Less Friction Means More Success

A simple lesson from physics class can help radically change your approach to completing goals.

Jeb Holmes
Jul 10, 2017 · 4 min read

We’ve all been there. Laying in bed, eyes half shut, brain half working. You’re rudely awoken by the buzzing of an alarm clock that was set for 6am just 8 hours earlier with aspirations of a refreshing morning run before work. It’s funny how motivation can slip away like water down the drain in this particular situation.

The idea of getting out of bed, digging around for your running clothes, calling a search party to help find your shoes, and then actually running just feels impossible in the moment. What if I told you there is a secret trick, something you can do that only takes 2 minutes, but could increase your percentage of successfully accomplishing a goal by 80% or more?

One night, I did something different before going to bed. I gathered every single item I would need for a run (clothes, shoes, earbuds) and set them all in saluting fashion at the foot of my bed. The next morning, the alarm clock went off and for a moment there was the same familiar groggy feeling. After a few seconds though, I realized my brain had to do absolutely zero work to get ready for the run. This newfound mental freedom left me (dare I say) excited to get out of bed and enjoy the gift of convenience I had given myself!

It’s not rocket science, we actually learned all about this in middle school science class. It all has to do with something called friction, and I’ve come to realize it applies to much more in life than just textbook examples of a box sliding across the floor.

In particular, there is a type of friction called Static Friction, which “is the friction that exists between a stationary object and the surface on which it’s resting.” (Study.com) In my previous example, there was an elephant size amount of static friction between me (the stationary object) and my bed (the surface I was resting on).

The way static friction works is that it typically takes more force to budge an object into motion than it does to maintain the motion once it has been started.” (The Physics Classroom)

This makes total sense, right? No matter what task or goal you are trying to accomplish, it’s always the first step that feels like the hardest part. You build it up in your mind, which leaves room for procrastination or even skipping the task all together. However, once you actually get started you’re on a roll and nothing can stop you.

By planning ahead, you can minimize the static friction of your goals and make them exponentially easier to complete. If you can accomplish small tasks that get your object (or goal) in motion, then you almost entirely remove the static friction that would otherwise exist! In the running example, by setting out my gear the night before, I actually had “started my run” already, and the object was now in motion.

This of course applies to any goals or tasks you want to accomplish, and it’s something you can try out today to see for yourself! Let’s say you are learning to paint. If all of your supplies are kept in the drawer and you have to set up your easel to even get started, then the static friction there is pretty high.

On the other hand — if you have a dedicated space just for painting, where the easel is all set up, your canvas is waving at you from across the room, and the brushes are in a cup just begging to be used — you my friend have just kicked your static friction to the curb.

Again, I’m sure this is something that you already know for the most part, but in my life I’ve realized it can be easily forgotten.

So here’s my challenge to you. Make a quick list of 3 goals or tasks that you are trying to accomplish this week. For me it would be going to the gym, journaling every morning, and cooking a quality homemade dinner. With the tasks now in mind, make a sub-list for each of those with little actionable ways you could reduce the static friction of each activity. For cooking dinner, I could for example go ahead and research recipes ahead of time, write out the grocery list for the ingredients I need, and even pick the night that works best for me to stay in an cook.

I would love to hear about your goals and any tricks you might find for removing the static friction to help you accomplish them. Good luck!

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade