Embracing Friction

It's when we learn and grow

Since the '80s, we have tried to make computing more and more accessible. This first manifested with the home computer in the late '80s and early '90s. The early 2000s brought the laptop. Then the 2010s flooded the world with the smartphone. Now, we have nearly instant access to AI via LLMs (large language models). Almost any average question can be answered within seconds. But what if this accessibility is actually negatively impacting us? What if we embrace friction, rather than ease?

I'll admit, being able to ask a machine a mundane question and getting a pretty perfect answer is impressive. I am blown away almost every time I ask ChatGPT or Notion AI a question. The computer and AI have promised us a simpler life—a life where we are able to offload thinking to do the things that matter. But in reality, it is giving us a way to pack more onto our plates while doing less thinking.

Shallow Work

In the '80s and '90s, we worked the same amount of hours, made a comparably equivalent salary, but did less shallow work and more deep work. We still had a third of our life dedicated to work, a third to personal, and a third to rest. If the computer and AI are doing what they're supposed to do, shouldn't we have a different balance of time?

Shallow Thought

Like work, we were promised that computers would augment the mind, helping us do things with more ease. While they did for a period of time, the new goal is to skip the human entirely. This means we will be thinking less deeply—shit, we have been for a while. As most of us know, the important part of learning is generally not the answer; it's the journey. The process of doing the research, solving the math problem, or thinking critically while writing is the real achievement. It's the questions we find along the way. Reaching for a phone, hollering at your home assistant, or reading an AI summary actually teaches you nothing.

Adding Friction

I mentioned a few editions ago that I Forgot How to Write by Hand. This was because of the promise of the computer. I didn't need to write things out if the output was going to be typed anyway. But then I realized that the friction, the tactility of writing by hand, allows me to think differently.

I propose a simple challenge to you. Rather than relying on your "technology" for the answer, for the reminder, for the connectivity—add friction. Do the deep research to understand the why. Read the full article; don't read the one-paragraph summary. Read the full book; don't listen to the audio version. Leave your phone at home for a few hours. Delete your social media from your phone and only access it from your computer. Carry a notebook for capturing your thoughts and todo lists. Take your own meeting notes by hand; don't let AI do it for you. Transcribe, rewrite, and most importantly, think.

It sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But we did all of these things 30, 25, 15 years ago—regularly. We weren't mad about it, we didn't have text neck, we could hold longer conversations, and we left our houses more often. We focused on community rather than individuality. We were present. All because the rest of the world was not accessible. There was friction to get to the internet, to information.

I've mentioned it many times: I am a Digital Operations Consultant. I help people and companies increase their Operational Efficiency. This is mainly done with digital tools, on the computer, with connection to the internet and AI. I am not advocating for the removal of computers from your life—it's the world we live in. I am advocating for something very simple—friction.

I have personally been adding friction into my life for a while now. I practice almost everything I mentioned above. Guess what? I'm fine. Better than fine. I think deeper, have a better grasp on my work, and I am way more present in my personal life. Yeah, I do leave home without my phone, regularly. I do have a cellular Apple Watch on me, but it is mainly for a possible call or an important text. I use my devices contextually. I do have social media on my phone, but I rarely even look at it.

So again, I challenge you to add some friction into your life. It's in the friction, the slowness, that we learn and grow.

How do you feel about the frictionless world we live in? Do you practice these methods already—intentionally or not? Do you have any other recommendations?