We sometimes make life harder than it needs to be.
Not intentionally, of course. But over time, small inconveniences pile up. We keep putting something in an awkward place. We make the same decision every morning. We use a complicated system because that is how we have always done it. We tolerate the tiny annoyance that greets us every single day.
None of these things seems important enough to fix on its own. Together, though, they create friction.
Removing some of that friction can make everyday life feel a little lighter. And sometimes, making life easier is reason enough to make a change.
Notice What Keeps Getting in Your Way
Friction is anything that adds unnecessary effort between you and what you are trying to do.
Maybe you want to take a walk after dinner, but your shoes are buried in the closet. You want to eat a better breakfast, but every morning starts with figuring out what to make. You want to read before bed, but your book is downstairs while your phone is already in your hand.
These are tiny obstacles, but tiny obstacles repeat.
A good place to start is just by noticing them. Pay attention to the moments when you regularly think, “Why do I make this so difficult?” That question might point you toward an easy improvement.
Make the Good Choice Easier
If there is something you want to do more often, consider how you could remove a step.
Put your walking shoes by the door. Keep a water bottle on your desk. Leave the book you want to read on your nightstand. Set up automatic payments for bills you otherwise have to remember each month.
You can also decide some things in advance.
Researchers have studied a strategy called implementation intentions, which involves connecting a situation with a planned response. Instead of simply thinking, “I want to exercise more,” you might decide, “After I finish work on Tuesday, I’ll go for a 20-minute walk.” Research suggests these specific plans can help people translate intentions into action.
In everyday life, the idea is simple: when you already know what you will do, you have one less decision standing in your way.
Give Yourself Fewer Decisions
Modern life offers a remarkable number of choices. Sometimes that is wonderful. Sometimes it is exhausting.
Research on “choice overload” is mixed. A large meta-analysis published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that having more options does not automatically make people less satisfied or less likely to choose. Instead, the effects depend on the situation.
Still, you probably do not need unlimited choices for everything.
Having a few dependable meals you make regularly, a simple morning routine, or a default day for running errands can eliminate decisions that do not deserve much of your energy.
Save your attention for the choices that actually matter to you.
Fix the Thing That Annoys You Every Day
There is also something satisfying about finally addressing a small problem you have been working around for months.
Move the charger to where you actually use it. Unsubscribe from the emails you delete every morning. Put a donation box in the closet instead of creating another pile of clothes you no longer wear. Replace the kitchen tool that frustrates you every time you cook.
We often adapt to inconvenience so gradually that we stop questioning it.
Look around your daily life and ask: What could be easier? You may be surprised by how simple the answer is.
Easy Is Allowed
There can be a strange tendency to believe that doing things the harder way somehow counts for more. But difficulty is not always meaningful, and unnecessary effort is still unnecessary effort.
You do not have to reorganize your entire life. Just pay attention to the little places where things regularly snag, stall, or frustrate you.
Move something. Simplify something. Decide something once instead of twenty times.
Happiness does not always require adding something new. Sometimes, it comes from removing what was making life harder in the first place.
Happiness Posts is published by Darin M. Klemchuk founder of Klemchuk PLLC, an intellectual property law firm located in Dallas, Texas and co-founder of Engage Workspace for Lawyers, a coworking space for lawyers. He also publishes the Ideate (law) and Elevate (law firm culture) blogs. You can find more information about his law practice at his firm bio and also at his BioSite.
