There is a lot of talk about the hustle lately. Don’t get me wrong, I loves’ me some Gary V, but there is another side to the productivity coin: Reducing Friction.
For most of my life, I felt I had self-discipline problems. Turns out I was just trying to chop down trees with a dull ax. You can find better ways to hustle, and one way to get yourself to do the work is to reduce the friction of getting down to the task.
Of course, friction can come in many forms; physical limitations, location issues, knowledge gaps, unhealthy relationships, over-committed schedules... Since these are all huge topics, I want to start with a narrow friction point and we’ll get to each of the big things later on. Today let’s just focus on one: HABITS.
I’ll use my own as examples but my hope is this will spark some inspiration in you to see if there are friction points that you can reduce or eliminate in regards to your own habits.
Right now I’m working on several daily habits. They vary in priority, but the top three are do-or-die.
- Meditate and practice gratitude.
- Workout
- Write
- Guitar (Music theory in general. I write music and play several instruments at an amateur level.)
- Language (Spanish is first on the list, but I dream of being multilingual and well-traveled.)
- Reading (Books. This is usually easy but today was over-committed so this is one that goes undone.)
- Draw (or make some form of art)
Here are a few ways I’ve found to reduce the friction of getting each of these done.
Meditation:
First things first: Ideally, it’s best for me to meditate right after my first cup of coffee for the day. It gets me started off right, and it’s already one thing accomplished. The trouble for me is that I’m nocturnal, so if I have work or appointments any time before noon I probably won’t get it done in the morning.
The HeadSpace App for smart phones is an amazing tool. It not only guides you step by step into a meditation practice, it is about as convenient as you can get. I’ve even used it at a busy restaurant by using headphones. You can set the session length as short as 10 minutes, and even choose some short one-off sessions that are 5 minutes or less. It’s worth the $10 per month to get the guidance that it provides as well as reducing friction by being so convenient.
Workout:
Every. Single. Day. There's a myth that you need “off-days”. But our bodies evolved under stressful conditions and we tend to thrive if we put ourselves under the right kinds of pressure. In a typical week, I’ll do CrossFit 3-4 days, Indian Clubs and bodyweight exercises about 3 days, and occasionally add in a day of Yoga, Kettlebells, or try something new.
Believe it or not, doing something every single day is a way to reduce friction. You don’t likely have to schedule eating, breathing and going to the bathroom into your calendar. You just do those things, hopefully, every day. It can be the same for your fitness. It’s just something you do. Taking days off is like having to re-start your habit discipline over and over again. If you've started and stopped a fitness routine, you probably know that the more time you take off, the harder it gets to convince yourself to start again. So you can reduce that friction by just never taking a day off.
If you are not in good enough shape to “workout” every day. Then instead of taking a day off, go for a long walk on the days you feel you need a break. I despise the term multitasking, but in the case of a walk, you actually can do two things at once. Listen to a podcast, audiobook, or Spanish lesson.
Be there already. If you work out at a gym, make sure it is so convenient that there is little to no friction in getting there. Have your gym bag in your car, with several pairs of everything, just in case. If you workout with something at home, don’t put it away. Leave it out where it is accessible and visible. I do this with guitar as well. If my guitar is hanging on my wall instead of in its case tucked in my closet, I am much more likely to pick it up and practice. If you’re trying to form a daily habit, make sure what you need is there already- not put away somewhere.
This is a huge friction point. My drawing desk has paper, pencil, and pens sitting out. My writing computer is always on with a shortcut to all my publishing tools in a single click. My guitar hangs on the wall behind me. My Indian Clubs are displayed, not put in a drawer. Anything you can do to just be there already will reduce friction more than you think.
Have a dedicated space. I know I’m incredibly privileged here. Not everyone has the ability to have their own space, but I encourage you to get creative and see what you can come up with. My “bar” is my space for all my habits except working out. The books are stacked and out. The surround sound is on Bluetooth (because I need music in my life almost constantly). I have worked hard to create this space from a crappy little storage room in the back of our tiny garage.
Before I had my own space though, I had a bag. And this bag would allow me to turn other spaces into a reduced-friction zone. One bag with the 2-5 books I’m currently reading, laptop, headphones, drawing supplies, etc... Any park or coffee shop in town became my space. Headphones are kind of awesome for that.
A few purchases that have reduced friction.
I have been poor enough in my life that I tend to overthink my spending. I waste too much time deciding on small purchases, but I’m getting better at this. I’ve bought a few small things that have really helped to reduce friction.
Apps:
- I already mentioned Headspace.
- Evernote. Fast. Easy. Cloud based. Even text that you take a picture of is searchable so you can take a snapshot with your phone of a sign, book passage, or hand written note and search for it later. Pretty cool.
- Duolingo (I seem to struggle learning languages so I need more than this but it is certainly convenient. Memrise is another.)
- Pano Tuner (chromatic guitar tuner) Tabs (cheat sheets to learn new songs)
- TrainHeroic. Exercise programs and workout log all in one.
- Loop Habit Tracker. Check off habits as you do them all day and it charts your progress.
It’s really funny how much of a difference this has made for me. Since I do so much with my phone to reduce friction in my daily life, it sucks when it’s dead. The battery I linked to here holds enough power to charge the phone from zero to full about 3 and half times. Let me tell you, when traveling on a bus through construction from Mexico City to Acapulco this was a life saver.
For my bar- Coffee warmer, Bluetooth, A/C, Powerstrips... I know this seems like a random list of trinkets, but these things each add a significant pleasure and convenience to being in this space. It’s easy to sit down and write because I’ve created a space where it’s easy to be comfortable and focused.
To summarize some of the ways I’ve reduced habit friction:
- First things first. Whatever you can do when you first wake up. Do it.
- Tools. Look for apps or other tools that make your habit accessible and painless.
- No breaks. A daily habit is exponentially easier to maintain than a weekly or monthly habit. Sounds counterintuitive but it’s true. (more on this later)
- Be there. Eliminate having to go somewhere, or get anything set-up for your habit. Have it open and accessible whenever possible.
- Create your space. Have a dedicated space where all your stuff can stay out and accessible. Make it an enjoyable extension of you. This may be a luxury, but I’m not so sure. It’s been a game changer for me.
- Keep your eye out for friction reducing purchases that won’t break the bank. Be willing to get rid of clutter- that just causes more friction, but be willing to try new gadgets that you think will make your work more enjoyable.
What ways do you reduce friction? Has this prompted any new ideas for you?
Let me know in the comments.
(disclaimer: some of the links above are affiliate links. I don't know why this is a concern. If you decide to purchase anything after clicking you will pay the exact same price as if you had searched for the item yourself. The only difference is I might make a few cents for referring you. I can't for the life of me figure out why people would have a problem with this. But there you go. Now you know.)