{"id":272,"date":"2007-04-24T08:53:16","date_gmt":"2007-04-24T15:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2007\/04\/24\/make-productivity-smooth-by-reducing-friction\/"},"modified":"2018-04-03T08:29:06","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T15:29:06","slug":"make-productivity-smooth-by-reducing-friction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2007\/04\/24\/make-productivity-smooth-by-reducing-friction\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Productivity Smooth By Reducing Friction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sometimes,<\/p>\n

Friction wastes energy. You probably don\u2019t need me to tell you that it\u2019s easier pushing a rock on a slippery surface than over sandpaper. Friction exists in your life as well. It is all the aspects of the environment that slow down your productivity. If you want to get more done you can try pushing harder or you can smooth your environment.<\/p>\n

Where is the Friction?<\/h2>\n

When I say friction, I don\u2019t mean obvious time-wasting activities. These are obstacles to peak productivity to be sure. However, I\u2019m talking about the surface of the activities you need to do themselves. Friction isn\u2019t the extra TV you watch or the needless web surfing you do. Friction lies in how you wake up each morning, how you plan your day and how you do the tasks that need to be done.<\/p>\n

In truth, a lot of big time wasters like television and web surfing are symptoms of friction, not the causes. When you push hard against a rough surface, heat is a by-product. When you work hard in a rough environment, procrastination, wasted time and energy are given off instead.<\/p>\n

How do you reduce friction? I think there are three major methods of reducing friction: routinizing, balancing energy and making tasks sexier.<\/p>\n

Routinizing – Making Core Activities Habitual<\/h2>\n

Instead of trying to organize time, I think we should organize cognition. The real beauty of a habit isn\u2019t that it saves you time but that it saves you thinking. Waking up each morning, going to the gym, making meals all require cognition. Making core activities habitual spares your thinking energy to where it is more useful.<\/p>\n

In our information age, most value comes from creative resources not physical labor. If I come upon a good post idea, that post can generate more revenue for me than dozens of mediocre posts. Fifteen minutes implementing a solution in my life can shave off hours of labor. Routinizing core tasks saves mental power for higher level tasks that need doing.<\/p>\n

How do you make something routine? You can start by checking out my Habitual Mastery series<\/a> which pours over exactly how to form habits. Here are a few things you could consider making routine:<\/p>\n