Meaningful Friction

I wrote this piece as an intro to today’s MAEKAN Briefing - a patron-only email that goes out on Thursdays.

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For the last decade plus, probably thanks to the thousands of pages of academic papers I consumed earlier in my life, I've preferred reading digitally. My favorite way to read these days is with my iPad on the couch, where I use an Apple Pencil to highlight passages, and I take notes on my iPhone.

Yes, I literally switch devices to take notes.

I'm sure many of you who are productivity-oriented are shaking your head at me right now. Even though I have the exact same apps on my iPad, I lovingly put down the device and pencil and pick up my iPhone to tap (or swipe, more likely) together my thoughts. I do this because I want meaningful friction in the process of taking notes. I'm reading a book to read the book, not to have read the book, so I'm in no rush to finish it. Taking notes is, for me, an act of conversation.

By switching devices, I'm creating a moment of intentionality in which I ask "What is worth making note of here?" Doing this has made reading more enjoyable and helped me remember things better. It's also encouraged me to ask where else meaningful friction may create more intentional habits in my life.

Because no one relies on me to respond immediately as a part of my job (and because I check my phone often enough throughout the day), the search for meaningful friction has nudged me to enable "do not disturb" across all of my devices. In the same way that I ask myself "What is worth making note of?" I find myself asking "What am I drawing my attention to?" when I pick up my phone, since it no longer summons me on its own.

I recognize that this is an incredible privilege, and perhaps it won't stay this way forever, but it has been a wonderful experiment over the past few weeks - a recalibration of sorts where I've learned to listen to myself a bit better.

While I'm in no way encouraging any of you to join me on this adventure, I would leave you with the question: "Where might meaningful friction be welcome in your life?"

I’d love to hear from you on Discord — even if you don’t hear back from me right away!