Timeboxing is the nearest thing we have to productivity magic, yet most people don’t utilize it. Here’s how to overcome the top 3 reasons why. “I can’t seem to get enough done.” “I’m always distracted.” “Why can’t I focus?” I hear these complaints from my clients and readers all the time. But when I recommend […] The post Timeboxing: The Most Powerful...

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Children and Technology: 3 Things Parents Need To Know

Whatever your view of tech’s impact on our children, here are three common sense rules we can all follow. Nir’s Note: this article is a collaboration between myself and Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Jon researches moral and political psychology and business ethics. He has delivered four […]...

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The Influencers Dinner: An Interview with Jon Levy

The post The Influencers Dinner: An Interview with Jon Levy appeared first on Nir and Far.

Jun 2021

What Is Motivation? You’ve Probably Been Thinking About It All Wrong

What is motivation: Understanding the relationship between motivation and discomfort It took me five years to write my last book, which was a lot longer than it should have taken. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know what to do–I did. I just didn’t do it. I wasn’t motivated. My book, Indistractable, is about how […] The post What Is Motivation? You’ve...

Jun 2021

“Just Say No” Is Bad Productivity Advice

Try schedule-syncing instead. You’ve probably read this advice before: “The best thing you can do for your productivity is to say no more often.” By freeing yourself from unnecessary tasks, the thinking goes, you can spend more time working on the things that really matter. At first blush, this sounds smart. Many things people ask […] The post “Just...

Jun 2021

The New York Times Uses the Very Dark Patterns it Derides

‘Dark patterns’ aren’t always malicious mind control. They’re often a symptom of disjointed company culture. Will the Times change?’ A recent New York Times op-ed, titled “Stopping the Manipulation Machines,” derided the use of dark patterns: design tricks that push people to do things online by confusing or deliberately inconveniencing them. Kudos...

May 2021

Can We Regulate Social Networks To Curb Addiction—Without Making Them Suck?

Social networks can help addicted users while leaving the rest of us alone. If they wanted to. About five years ago, I sat down in a series of meetings with leaders from Reddit, Snapchat, Facebook, and other social media networks. My goal was to discuss social media addiction and how companies might self-regulate to curb […] The post Can We Regulate...

May 2021

So, You Want To Become a Great Product Manager? [Q&A with Jackie Bavaro]

Nir’s Note: Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jackie Bavaro about her latest book, Cracking the PM Career—a complete guide to the skills, frameworks, and practices you need to become a great product manager. Jackie serves as the Head of Product Management at Asana and has held senior product manager jobs at Microsoft […] The post So, You...

May 2021