Friction Levers

When you hear the word ‘friction’, what comes to mind?

Do you think of resistance or something getting in the way?

Friction actually works in two directions:

• Adding friction to slow things down intentionally.
• Removing friction to lower barriers and keep things moving.

You can do both to drive the outcomes you want.

Add friction when you need to review, reflect, or reset.

Take my ‘Weekly Update’, for example. It’s a simple practice I use on every project. Each week, I stop and review:

• What did I set out to do?
• What did I actually get done?
• What are my priorities for the coming week?

That’s friction, but it’s intentional—slowing down to stay aligned and focused. It makes sure I’m working on the right things to move forward.

The same goes for my daily routines. I start and end my day the same way:

• The first 30 minutes: my ‘startup checklist’.
• The last 30 minutes: my ‘shutdown checklist’.

These routines are also friction. But this friction is helpful—it guards my time and attention. I don’t have to scramble reactively because nothing slips through the cracks.

How else can you add friction?

• Writing notes by hand to improve retention.
• Waiting a day to respond to a difficult email.
• Adding issues to a list before they can be discussed.

Remove friction when you need to act, build, or form.

This part’s more familiar. When we remove friction, we’re trying to act quickly, build momentum, or form habits.

Take habits, for example. The easier a habit is, the more likely it’ll stick.

In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about making habits easy. He has this great ‘Two-Minute Rule’: shrink your habit until it can be done in two minutes or less. The idea? Make it so easy you can’t say no to it.

How else can you remove friction?

• Automate repetitive tasks.
• Batch similar tasks together to save time.
• Turn on “Do Not Disturb” to avoid distractions.

Use friction to your advantage. We often focus on reducing friction to make progress, but adding friction has its place, too. Done intentionally, it helps us slow down and build habits that keep us on track.

Think of friction like a lever. Use it wisely.