Friction

Goals

1. Describe friction as it applies to pursuing goals.
   
2. Minimize undesirable friction for yourself and others.
   
3. Skillfully use desirable friction to resist temptations.

What Is Friction?

Friction is anything that tends to resist progress toward a goal.

• For a desirable goal, friction is the invisible drag that makes starting, continuing, or finishing harder than it needs to be.
• For an undesirable but tempting goal—like smoking a cigarette—friction makes the behavior harder to carry out, which can be helpful.

Why It Matters

If you don’t understand friction, you may blame failure on motivation, ability, or discipline—when the real problem is poor design or unnecessary resistance.

Minimizing bad friction—and using good friction strategically—makes success easier, more sustainable, and often more ethical.

Friction isn’t always bad. When you’re trying to reduce or eliminate a harmful habit, adding friction makes it harder to act impulsively, which supports better decision-making.

Types of Friction (How to Spot It)

1. In Learning

• Lack of clear purpose or payoff
• Confusing explanations
• Poor sequencing of material
• Lack of feedback or guidance
• Overwhelming content
• Technical barriers

2. In Habits

• Too many steps to get started
• A cluttered or distracting environment
• No cues or reminders
• Inconvenient timing

3. In Projects

• Unclear goals or priorities
• Poor communication
• Ineffective tools or systems
• Bureaucracy and duplicated work

How to Reduce Undesirable Friction

For Yourself:

• Make desired actions easier, faster, and more rewarding.
• Use prompts, routines, and automation.
• Remove obstacles before they create resistance.

For Others:

• Design smooth, intuitive experiences.
• Provide clear instructions and timely feedback.
• Anticipate common blockers and eliminate them.

How to Use Desirable Friction

Desirable friction slows things down on purpose—to encourage better thinking, decisions, or behavior.

Examples:

• Adding a delay before sending a sensitive message
• Requiring a second check on important decisions
• Pausing to reflect before committing to something big
• Creating barriers to bad habits (e.g., deleting apps, hiding temptations)

Key Principle:

Use friction as a tool, not just a flaw.

Helpful Distinctions

• Good Friction: Encourages quality, safety, ethics, or self-control.
• Bad Friction: Slows or blocks progress without adding value. ## Summary

Friction is anything that resists progress toward a goal.
Reducing unnecessary friction—and using helpful friction wisely—is one of the most powerful ways to improve performance, motivation, and outcomes.

Tips

Friction can work for or against you. The key is to recognize it—and use it wisely.

1. When a desirable action feels harder than it should, ask:
   What’s causing the friction—and how can I reduce it?

2. When an undesirable but tempting action is too easy, ask:
   How can I add friction to slow it down or make it less appealing?

3. Friction can come from external sources (tools, environments, systems) or internal sources (beliefs, emotions, habits). Learn to recognize both.

4. Use friction intentionally to support better choices—especially when reflection, caution, or restraint is needed.

5. The goal isn’t zero friction, but the right friction in the right ways.