Putting It All Together: Two Real-World Examples
Theory is useful, but seeing the frictionless habits method in action is what makes it click. Let’s walk through two detailed examples of how someone might design a new routine using the principles of Minimum Viable Action, friction reduction, environmental cues, and identity framing. Notice how the focus is on ease and consistency, not intensity.
Worked Example 1: The Evening Wind-Down Routine
Goal: Get better, more consistent sleep to feel more rested and focused during the day.
Identity: “I am someone who values rest and ends my day peacefully.”
The Problem: Sarah often finds herself scrolling on her phone in bed until late at night. She knows it’s bad for her sleep, but by the end of a long day, she lacks the willpower to resist the easy distraction. Her bedroom is cluttered, and her phone is the first thing she reaches for.
The Frictionless Redesign:
First, Sarah defines her Minimum Viable Action (MVA). Instead of a complex, hour-long routine, her MVA is simply: “At 10:00 PM, I will plug my phone in to charge across the room, not on my nightstand.” This is a simple, two-minute action that makes the biggest difference.
Next, she conducts a friction audit. The primary friction is the easy accessibility of her phone. By moving the charger, she adds significant physical friction to mindless scrolling. To reduce friction for a better habit, she places a book she’s excited to read on her nightstand, right where her phone used to be. The choice is no longer between “scrolling” and “nothing,” but between “getting out of bed to get my phone” and “effortlessly picking up this interesting book.”
Then, she engineers her cue. She uses habit stacking. Her cue is an alarm she sets for 10:00 PM with the label “Time to Wind Down.” The alarm going off is the trigger. The sequence becomes: “When my 10:00 PM alarm goes off, I will plug in my phone across the room.”
Finally, she adds a touch of gentle accountability by telling her partner her plan. She simply says, “My goal is to have my phone charging by 10:00. If you see me on it after that, feel free to give me a gentle nudge.” This isn’t about being policed; it’s about sharing an intention to make it more real.
Within a week, the new pattern starts to feel natural. Plugging in her phone becomes automatic. Most nights, she reads a few pages of her book and feels her mind calming down. She is casting a vote for her new identity as someone who rests, and her sleep quality begins to improve, all without a major battle of willpower.
Worked Example 2: The Morning Focus Primer
Goal: Start the workday with clarity and intention instead of immediately diving into a chaotic inbox.
Identity: “I am a focused, proactive professional who designs my day intentionally.”
The Problem: David starts his workday by opening his email. He immediately gets pulled into reactive mode, responding to other people’s agendas. His own important priorities get pushed to later in the day, when he has less energy. The lure of the inbox feels irresistible.
The Frictionless Redesign:
David’s MVA is not to plan his entire day, but simply: “Before I open my email, I will open my journal and write down my single most important task for the day.” This takes less than 60 seconds but completely reframes his morning.
He performs a friction audit. The friction for his old habit is zero; his email opens automatically on startup. The friction for his new habit is that his journal is on a bookshelf and his pen is somewhere else. To fix this, he removes the friction for his desired habit: he leaves his journal and pen on his closed laptop every evening. He also adds friction to his old habit: he logs out of his email account at the end of each day and disables automatic startup, forcing a deliberate action to check it.
His cue is a clear example of habit stacking. The established habit is making coffee. The new sequence is: “After my coffee is done brewing, I will sit at my desk with my mug and write my one priority task before my laptop is even fully on.” The coffee becomes the trigger for a moment of reflection, not for checking email.
For accountability, he uses a simple calendar on his wall. Each day he completes his MVA, he draws a green checkmark. The visual feedback of a row of checkmarks is a satisfying reward that reinforces the behavior. He isn’t worried about an unbroken streak, but he enjoys seeing the evidence of his new identity as a focused professional taking shape.
