Make habits effortless by tuning ease and friction in your surroundings

Imagine your brain as a marble racing down a slope: the smooth, wide channel pulls it forward effortlessly, while jagged edges and pits slam it to a halt. This is exactly how ease and friction guide our habits. When you clear clutter, prep tools in advance, or pre-schedule phone-free blocks, you’re building a friction-free chute for your new routine. Conversely, hiding your phone or locking sugary snacks behind extra steps adds jolts that slow the unwanted marble to a stop.

Neuroscience shows that our brains conserve energy by repeating low-effort pathways. Each time you eliminate a small obstacle—like laying out gym clothes before bed—you reduce decision fatigue and prime your brain for action. In contrast, adding a single extra step to a bad habit—locking the fridge with a padlock code—dramatically cuts impulse behavior.

This method leverages two principles from behavioral science: the path of least resistance drives action, and small environmental tweaks can overhaul daily routines. By adjusting the physical and mental ease around your behaviors, you harness those same reliable forces instead of fighting them.

The takeaway is simple: set yourself up to win. Design your environment so that good habits feel almost inevitable and bad ones feel like running through waist-deep mud.

You’ll tackle ease and friction in one gentle swoop. First, list the biggest hurdles that keep you from your new habit—maybe missing gear or mindless app scrolling. Next, add a step or two to your worst habit—hide your phone in another room or remove junk food from arm’s reach. Then pick the habit you crave and engineer smooth triggers—lay out equipment, schedule reminders, or map your path to success. Finally, track how these tweaks feel for two days and adjust one detail at a time until your routine glides forward naturally.