Say Goodbye to Bad Habits: A Simple Approach to Change
The Simple Secret to Change
Breaking bad habits and building new ones doesn’t have to be a monumental struggle. By focusing on reducing friction for positive behaviors and adding friction to negative ones, you can create an environment that supports your goals. It’s a simple but powerful approach that can make all the difference. So, take a look at your daily routine and ask yourself: What small changes can I make today to reduce friction and move closer to the life I want?
We’ve all been there — knowing we need to stop a bad habit, yet finding ourselves stuck in the same cycle. Whether it’s scrolling endlessly on our phones, skipping workouts, or procrastinating, bad habits seem to hold on tighter the harder we try to break free.
But what if I told you that the problem isn’t just our lack of willpower or motivation, but rather too much friction in the wrong places? By focusing on reducing friction for good habits and increasing it for bad ones, you can simplify your approach to change. Inspired by the wisdom of James Clear’s Atomic Habits, this article explores how small adjustments in your environment can lead to big results.
What Is Friction in Habits?
Friction is any obstacle that makes it harder to perform an action, whether it’s a good or bad habit. For instance, if every time you want to exercise, you have to dig through your closet to find your workout clothes, you’re creating unnecessary friction. This small inconvenience may seem insignificant, but it’s enough to make you think, “Maybe I’ll skip today.”
On the flip side, bad habits thrive when there is little to no friction involved. For example, it’s easier to stay glued to your phone if it’s always within arm’s reach. By understanding friction’s role in our habits, we can reverse-engineer our environment to support better decisions.
Make Good Habits Easy: Reducing Friction
A core principle of James Clear’s approach is that the easier it is to perform a habit, the more likely we are to do it consistently. This means reducing the friction associated with good behaviors so they become part of our daily routine. Here’s how this concept worked in my life.
My Stretching Journey: From Occasional to Consistent
For years, I told myself I wanted to get into a regular stretching routine to improve my flexibility. But no matter how much I promised myself, I never managed to stick with it. The reason? Too much friction.
Every time I thought about stretching, I had to dig out my yoga mat, clear a space, and find a YouTube video. By the time I was ready, I’d lost my motivation. So, I decided to apply the friction-reducing strategy: I left my yoga mat on the floor beside my bed, ready for action the moment I woke up.
Now, the simple act of seeing my mat in the morning cues me to stretch. I no longer have to prepare — everything is already in place. As a result, I’ve gone from barely stretching once a week to stretching almost every day.
Increase Friction for Bad Habits
While reducing friction helps make good habits easier, increasing friction is just as important when it comes to breaking bad habits. The more difficult or inconvenient a bad behavior becomes, the less likely we are to engage in it.
Tackling Phone Addiction: Adding Friction to Break the Cycle
Like many people, I’ve struggled with excessive phone use, often scrolling through social media when I should be focusing on more productive things. I realized that the ease of accessing my phone was fueling this habit, so I decided to make it harder to indulge in this behavior.
To add friction, I began keeping my phone in another room while working. The simple act of having to stand up and retrieve it interrupted the automatic urge to check my notifications. Over time, this increased friction reduced the frequency of my mindless scrolling.
Using Environmental Cues to Create Change
One of the most effective ways to reduce friction for good habits and increase it for bad ones is by adjusting your environment. Small changes in your surroundings can act as powerful cues to guide your behavior.
The Supplements Fix: A Small Adjustment with Big Impact
For a long time, I struggled to remember to take my daily supplements. The problem wasn’t motivation — it was that they were out of sight, tucked away in a cabinet. I realized that my environment wasn’t helping me follow through with this habit.
To fix this, I started placing my supplements next to my protein shake, which is already part of my morning routine. This small adjustment made taking my supplements easier to remember, because they were now part of my visual environment. As a result, I no longer forget to take them.
How to Apply Friction Reduction in Your Life
If you want to eliminate bad habits or build new ones, start by looking at the friction points in your life. Here are some tips to get started:
- Identify the obstacles: What’s stopping you from doing the good habits you want to build? Is it too hard to start, too time-consuming, or too inconvenient?
- Make small adjustments: Once you identify the friction, see if there are simple changes you can make. Can you prepare things the night before, set up visual cues, or organize your space more effectively?
- Increase friction for bad habits: Make it harder to engage in behaviors you want to avoid. Place barriers between yourself and those habits — whether it’s keeping your phone out of reach, uninstalling apps, or hiding unhealthy snacks.
- Be patient: Habit change doesn’t happen overnight. Start small, be consistent, and trust that reducing and increasing friction in the right places will gradually lead to success.
