Friction Reduction🧸.

Hey friends,

If you’ve ever read Atomic Habits by James Clear, you might be familiar with the idea of reducing friction to help build better habits.

Basically, the idea is that the easier it is to perform an action, the more likely we are to do it consistently. So, by reducing friction associated with a habit, we increase the chances of making it a part of our daily routine.

I’ll quote😁, (I’ve re-started Atomic Habits by the way, so expect a book review soon🔜👀)

One example James gives is of a person who wants to start running every day. If we have to spend time finding our running shoes, figuring out where to run, and changing into appropriate clothing, this creates a lot of friction that could deter us from following through with the habit. And we think “eh, maybe I’ll run some other time.” But, if we lay out our running shoes the night before, plan a route, and have our running clothes ready to go, this reduces the amount of friction and makes it far easier to follow through with the habit.

I’ve been implementing this without even knowing sometimes😅. For example, this week, with the busy schedule of school activities mostly, I’ve had to be on my toes plenty of times. So every night had to be a preparation night for the next day. The clothes I plan to wear to school the next day, ironed and arranged next to my bed. Shoes polished or cleaned. Books & pens for the specific next day lectures, in the backpack; as well as an emergency umbrella and jacket. This enables me to wake up and just shower and not worry about what to wear or what class I have or what materials to carry. It helps you enjoy your sleep more too, even on annoying school nights.

On the school part too, preparing for your classes early enough makes you not only enjoy the class but also have a better understanding of what is taught. I had a new unit introduced this month, and last weekend I had studied that unit coz I knew it would give me problems if I neglect it. And true to it, come lecture day, I was at par with the teacher and very much understanding what I considered gibberish last lecture😅. I came out of that class confident that the old saying ‘read ahead of the teacher’ works. In one word, prepare! Preparation for such classes helps your mind reduce the friction associated with trying to grasp very new concepts for the very first time, and maybe the lecturer might leave you behind as you still try to digest whatever he’s saying.

Another way I personally use to reduce friction to common tasks, is to make them enjoyable. Annoying, mundane tasks like washing the dishes everyday, now I make sure I’m listening to music while doing it. This not only makes me forget the somewhat annoying task, but makes me work faster, enjoy it while doing it - coz I’m listening to rhumba bangers like Johnny Junior’s - Vinny, and One Direction’s - Over Again (thinking of my messed up love life). By the time I finish singing along to the music at the top of my lungs, I’m done with the dishes in almost half the time. I know a lot of people listen to music while performing lots of daily tasks like house cleaning..etc. It is a good way to reduce the friction of doing the task and can encourage us to do it often.

Want to make waking up a lot easier and less annoying? Prepare tomorrow’s materials tonight before bed and try to plan out tomorrow’s day. This reduces stress before bed and increases your sleep enjoyment. Even adds you a few minutes of sleep after the alarm goes off coz you know you don’t have to look for everything that morning.

Want to write everyday? Have a pen and paper always close to you; next to your bed, a small notebook in your pocket, or in a more modern way, have your notepad app on your phone’s opening screen. Will make it easier when an idea crosses your mind at anytime, you can flash out your phone and jot it down.

Want to read 10 pages of a book everyday? Put the book in obvious places you’ll find it, like beside your bed, on the kitchen counter, on top of the fridge if you’re foodious. Keep the book open too, let’s say the last page you read. You might see an interesting note there and say “lemme have a look”, and end up reading at least 10 pages. This too I’ve made enjoyable in that when I’m walking, showering, transitioning between classes, and alone, I act as if I’m narrating the book to someone; like their teacher or audiobook. This not only helps me understand the book better, but also makes me interested to go back to the book if there’s a part I can’t narrate. (This obviously means many people have seen me talking to imaginary people on the road, but it has helped me a bunch, not gonna lie😄). Having the book in softcopy form in my phone as a pdf also helps reduce the friction of having to look for the specific page something was written.

Want to stop using your phone in bed after lights out? Keep it in the top most shelf/drawer in your room then go to bed. The temptation will reduce.

Want to take more water during the day? Have a water bottle in sight almost all the time.

Want to read your Bible everyday, as you should? Place it next to your bed in plain sight. The guilt of ignoring it will one day overwhelm you and you’ll find yourself reading it consistently, easily.

Honestly, it’s such a simple thing to do, but having these subtle environmental cues can be incredibly powerful in helping us to reduce friction and gently push us towards making things a habit, or even preparing well for the near future.

So, are there any areas of your life where you’ve found that reducing environmental friction has helped nudge you towards a behaviour you care about? Or, are there any areas of your life that you could improve just by reducing this friction? Let me know by hitting <reply>😁.

❤️My favorite things this week.

1. 🎥Video - Dying is not an option by Eva Wambui. Last week I told you how I love the storytelling company Engage Talk, and this their recent video is one not to miss too. It’s about a diagnosed cancer patient who now decided, no need to wait to die. I’m gonna be remembered as one who didn’t give up. Mind you, she was first diagnosed with blood cancer, then now breast cancer too. This makes adding salt to injury a joke. Do check it out, you might just value your healthy life even more.

Have a great week ahead!

✍🏽Reagan.