Forcing Functions

We spend a lot of our time on autopilot, and thus we don’t consciously think about information or actions in a considered manner.

Several years ago I decided I wanted to reduce the amount of time I picked up my phone for no real reason. So I kept the phone in a box with a large dumbbell on it. The idea was that I would have to do a bit of exercise before looking at the phone, which invariably gave me pause and forced me to ask why I needed to look at my black mirror. It was, I have to say, very effective.

Forced function is visible in hedge clippers and lawnmowers, where two levers or buttons have to be pressed before they work. And in hotel rooms, whereby the lights only work when the key is in a switch - this avoids lights being left on and keys being forgotten.

Or even the simplest of all, leaving the thing you don’t want to forget next to the front door so you can’t leave with out it.