I Tried Friction-Maxxing for a Month - and Wow, Making Things Harder Worked Wonders for My Brain

I’m sure you know the saying, “nothing worth having comes easy”?.

It’s an age-old philosophy, attributed to Theodore Roosevelt back in the early 1900s. Yet in 2026, it somehow rings more true than ever. Because at the risk of sounding like your mum, we’ve never had it easier.

Don’t misunderstand me here. I’m well aware that modern society comes with plenty to worry about, both personally and globally. But inconvenience, I think we can agree, is not one of them.

Whether it’s ordering Deliveroo instead of cooking what’s in the fridge, delegating your emails to AI, or asking Alexa to write your shopping list, technology has removed almost all friction from our lives to the point where doing anything manually feels like a hassle.

That’s exactly the argument penned by journalist Kathryn Jezer-Morton in her now viral article for The Cut, published back in January.

In it, Jezer-Morton makes the case for friction-maxxing: a digitally rebellious act of rebuilding tolerance for inconvenience, by deliberately making life a little harder.

Before you ask, this isn’t the grumbling of a technophobe. It’s a genuine defence of what makes us human, on the basis that hyper-convenience is hurting our brains and our happiness.

You may have already felt it. Perhaps concentrating on a film is harder than it used to be, or you struggle to find the right words in a meeting. That’s not your imagination. Early research suggests that offloading tasks to our devices is chipping away at our attention spans, critical thinking skills, and even emotional intelligence.

I’ve noticed all of this in the last year, and like many of the people who frequent Reddit’s thriving r/digitalminimalism community, I’d already made it my New Year’s resolution to reintroduce analogue habits into my life. So, when I read Jezer-Morton’s piece, I decided to put friction-maxxing to the test. Could a bit of deliberate inefficiency actually make me healthier…and happier?

For my honest review, keep scrolling. And if you're hoping to build a few analogue habits of your own, you might like our guides to brain dumping, phone detoxing and doodling for creativity. Whilst you’re there, bookmark these 20 Em the Nutritionist recipes for quick, scratch-cooked meals you can make instead of defaulting to a takeaway.

I Tried Friction-Maxxing for a Month to Push Back Against Hyper-Convenience - Here’s What Changed

What is friction-maxxing?

Put simply, friction-maxxing is the act of deliberately reintroducing small amounts of effort into areas of life that technology has automated. It’s about reinserting ourselves into the process of making things happen.

In some ways, this is quite ironic, given that “we’ve spent years trying to make everything faster, more efficient, and automated,” says Taymoor Atighetchi, CEO and founder of stationary brand Papier. “Friction-maxxing is an intentional step in the other direction - choosing to add steps back into our lives through slower, analogue habits.”

It’s not about making life difficult for the sake of it, though. “These small speedbumps are designed to give you a moment to choose your actions more intentionally,” says Hector Hughes, co-founder of Unplugged.

The practices themselves could be anything from writing a card rather than sending a text, or making your coffee from scratch rather than pressing a button. All that matters, says Atighetchi, is that “by adding friction, you’re choosing presence and depth over digital noise.”

What are the benefits of friction-maxxing?

Let's be clear: friction-maxxing isn’t about romanticising a slower life. There are real, important benefits for your cognitive and emotional health.

1. It builds confidence and protects mental health

“Human beings are wired to learn and grow through challenging experiences and the tension between where we are and where we want to be,” says Dr Farideh Banafshei, counselling psychologist and founder of Harley & Chelsea Private Therapy. “Our ability to close the gap between us and our needs is where confidence and internal trust come from.”

When technology allows us to avoid friction almost entirely, those opportunities to build self-belief can shrink. “If everything is smoothed out for us, our nervous system doesn’t gradually build the capacity to handle stimulation. Instead, it becomes overstimulated and underprepared simultaneously,” explains Dr Banafshei.

That’s why intentional friction, when applied in a healthy way, is crucial. “When you navigate low-level challenges or problem-solve without outsourcing, you’re learning to trust yourself. That process, repeated over and over again, is what protects and develops mental health,” says Dr Banafshei.

2. It helps you make intentional choices

Friction gives us time to think about what we actually want to do, says Hughes.

“When something requires even a tiny bit more effort, your brain has time to ask, "Do I actually want to do this?” he explains. “This helps you live and act slower and more intentionally.”

3. It protects your brain health

Think of friction-maxxing like brain training. Research shows that analogue activities, such as writing by hand, involve broader brain connectivity than tech-assisted processes like typing.

Much like the muscles in our body, the more we use our brains, the stronger they tend to become. “Small moments of effort, like cooking from scratch or walking somewhere instead of ordering an Uber, bring back a slower rhythm,” says Hughes. “Over time, that can make it easier to concentrate, be present, and tolerate boredom.”

Are there any downsides to friction-maxxing?

Of course, friction maxxing doesn’t mean that you have to take the harder option at every turn. Convenience exists for a reason, and most of us rely on it at times. You don’t have to feel guilty for that.

“There has to be a balance, and not everyone has the luxury of choosing inconvenience,” says Dr Banafshei. Rather than applying friction everywhere, she suggests thinking about where it might make sense to introduce it in small ways. “It needs to be selective and with boundaries,” she says.

The warning sign that you may have taken it too far? When hardship starts to feel like self-punishment or becomes something you fixate on. “Friction should feel like manageable tension,” says Dr Banafshei. “We don’t want to heighten difficulty to the point that it causes unnecessary suffering.”

Who does friction-maxxing work best for?

Almost all of us feel the effects of a digitalised, fast-paced life. But the benefits of friction-maxxing may be most noticeable for those who feel dependent on their devices or chronically “switched on.”

That could look like “scrolling without thinking, constantly checking notifications, or struggling to concentrate on slower activities,” explains Hughes.

If that sounds familiar, you may also feel drained by constant decision-making and disconnected from your own opinions and emotions. Friction-maxxing, says Dr Banafshei, “reconnects you to your drive to grow and feel, and can recalibrate your reward system.”

I Added Consistent Friction to My Life for a Month - And My Patience, Focus and Confidence Soared

Weeks one and two

My month of friction-maxxing began by leaving my headphones at home.

My entire life is soundtracked, and discovering that my AirPods are out of charge can be the difference between me doing what I set out to do and doing…absolutely nothing. There’s nothing inherently wrong with listening to music; it’s focusing and motivating, but my dependence on it was a crutch for productivity. So, I braved it. I laced up my trainers, put my headphones back on my bedside table and headed out for a run, sans device.

You know what I noticed? I could hear my own thoughts. Without the distraction of a song or podcast, my mind drifted, in a good way. Ideas I’d been struggling with began to form, new features for work emerged, and my to-do list started to gain some semblance of order in my brain, instead of being drowned out by constant digital noise. My mood was instantly boosted, and I was buoyed onto my next test, which came just days later.

I recently moved outside London and don’t have a car, which usually isn’t a problem thanks to the local train station. This weekend, though, rail replacement buses nearly tripled my journey time. Normally, I’d have cancelled or spent a small fortune on an Uber. Instead, I chose to embrace the friction. A little less sleep, a longer bus ride, and a bit of car sickness were the prices I paid for a day with a friend I’d been meaning to catch up with. The distraction-free travel even gave me time to tackle a mountain of admin, which meant I could enjoy the weekend without a nagging list of to-dos distracting me.

Arriving in Richmond gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I’d navigated delays and route changes, exercised patience, and reached my destination without swearing. And I was so much more grateful for the time with my friend because of the effort it had taken to get there.

There’s another benefit to friction-maxxing: it saves you money. This month alone, I spent over £70 less on transport by choosing the bus over Uber, which has freed me to enjoy small treats, like coffee, or to buy the birthday gift I was eyeing up for my friend.

Weeks three and four

Later in the month, I was having dinner with my dad. Neither of us knew what to cook, and my hand instinctively reached for my phone to search for a quick recipe. Just in time, I stopped myself. Because on the shelf in front of me were six beautiful cookbooks. I’ve often wondered why I buy them, since I usually just put my core ingredient into a TikTok search bar for instant answers. But really, what’s so difficult about reading a recipe? It takes a little more time and effort, which is exactly what my brain is for.

With cookbooks spread across the table, we chose our dinner together. What followed was some of the best conversation we’ve had in weeks. We debated cravings, bookmarked recipes, and discovered ingredient combinations we hadn’t considered. It was bonding, creative, and far more satisfying than scrolling online. And I’m convinced the food tasted better for it.

But my favourite part of friction-maxxing? Letter writing. The idea had been on my mind since last September, when a friend in Boston told me about her elderly neighbour, who arranges dinners and coffee meet-ups entirely through handwritten notes. Once a plan is made, it’s fixed, and there’s a beautiful paper trail of interactions.

Since this friend is terrible at replying to texts, I decided to test friction-maxxing with her. I wrote a letter, filling in everything I could have said in a five-minute voice note. It took time: buying a stamp, walking to post it, setting aside moments to concentrate rather than rambling mindlessly. I loved it. It felt personal, exciting - and actually a lot like Christmas. Right now, that note is flying over the Atlantic, and knowing it will land on her doormat feels incredibly comforting. When she picks it up, we’ll literally be touching the same paper.

My verdict

These are just a few ways I friction-maxxed my life this month. There were countless other small moments - reading instructions, filling in paper forms, reading a book, even sitting with boredom. None of them felt like friction at all. They were simply typical human experiences we’ve learned to outsource to technology.

I feel more capable, resilient, calmer, and in control. I can concentrate on one thing at a time without craving constant stimuli, novelty, or distraction. The best part? You build tolerance for inconvenience far quicker than you might expect.

This doesn’t mean I’ve rejected the modern world. I’ll still scroll, and I’ll still take Ubers when necessary. But I’ll continue leaving earlier, embracing slower moments when I can, and unplugging regularly. And I think that’s actually the point.

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