The Power of Reset: Finding Your Flow Without Friction

When everything feels “off”, a reset might be the most strategic move you can make.

I’ll admit that my entire 2025 has felt a little off. My year started with caring for my mom after a major surgery. A disruption that was both challenging and a gift. I am grateful that I could take the time needed to care for her. Still, when I got home, I found that my former strategies and routines simply didn’t feel right any longer. My old time blocks and focus strategies were designed around old priorities and not my shifting goals. They felt…off.

My first thought was – What the heck! 😂 I’m the person who teaches others about eliminating waste, staying focused, and improving productivity. Nothing was working for me. Friction surrounded me – or as Steven Pressfield would describe it – resistance was my new constant companion. (Can anyone relate to this feeling? No matter what strategy you try, you simply can’t get into a flow or rhythm.)

Have you ever had to restart a project? Pick it back up after having to shelve it for other priorities? Return from vacation to figure out what you were doing before you left?

I learned (or perhaps relearned) a valuable lesson through this time.  

Sometimes the most powerful and productive move—is to pause, reset, and ask: what does “flow” look like today? What are three things that will move me one step further – closer to my goal or objective?

What is Friction?

Friction is best thought of as the things that make it harder, slower, complicated, and even impossible to get things done.

Friction in Process

In business, I always think of friction in terms of waste - when it comes to processes, systems, and meetings. Or the things that make me crazy! 🤣

Friction in Mindset

Friction can also show up as a mindset– are there tasks that you don’t like doing – so you replace them with distractions or other lower priority items – essentially creating friction in getting to your most important actions to achieve your goals?

Friction can be soul-crushing – even if it’s self-imposed.

Friction in Language

What would you think if I told you that language can even create friction? Think about the acronyms in your business – or in your industry. Does it create a barrier for a new hire or even a customer to understand what is being discussed? If you are struggling to understand all the new terminology around artificial intelligence (AI), then perhaps there’s friction there for you as well.

Friction can be Good

Of course, not all friction is bad. It can ensure that a smart decision is made rather than one out of ritual or habit. It’s friction that creates a diamond 💎.

Think about Amazon’s Alexa – if you don’t have one, she tries to be helpful – reducing friction – she says things like, Stacy, it may be time to reorder XXXX. Now, imagine without a little friction how easy it may be for an order to be placed by accident.

While limited resources – like money can be frustrating - I actually think that limited resources can be helpful in creating friction to ensure that I’m not wasteful when it comes to a specific business activity or marketing. I’ve worked in organizations that hired too many people, spent money frivolously, and then suffered when business conditions changed. I was the mop – mopping up these messes.

As leaders, our challenge is to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder.

As individuals, we want to recognize the places where we are experiencing friction and where it is serving us well – and where we may need a reset.

Identifying Energy Drains

If you’ve read some of my other LI articles, you know that I am a huge advocate for managing personal energy. (Maximize Impact, Energy Vampires).  My energy is as important as my time.

Top 3 Energy Drains

💥Notifications. The constant dings, pings, rings, and interruptions that can lead to mistakes, fatigue, and burnout.

💥Email. Necessary, yes – but rarely strategic. Email can pile up quickly – especially if you work with a global team. Email can drain your energy and steal your focus and time.

💥Task switching. It can take the brain up to 20 minutes to refocus when it is switching between tasks. Switching tasks costs time and energy.

Try This!  Turn off some of those notifications and set specific time aside for email and returning messages.

Consider that Less is More

Often, our default process is to think about adding something new. I need another tool, another meeting, another product, or service. Consider this – what if we thought in terms of subtracting – what if I said no to a meeting or event (or eliminated a meeting that I control)? What if I audited my own time and thought about it in terms of my energy – what should I start, stop, or continue? What if I audited my activities? What is moving me toward my goals and priorities – what am I doing out of routine?

Clarity Creates Flow

Writing articles like this one is one way I help refocus my mind – to get into a flow. Getting into a daily flow looks different for everyone. And most importantly, it can change depending on your circumstances and priorities – just like it did for me.

It’s been said that if everything is a priority, then nothing is. I agree. Our priority list is likely complicated – because let’s be honest as individuals – we all have a lot going on. There are goals (personal and professional), projects (work-related and personal), must-do’s (work and personal), deadlines, errands, etc. I get it!

There are a lot of things I want to accomplish in 2025. My personal mantra – I don’t do overwhelm – keeps me focused and encouraged.

There are several tools that have been designed for organizing the myriad of tasks and goals that can stack up. Here are two.

This framework is about breaking up tasks into urgent, not urgent, important, and not important. The 4D’s framework includes do, defer, delegate, and delete. The idea is that DO tasks have clear deadlines and consequences if not done. Scheduled tasks may not have a deadline yet are critical for long-term goals.

Why it works?

➡️ Intentionality

➡️ Encourages FOCUS

➡️ Identifies low-priority tasks & distractions

I will confess that this is not my personal favorite; however, I know that it works for some.

Break it Down – Choose 3 Pillars/Areas of Focus

Rather than the 4D’s, I found combining a few approaches works best for me. I recently finished my doctorate degree – focused on technology, leadership, and innovation.

I earned it while working full-time and adjunct teaching, which meant that I had to constantly manage multiple priorities. My three professional areas of focus were Work, Doctorate, and Adjunct Teaching. Within each pillar, I designated time blocks and set mini-goals and deadlines. This approach helped me make steady progress within each pillar while protecting my energy for the activities that mattered most.

Why it works

➡️Reduces task-switching inefficiency

➡️Increases momentum

➡️Reduced cognitive load

When I was in the flow of my doctoral work, I could be highly efficient – let’s face it, writing research-based articles is a lot different from writing for Linked IN.

Today, this is still my preferred approach, even though my pillars have changed.

Daily Success Plan

Finally, one of the most effective ways of staying in the flow (for me), is to use a daily success plan. Time blocks, matrices, and frameworks are not enough. Knowing what I need to do each day drives progress and helps me stay focused. I firmly believe that if you want to set yourself up for success, this should be a daily practice.

Write it down!

✔️Wins – 3 things you accomplished today 🎉

✔️Reflect/Improve – What can I do differently tomorrow 🪞

✔️Next – List your top 3 priorities for tomorrow 🎯

There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Pick an approach – set a timer – turn off your notifications – and try something new.

That’s what I did. I adjusted my time blocks. I shifted my routine to fit with my energy and flow. I looked at my new three pillars/areas of focus. I realized I was feeling …off because I had not taken the time to align my activities and time blocks with my new goals. There is nothing wrong with resetting. It’s where innovation happens.

Sometimes, feeling out of sync doesn’t mean you aren’t on the right track – resistance and friction often show up precisely when we are on the right path - we simply need to persist.

What’s one reset you need right now? A conversation? A blank page? A walk? You don’t need to wait for a new week or a new month. You can start now. What are your favorite tools for prioritizing, eliminating friction, or getting in the flow? Share below👇