Put simply, friction is resistance against motion (or action...).
The more friction you remove, the further you go, and the less force you need for that motion.
"What is he talking about?"
Let me give you an example...
If you want to get up in the morning and go to the gym, these would be examples of friction:
- Picking what to wear
- Choosing what to eat
- Cooking food and washing up
- Choosing what your workout will be
- etc. etc.
If you remove this friction by laying out your clothes the night before, having food prepped in the fridge, your workout decided... all you have to do is get up, eat, drive to the gym, and workout. (maybe pop a coffee and poop if we're being realistic - I'm a gut health coach so I'm allowed to say it)
Since you need "less force for that motion" it will also be far less of a chore, and require significantly less investment from you to perform.
Now, there are two ways to apply this:
1. Preparation (the night before, every Sunday, you get the picture...)
2. The systems you have in place
A system is guideline or procedure for doing something. Without steering you back towards planning... it can be a plan or the way you organise yourself.
This email newsletter is a system: I made the template, then every week I fill in the gaps and send it out.
Simple.
Not so simple if I made it from scratch every time.
Design your life to make it frictionless, whether that be doing the hard graft from the outset/when you do feel like it, or putting systems in place that run themselves.