Friction warms hands and stops cars. It’s a force of nature, but it’s also a force in life. Friction slows us down, keeps us stuck, and makes the easy things hard.

But friction is neither good nor bad. Friction is a tool.

A thousand paper cuts

Friction hides in the little things. It’s the shoes I can’t find, the app I haven’t deleted from my phone, the vegetables I didn’t prep. It’s why I run less in winter, and why I'll do that thing "next weekend".

Friction makes the hard path harder and the easy path easier. And I, like water, flow downhill.

Harness friction for good

I've had a lot of success by simply making the things I want to do more of, easier. Remove steps, clear the path, lower the bar.

  • Want to do a morning run?
    • I lay out my clothes the night before
    • Shoes by the door
    • Start with something stupid-simple: around the block once
  • Want to eat better?
    • Keep healthy snacks in sight
    • Keep a few quick recipes in the notes app on my phone
  • Want to read?
    • Put the Kindle app on my home screen.
  • Want to practice?
    • Leave the guitar out of the case.

I make the first step so small it’s hard to say no. Momentum does the rest.

Build Barriers

I also try to make the bad stuff hard. Add steps, slow it down, put it out of reach.

  • Want less social media?
    • I delete the apps
    • Log out. Don’t save passwords.
  • Want less junk food?
    • Don’t buy it
  • Want to spend less?
    • Wait 24 hours before buying

I make the bad path bumpy so friction slows me down.

My shortcut to writing

This site is a great example. My last rewrite used some really cool tech, but the workflow was clunky. I had to write on my laptop, run a build process, push to GitHub… Nothing particularly difficult, but I never wrote anything.

Now I use boring tech but I knock out a post on my phone. Less friction should result in more writing.

Let's see! 🤞