A few years back, someone gave me a really nice bottle of brandy. It was old, smoky, expensive … everything you’d want in a good brandy.
And every week or two I’d walk past it and just take a sip or two.
Then five years ago we moved house. And when we unpacked, the brandy ended up (appropriately) on the top shelf of the pantry.
Now to have a sip I need to climb on a chair to get the brandy. Not that hard — the chair is right there. Maybe twenty extra seconds.
And how many times have I done that in five years?
Exactly none.
Turns out twenty seconds is enough friction for it to not be worth it.
As you’ve probably figured out, this is a metaphor for productivity. It’s not actually about the brandy.
I very consciously remove friction for the things I want to do. At the start of every week, when I’m planning my priorities, I move the folder for any important projects I want to work on to my favourites. Just one click away. Less friction.
On the other hand, if I want to look at Facebook, I have to open my laptop. It’s not on my phone or my primary computer. More friction.
The addition or removal of friction is an incredibly powerful hack. Do it now … your future self will thank you.
