The Law of Least Effort
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officialhogi
Everything is effortless in today’s age.
If you don’t want to go to the grocery store, you can get it delivered to you.
If you don’t want to walk, you can use the car. If you don’t want to use the stairs, you can use the elevator.
This simple and yet powerful law can be used to create long lasting habits.
“Every action requires a certain amount of energy. The more energy required, the less likely it is to occur.”
Everything that you and I do, is based on the outcome that we want to achieve. You don’t want to go to the gym but you want to look fit.
You don’t want to invest time in education but you want wealth that comes with it. You want to become a better person, so you decided to take action.
The law of least efforts explains that you have to lower the bar and obstacles. Make it as effortlessly as possible in the moment and you will be more inclined to do it.
Don’t try to overcome the friction because it’s harder to maintain in the long run. Try to reduce the noise.
One effective way to reduce the noise is by using the law of least effort in your favor. Design your environment in such a way that makes the habit effortless.
The same can be applied to bad habits.
The greater the friction, the less likely the habit will occur.
Personal experience
When I moved out of my parents house, I decided to stop eating cookies & candy and eat more fruits and vegetables.
So, the first thing that I did was placing the fruits and vegetables on the most obvious places. I set it on the dining table.
It was very clear and every time I passed by I would grab some fruit.
Same with vegetables. I used to hide the vegetables in the refrigerator (Somewhere in the back).
And every time, the vegetables became moldy when I needed it. Nowadays, I place the vegetables in a basket on the kitchen table.
It’s visible and every time I have to cook, I’ll use some of the vegetables.
Personally, I am not a big fan of cookies and candy because I had a terrible experience with it so that might have had a big influence on breaking this habit.
However, from my experience, one of the easiest ways to break these kinds of habits is to not purchase it.
Seriously, never buy any candy or cookies.
This is one way to make more friction and it’s very simple.
If you don’t have any at home, you will be forced to go to the supermarket stores.
“Redesign your life so the actions that matter most are also the actions that are easiest to do”