Traction and distraction

Eyal contrasts traction, any action that moves you towards what you want, with distraction, anything that pulls you away. Both can be prompted by internal triggers, such as boredom or worry, or by external triggers, such as a ping or a tap on the shoulder.

He argues that technology is not the root cause. Distraction is mostly an attempt to escape discomfort. If you do not deal with that, you will simply find another way to escape.