How I Work

Adam Alter on how to kick mobile phone addiction, how to overcome stuck points, and why he doesn't set goals.

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Episode notes

My guest today is Adam Alter. Adam is an Associate Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Adam is the New York Times bestselling author of two books: Irresistible, which considers why so many people today are addicted to so many behaviors, from incessant smart phone and internet use to video game playing and online shopping, and Drunk Tank Pink, which investigates how hidden forces in the world around us shape our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Adam has also written for the New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Atlantic, WIRED, Slate, Huffington Post, and Popular Science, among other publications.

We cover:
  • How Adam reduced his own mobile phone usage by 30%
  • Adam’s extreme techniques for staying off his mobile
  • How to use stopping cues to reduce mobile phone usage
  • The retromania trend and how that is helping with digital addictions
  • The ZZZ-mail approach to managing your inbox
  • How Adam overcomes “stuck points” when he is working
  • Why Adam doesn’t set goals, and what he does instead
  • Adam’s hack for enjoying running more
  • How Adam thinks about boredom and its relationship to his own creativity
  • Why Adam never listens to music on his runs
  • Adam's approach to screens with his two and three year old children

You can find Adam on his website, Twitter, and get a copy of Irresistible here.

Visit https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

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