The promise of frictionless living assumes friction never protects a choice.

Removing every obstacle sounds obviously good until you notice that some friction was doing useful work. The pause before a purchase, the effort of a difficult conversation, the delay that let a decision settle. Frictionless systems are efficient at producing action, including action you would not have chosen with a moment’s delay.

Put a little friction back where it protects you. A waiting period on spending, a rule about not sending messages at night, a physical distance between you and the thing you overuse. You are deliberately making something slightly harder so that choosing stays possible.