Starting Fresh Is Hard Mode. Supercharge What You Already Do.

I never listened to audiobooks while sitting. I realized I only listened while walking.

So I started playing them on my phone speaker. Suboptimal. But I was walking, and the book was playing, so the habit counted.

Then I moved to Sonos speakers. Better quality. Then I created a Shortcut to automate the connection. Frictionless. Now I’m considering NFC triggers, which would take it to zero effort.

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

That’s Kaizen. You don’t wait for the perfect setup. You start with the most imperfect version that still works, then you iterate.

Brooks has a useful way of naming this.

Starting fresh is Hard Mode. You’re building momentum from zero. Supercharging an existing routine is Easy Mode, because you leverage the momentum you already have. Instead of overhauling your life, look at what you’re already doing and ask: how can I make this 1% better?

Most people would probably say the answer is a new system. A clean slate. A Monday morning reboot. Here’s what I found works better.

Let the habit sit until it fits

I keep a list of habits I want to build. I use Evernote for this. I don’t act on them immediately. I let the idea marinate while I review the list periodically.

That sounds passive. It isn’t. I’m waiting for the right timing, or the right opportunity to stack the habit onto a routine I already have. Forcing it when the energy isn’t there is how these things stall.

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, it stays on the list. That’s allowed.

Are you living in a constant state of “I should start this today”? Drop that. The list will still be there on Friday.

Friction cuts both ways

You already know friction slows you down. The useful question is which direction you want it to work.

Remove friction for things you want to do. Leave the yoga mat on the floor permanently so you don’t have to set it up. Keep your favorite apps in the menu bar so they’re sitting there when you need them.

Add friction for things you want to avoid. Hide chocolate in a place you can’t see. Request snacks on a need-to-know basis so they’re not sitting out where you can grab them.

Does this sound familiar? You keep relying on willpower, then wonder why the same habit fails at 9pm. Willpower is a terrible plan. A physical barrier is a better one.

Identify one bad habit and one good habit. Add one physical barrier to the bad one. Remove one physical barrier from the good one. Do it today, not after you “feel ready.”

Turn the weekly review into an evolution engine

If you already do a weekly review, don’t just check off tasks. That’s a catch-up session. Use it as a system for continuous improvement.

Ask these during the review:

What can I remove from my life?

Most reviews are about adding. This question forces the opposite. Look at your week and subtract.

What are recurring annoyances?

The stuff that keeps showing up is a signal. Write the annoyances down. That’s your list of friction to remove.

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

One. Not five. You’re looking for the 1% change, the Easy Mode move.

Are you using the review to catch up, or to evolve? Add these questions to your next weekly review. If you don’t have a weekly review yet, start with just these questions. That’s enough.

Automate the thing you dread

Brooks created a custom GPT to format messy data into CSVs for upload. What used to take a morning now takes five minutes.

He didn’t try to use AI for everything. He picked a specific, repetitive pain point and used AI to automate the mechanical execution.

That’s the vision. One annoying task. One prompt or script.

What’s the task you keep pushing until you “have a morning”? Identify one repetitive data entry or formatting task you dread. Use an AI tool to create a simple script or prompt to automate it. Time the before and after if you can. Five minutes versus a morning is the kind of result that makes the next one easier to justify.

Steal dead time, then add a micro-rule

Brooks uses the time he spends watching soccer to do budgeting and data entry. He’s an Arsenal guy. Soccer has periods of low action, so he can keep partial attention on the game while the admin work gets done.

The game was already happening. The budgeting was already a chore. He stacked them.

Not every task needs 100% focus. Identify a low-attention activity you do daily (commuting, watching TV, waiting for coffee) and pair it with a small, repetitive administrative task.

Brooks also decided to always walk up escalators and moving walkways, unless he’s carrying heavy luggage. It’s a small, non-negotiable rule. It adds steps and speed to his day. He feels productive and active without a dedicated workout session.

Create one micro-rule for your commute or travel that adds health or efficiency. Something you can execute every time, not once you get around to a workout.

Start on the bottom rung

Pick one habit you want to build and map the friction ladder. What’s the ugly version? What’s better? What’s frictionless? What’s zero effort?

Start with the ugly version. That’s the phone-speaker stage. Then iterate.

Don’t overhaul the week. Audit what you already do. Find one routine that’s already running. Add one small tweak.

Do that this week. Just one. Let everything else marinate.