The 10 Minute Rule

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The 10 minute rule is a tool for mastering internal triggers. It allows you to give in to any distraction, but not immediately. Instead, you can give into the distraction in 10 minutes. This rule helps you acknowledge that you are in control and can decide when to give in to distractions. It is more effective than strict abstinence because it avoids rumination and discomfort. The 10 minute rule helps ease psychological reactance by allowing you to finally give in and find relief. By delaying gratification for 10 minutes, you establish agency and prove to yourself that you can delay gratification. Over time, you can extend the rule to longer time periods and build your ability to delay distractions.

In this new episode Steven sits down with the American behavioural design expert, Nir Eyal.

Nir’s career has focused on behavioural engineering and helping businesses to develop habit-forming products. His work explores the intersection of psychology, technology, and business, and has earned him the label of “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology”. Since 2003, he has co-founded two technology companies, worked as a consultant in product design and taught as a lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. Nir is the author of 2 bestselling books, ‘Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products’ and ’Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.’

In this conversation Nir and Steven discuss topics, such as: