Jake Knapp loves tech. He grew up using Apple II and then Mac computers, browsing bulletin boards, and making his own games. As an adult, he worked at Microsoft on the Encarta CD-ROM, before being hired by Google, where he worked on Gmail, co-founded Google Meet, and created Google Ventures' Design Sprint process. Today, he's a venture capitalist and consultant for start-ups, as well as a writer.
But, if Jake was an early adopter and booster of the upsides of technology, he was also early in sensing its not-so-positive side effects. Twelve years ago, unhappy with the pull his smartphone was exerting on him, he decided to curb its distractions. He continues to use this distraction-free phone today.
Today on the show, I talk to Jake about what motivated him to change his relationship with his phone over a decade ago and what steps he took to do so, including how and why he lives life without a web browser or email app on his phone. We get into what realizations about work and life Jake's gotten from having a distraction-free phone, why he doesn't think using tools like Screen Time or a dumbphone are always the best solutions to reducing the phone itch, and how he also cuts down on distractions on his desktop computer.
Resources Related to the PodcastHow to Eliminate the Two Biggest Sources of Financial Stress
The Secret World of Bare-Knuckle Boxing
Why Your Memory Seems Bad (It’s Not Just Age)
Grid-Down Medicine — A Guide for When Help Is NOT on the Way
Skills Over Pills
The Power of Everyday Rituals to Shape and Enhance Our Lives
Walden on Wheels — A Man, a Debt, and an American Adventure
Want to Be Happy? Give Yourself Reasons to Admire Yourself
Tips From a Hostage Negotiator on Handling Difficult Conversations
Lessons in Action, Agency, and Purpose From Buying a Ghost Town
Get More Done With the Power of Timeboxing
How to Shift Out of the Midlife Malaise
The 3 Musical Geniuses Behind the Most Popular Jazz Album of All Time
A Butler's Guide to Managing Your Household
Down With Pseudo-Productivity: Why We Need to Transform the Way We Work
The 5 Factors for Crafting Simple (Read: Effective!) Messages
The Misconceptions of HIIT (And the Role It Can Play in Your Fitness Routine)
The Making of a Stoic Emperor
The Secrets of Supercommunicators
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free