Motivation fails.
Friction prevails.
It’s a good way to remember two uncomfortable truths about behaviour change.
Motivation isn’t stable and can’t be relied upon. As Stanford’s BJ Fogg says, it ebbs and flows like a wave.
Businesses tend to spend a lot of money getting people excited about a new process or product – a kickoff, a campaign, a celebration – only for interest to dwindle as time goes on.
The key is to match the hardest tasks to the highest points of motivation.
Then, as motivation invariably dips, make things as frictionless as possible.
The old idea that blisters can stop an army holds for behaviour change, too.
Friction can seem trivial. It can also grind your project to a halt.
P.S. Here's what Jez Groom, Professor in Practice, Durham University, says about my upcoming book, Influence for Introverts:
"At last, a practical toolkit that levels up that playing field for introverts the world over!"
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