Friction design: deliberately adding obstacles that improve follow-through

It’s Wednesday night. You promised yourself you’d finally chip away at that certification or business idea. But somehow you’ve spent 40 minutes “just checking” messages, reorganising folders, and cleaning the kitchen bench. You’re not lazy — you just slid down the path of least resistance.

That path is smooth on purpose. Apps, emails and easy comforts reduce friction to grab your attention. The trick isn’t more willpower; it’s adjusting the path. With a little friction design — deliberately adding small, smart obstacles — you can make the right thing easier to stick with and the time-wasters harder to start.

Good friction vs bad friction

Not all friction is the enemy. Bad friction stops you starting (e.g. complicated logins, messy desks). Good friction stops you stopping — it slows the slide into distraction and builds a tiny pause that helps you follow through.

Think of it as speed bumps for your behaviour. You’ll still drive to your destination, but you won’t accidentally floor it into a detour.

Seven friction strategies you can set up today

• Add one tap between you and your biggest distraction.

  Put your phone in another room, log out of social apps, or uninstall the mobile version you mindlessly open. On your laptop, remove bookmarks to addictive sites, require a passcode for new tabs, or use a separate “personal” browser profile you have to consciously switch to.

• Make quitting awkward (but not impossible).

  Create a short, visible “are you sure?” step before you stop. Keep a sticky note on your desk that says, “Set a 5‑minute timer before you bail.” If you still want to quit when the timer ends, fair enough. That tiny delay often carries you through the dip.

• Pre-commit in small, reversible ways.

  Book a quiet library desk, tell a colleague you’ll send a draft by 4 pm, or schedule a 30‑minute focus block in your calendar with a clear title (“Module 3 quiz”). Public commitments and calendar locks aren’t about guilt; they’re gentle rails that keep you moving.

• Design your defaults.

  Default your phone to Do Not Disturb during work blocks. Keep your most-used work files open when you finish for the day so tomorrow’s first click rolls you into progress. Move TV remotes, game controllers or snack stashes to high shelves. Distance creates discernment.

• Create a “done-done” checklist.

  Don’t let tasks linger half-finished. Define the last 5%: “Hit save, write a two-sentence summary, send the update, tick the task.” That extra friction makes completion concrete and prevents mental drag.

• Set a cooling-off rule for impulse decisions.

  For purchases and big changes, use a 24‑hour list. You can add anything you like — you just have to wait a day. Most “must-haves” fade; the keepers survive the friction.

• Pair friction with fast starts.

  Counterbalance good friction (to stop quitting) with a two‑minute entry ramp. Lay out your materials, open the file you’ll work on, and write the first sentence of tomorrow’s task tonight. Starting should feel almost automatic; stopping should take a beat.

Real people, small changes, big difference

• Jess, marketer and night scroller.

  She moved Instagram and YouTube to a hidden folder and logged out after each use. That extra login screen was enough to redirect her to a book three nights a week. She also kept her charger in the kitchen so the phone didn’t live by the bed. Result: better sleep, calmer mornings.

• Andre, software engineer.

  He added a “5-minute finish” checklist to each ticket: final test, short commit message, write a two‑line Slack update. It added a few minutes of friction but eliminated rework and context-switching the next day.

• Priya, small business owner.

  She blocked out two 45‑minute focus blocks on her calendar with a simple rule: no meetings can displace them without a 24‑hour notice. That tiny scheduling friction protected her highest‑value work.

A quick setup you can do in 15 minutes

1. Pick one high-value task you keep avoiding (study module, proposal, training plan).
2. Make a 2‑minute entry ramp for it (open file, list three micro-steps, set a 25‑minute timer for tomorrow).
3. Choose two friction points to protect it:
   • Physical: put your phone in another room; put snacks or remotes out of reach.
   • Digital: log out of distracting sites; remove one bookmark; turn on Do Not Disturb.
4. Add a quitting speed bump: a sticky note that says, “Five more minutes, then decide.”
5. Set a small pre-commitment: message a friend or teammate with a concrete outcome you’ll share by a time.

Where a simple planner helps

Friction design works best when you’re clear on what you’re steering towards. A lightweight planner keeps your goals visible and honest without becoming another source of admin.

Meloplan is a straightforward option for planning and tracking goals. You can outline your weekly targets, break them into bite-sized actions, and tick them off as you go — perfect for pairing clear intentions with the small speed bumps above. If you like to reflect, a quick weekly check-in helps you notice which frictions worked and what to tweak next.

Make friction your ally

None of this is about being stricter with yourself. It’s about designing your environment so your best intentions have the right of way. A few extra steps between you and a distraction. A small pause before you quit. A gentle nudge that points you back to the work that matters.

Start tiny. Add one speed bump today and keep it for a week. Review. Adjust. Over time you’ll build a path that’s yours — steady, sustainable, and surprisingly easy to follow.

If you’d like a simple way to plan your week and track progress as you experiment with good friction, you can try Meloplan. It’s quick to set up and free to get started: https://app.meloplan.com/register