"Via a piece in The Cut called In 2026, we are friction-maxxing in which writer Kathryn Jezer-Morton advocates for avoiding things that make your life more convenient. Like penicillin? No, obviously not penicillin. But things such as ChatGPT, location sharing and Uber Eats, which help you achieve things that historically took significant amounts of time and effort. Jezer-Morton argues that this culture of slick convenience only serves to infantilise us."
"But it's so easy. Yes, and that robs us of our sense of satisfaction. So you just used AI to write a school essay. Congratulations, you have achieved nothing of worth. Whereas if you friction-maxx? Then you've searched inside yourself. You've nudged your own personal boundaries, and discovered that you are more capable than you ever knew. You are building a foundation of perseverance and resilience that you cannot get from typing a prompt into a chatbot."
Friction-maxxing promotes deliberately avoiding modern conveniences to preserve opportunities for effortful achievement. It targets services such as ChatGPT, location sharing, and Uber Eats that replace tasks that once required time and effort. The rationale is that slick convenience can infantilise people and deprive them of meaningful satisfaction. Practises suggested include assigning children small errands and inviting guests before fully cleaning to introduce social friction. The approach reframes inconvenience as character-building that reveals capability, strengthens perseverance, and fosters resilience. The tone acknowledges that some suggested measures feel extreme or humorous when taken to absurd lengths.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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