Starting Fresh Is Hard Mode. Here’s What I Do Instead.

Last updated: 2026-09-17

I never listened to audiobooks while sitting. I tried. It never stuck. The only time I’d actually listen was when I was already walking.

So I started there. The first version was ugly. I’d play the book out of my phone speaker while I walked. I know, terrible audio. Then I moved to Sonos speakers, which sounded better. Then I created a Shortcut so the connection happened automatically. Now I’m considering NFC triggers so the whole thing takes zero effort.

The habit didn’t change. I still listen while I walk. The delivery system evolved. Each step removed a little more friction until showing up got easier.

Have you been waiting for the perfect setup before you start? Or building a brand new routine from a dead stop? That’s how the energy runs out.

Brooks frames this as hard mode versus easy mode. Starting fresh is hard mode because you have to build momentum from zero. Supercharging a routine you already have is easy mode, because you leverage the momentum that’s already there.

Instead of overhauling your life, look at what you’re already doing and ask: how can I make this 1% better?

That’s the move. Easy mode. One small tweak on a routine that already exists.

Let the habit marinate

I don’t start habits the moment they show up in my head. I keep a list in Evernote of habits I want to build, and I don’t act on them immediately. I let the idea marinate. I review the list periodically and wait for the right timing, or for a place in a routine I already run, so I can stack the new habit onto something that’s already moving.

I don’t force it when the energy isn’t there. The list takes the pressure off starting now.

Create a backlog of habits. Review it once a week. Only pick one if it naturally fits into your current week’s flow. If it doesn’t fit, leave it on the list.

Three questions for your next weekly review

During the weekly review, don’t just check off tasks. Ask:

1. What can I remove from my life?

Start with subtraction. The review gets more useful when you look for things to drop, not just things to add.

2. What are recurring annoyances?

The stuff that keeps poking you. Those are often mechanical, repetitive pain points in work you already have to do. Good candidates for a tweak, or for handing the execution to a tool.

3. What is one tweak I can make to an existing routine?

One tweak. Applied to something that’s already in motion. That’s how the review becomes a habit evolution engine instead of a catch-up session.

Add those three questions to your next weekly review.

Use friction on purpose

Friction cuts both ways. Remove it from the things you want to do. Add it to the things you want to avoid.

Want a habit to happen more? Take away a physical barrier. Leave the yoga mat on the floor permanently. Keep your favorite apps in the menu bar.

Want a habit to happen less? Put a physical barrier in the way. Hide chocolate in a place you can’t see. Request snacks on a need-to-know basis.

What’s one thing you keep making harder than it needs to be? Identify one “bad” habit and one “good” habit. Add one physical barrier to the bad one. Remove one physical barrier from the good one.

Easy mode in real life

Brooks has a few versions of this I keep coming back to.

He identified a specific, repetitive pain point: messy data that needed to be formatted into CSVs for upload. He created a custom GPT to do it. What used to take a morning now takes five minutes. The vision was narrow on purpose. One painful, mechanical task. He used AI to automate the execution. He didn’t try to use AI for everything.

If you’ve got a data entry or formatting task you dread, do the same thing. Use an AI tool to create a simple script or prompt that handles it. One task.

He also uses time he was already spending. Brooks watches Arsenal, and soccer has periods of low action. He keeps partial attention on the game and does budgeting and data entry in those stretches. The watching was already happening. The admin work rides along. Dead time becomes a container for a small, repetitive task.

What low-attention activity do you already do? Commuting, watching TV, waiting for coffee. Pair one of those with a small administrative task that doesn’t need 100% focus.

Then there’s the escalator rule. Brooks decided to always walk up escalators and moving walkways, unless he’s carrying heavy luggage. A small, non-negotiable rule. Extra steps. A little more speed. He feels productive and active without a dedicated workout session.

Create one micro-rule for your daily commute or travel that adds health or efficiency. High frequency. Low barrier.

If you want a habit to stick, map the friction ladder. Start with the most imperfect version possible, the way I did with the phone speaker. Then iterate. Better speakers. Then a Shortcut. Then, if it still matters, NFC. Consistency first.

Audit your current week. Identify one routine you already do. Add one small tweak.

Just one. Let the rest marinate.