Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year?

If you did, there’s a good chance it involved using your phone less.

Apparently, 33% of New Year Resolutioners declared an intention to spend less time scrolling and tapping on a screen.

And if you’ve tried a ‘digital detox’ you’ll realise how hard it can be.

We’ve become so accustomed to our phones, tablets and desktop computers that they’ve become ingrained as habits.

You’ll notice it’s hard NOT to instinctively reach for your phone to check your inbox, read the news, or look up something on Google.

And you’ll quickly realise how much you rely on tech to run your life.

Because it makes everything so quick and effortless.

• Want to plan a journey? Tap it into Google maps and it’ll give you the train, bus, car and pedestrian options, including distance, estimated journey times and a variety of route options.
• Want information on a niche subject? Ask google, see a bunch of links, click on one and you can download a report, sign up to an email or follow a social media feed from a top expert.
• Want to get bespoke advice? Just open Chat GPT or Claude and ask it for what you want, and it delivers it in seconds.
• Hungry? Open a delivery app and order some food in a few clicks.
• Need to get fit? Get a tracker app and it’ll set you up with everything you need to measure your progress.

Pretty much everything is instant, or just a few clicks away.

And that’s because the modern digital world has been designed to be ‘frictionless’.

By that I mean as little time and hassle as possible between you wanting something and then getting it.

Which is great…

Who doesn’t want to tap a button and get everything they need delivered to them in seconds?

But this comes with a downside.

The Zero Friction Problem

It’s now so quick, cheap and easy to get hold of digital content, that we grab it wherever we can…. instinctively, on impulse, without thinking too much about it.

We click on links and buttons to download free reports… buy eBooks… sign up to emails… join groups… add new apps to our phones…

But we don’t really VALUE this stuff.

It’s disposable.

We can take it or leave it.

After all, we didn’t pay for it, or it was so cheap that there was little risk or commitment involved.

Take my library of digital music downloads, for instance.

I have THOUSANDS of tracks on my cloud storage that I’ve downloaded from sites like Bandcamp over the years, or that I’ve copies from friends who’re also into music.

But I couldn’t really tell you what was on there.

In fact, some of it I’ve NEVER listened to.

I also have saved albums on Spotify that I have never got round to checking out.

That’s because adding an album, or downloading an album is so frictionless, I can do it in seconds without thinking.

It’s very different when I spend an hour in a record shop, flipping through stacks of vinyl, before forking out £27.99 for an LP.

In this case, I’m invested in the process and will take that LP home, stick it on a turntable, listen to it, appreciate it and remember it.

You might have experienced this when you order information products to help you with your home business or personal success.

Every day, your computer and phone screens hit you with messages, promises and offers.

Occasionally one will catch your eye, because it offers to help you solve a pressing problem, achieve a goal that’s been on your mind, or make you more productive.

So you download it, sign up for it, or hit ‘order’.

Within seconds, it’s in your inbox, on your phone, or downloaded onto your computer.

In that moment you feel like you’ve done something useful.

But then…

You don’t read it… or you skim the first few pages and save it for later… or it disappears into a folder you never open again.

The frictionless nature of the process makes it feel like you’re being productive, without requiring any real engagement.

You haven’t put any effort into it, or committed any time and energy, so you’ve no ‘skin in the game’, and there’s nothing really at stake if you just ignore it or abandon it.

And this does NOTHING for your progress.

If anything it means you flit between ideas and stack up reams of material with the illusion that you’re doing something constructive.

This is such a widespread problem that a new trend is emerging…

Why You Should Make Things Harder For Yourself

New York magazine declared 2026 to be the year of “friction-maxxing.”

This is where you deliberately add small amounts of effort back into your life.

Instead of taking the instant, convenient, one-click route offered by your smartphone, computer, or AI, you allow yourself to go through a process that takes a bit more time and attention.

This is not because convenience is bad…

If you’re lost in a city and need to get somewhere urgently, then OF COURSE you would use a map app on your phone.

But when it comes to your productivity and success in home business, the easiest option is not always the best option.

Zero friction often means zero commitment.

That’s because we don’t tend to place much value on things we get for free, or for little effort.

So when we watch online ‘how to’ videos, read email newsletters and download free reports, guides, checklists, swipe files and blueprints, we get a brief sense of reward…

But there’s little motivation to really get stuck in.

We don’t really feel invested, so we’re less likely to read them, follow the steps and act on them.

For example, you might click on a Facebook link to watch a free webinar. Because there’s no real cost, preparation, or effort involved, it’s easy to half-engage with it.

You might listen while doing something else.

Or you might check out the first few minutes then shut it down because you realise you’ve something more important to do, or another glittering offer catches your attention.

The alternative is to try the friction-maxxing approach.

This is where you add more time, effort and action into the process of consuming information-based content.

I’ll give you some examples…

Frictional Strategies

When you download a digital report, don’t just let it drift into a folder to become forgotten.

Print it out, then use another printed page to write down three or four sentences about what you want to achieve from this report. Set yourself a goal, and schedule 30 minutes of time that week to read it.

When you read it, don’t be passive.

Make sure you write down bullet point notes that summarise the main steps or insights in the report.

The same applies to webinars and online courses.

Before you attend, create a document in which you write down your aims and objectives.

List a few questions or concerns that you might want addressed by the course – or by the course creator afterwards.

Make it a rule to email the webinar host or course creator with a follow up question.

The aim with all of this is to get you physically and emotionally invested in the process.

In turn, this will make you motivated to actually do something with the advice.

The same goes for AI…

Rather than asking ChatGPT or Claude to deliver you a piece of content, give you a plan, or do some research for you…

Instead, start by creating the content, making a plan, or doing some online and offline research yourself.

It doesn’t have to be brilliant or slick, it just has to require some thought, effort and time from you.

THEN put that material into the AI tool and get it to improve it, shape it and add more information.

This way, you engage with the project and sacrifice something for it, which makes you more likely to stick with it.

Other tricks you can try include:

• Swapping out your digital calendar for a paper calendar, where you actually write down your schedule with a pen. Pin this up in your home workspace where you can see it, and interact with it every day.
• Rather than adding another eBook to your digital pile, go to your local shop and order a physical copy that you collect and keep by your bedside. Write notes in the margins and leave bookmarks in the most relevant and important sections.
• Get yourself a lined notebook and carry it around with you. Use this instead of your phone to take down notes when you’re watching online content or you get ideas while out and about.
• Get a whiteboard. Use this instead of an organisational app to brainstorm, plan and work through problems.

This might all sound a bit old-fashioned in the smartphone age, but that’s the point…

Tech tools are amazing, but if we delegate absolutely everything to them, we lose something of ourselves in the process.

Truth is, if something genuinely matters, it should probably cost you something… even if it’s just your time and attention!