Removing Productivity Friction: Simple, but Overlooked

Often, the hardest part of being productive is to start a task. Our natural self sometimes act lazy; that is to say, we think about getting up and doing something, but then decide to just stay put instead. This happens because most of our daily actions drill a mindset to look for the easiest and fastest way to accomplish something. There is a clear gap between when we want to start a task, and when we actually start it.

Productivity Friction

A way to characterize the resistance in the gap between intention and action is productivity friction. If there is a lot of friction, it is harder for us to switch from planning to execution; the opposite is true for a paltry amount of friction.

Recognizing and optimizing the amount the friction in our lives has many benefits.

• Getting an earlier start on work/tasks
• Success with reinforcing useful habits
• Breaking unwelcome habits
• Making use of spare moments in the day where we by default want to be lazy

The three major categories of friction are distance, complexity, and distractions.

Distance (and Visibility)

The first one is also the simplest. By changing the distance between you and what needs to be done, you change the friction of the task. Visibility also goes with distance. One example of increasing friction with distance and [lack of] visibility, is the common tip of putting your phone in another room when you are trying to do some deep work. That’s where we get the phrase “out of sight, out of mind”. An example of minimizing friction is keeping a book (or kindle) right next to your bed; making you more inclined to read.

Complexity

Ideally, the more simple it is to start, the more likely you are to do it; you are less likely inclined to go on a run if you know you have to stretch, digest your last meal, use the bathroom, etc., before starting. An example of simplifying a task is keeping a notebook or using an app that allows you to quickly start writing. You are more inclined to write if all it takes is to open your notebook or make a single click in an app.

Distractions

In the time between when we know we ought to accomplish something and getting started, we are faced with a myriad of distractions: Social media, email inbox, and phone notifications all seem to have one purpose-shield us from being productive.

It is self explanatory how distractions “distract” us from work, but we rarely consider how distractions might be beneficial in breaking unwelcome habits. Let’s say you want to break out of having a late night snacks; try distracting yourself with a captivating novel.

The Overarching Theme of Time

The three categories of productivity friction all connect to the time required to start a task. Decreasing the distance decreases travel time. Decreasing complexity similarly decreases starting time. Distractions forms a positive feedback loop with time: more distractions lead to taking a longer time to start; the longer gap then being filled with more distractions.

The Solution

The solution is simple; decrease distance, complexity, and distractions. You might laugh at how blatantly obvious this sounds, but if you just spend 15 minutes reflecting on what transitions during your day are the longest or unnecessary, and create a list of how you will fix it, it will amaze you.

Here are a few additional suggestions for how I decrease friction in my life.

• Make everything very accessible: I already touched on this, but keep the tools/materials you need for a task in reach. Another suggestion is to organize your phones homepage to make the “being productive” apps the easiest to access.
• Use a website/app blocker: This can be an immense help. There are many apps that work well, I use an app called Freedom. An alternative you could try is Pause if you want to improve your discipline.
• Be a Keyboard shortcut master: While using keyboard shortcuts might not save you that much time itself, it’s role in eliminating opportunities for distractions is huge.
• The Search bar (Spotlight/Alfred/Cortana): Use the search bar; it doesn’t matter whether you use Spotlight search (built in on Mac), Alfred (popular spotlight alternative for mac), or Cortana (Windows). This is honestly my favorite tip; it now takes me around half a second in total from the thought of opening a website/app to execution.
• Your suggestions? Please let me know in the comments your suggestions, and which of mine you found useful.

If you found any of my suggestions helpful, please share them with your friends.

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Originally published at http://comeworkmindfully.wordpress.com on July 28, 2020.