I spent part of yesterday afternoon chopping through ice-covered snow in my driveway with a spade.
Several times I was looking for my footing wherever I could get it. I almost slipped a few times because of the lack of friction underneath my feet.
This is the way a lot of us understand the concept of friction. We really notice it when it's not there.
As content creators, we deal with friction all the time.
Sometimes it's hard, and other times it's not.
There's one kind of friction that's always harder to overcome, and I'll talk about how that caught me for the past few months.
First, an example.
You've likely moved something heavy a few times.
It takes effort to get the thing moving when it's not moving.
But once it's moving, it's easier to keep it moving, right?
This is the difference between static friction and kinetic friction.
Static (standing) friction is the force needed to get something moving from a standstill.
Kinetic (moving) friction is the force needed to keep it moving.
And it's always the case that the kinetic friction is less than the static friction.
Keep that in mind.
Once you're creating, it's easier to keep creating.
As a content creator, it's often very hard to start.
That first post, or that first video. You're overcoming static friction.
Once it's up, though, the next one is easier.
And the tenth, and the hundredth.
It's not effortless, but it's easier. That's the (lower) kinetic friction.
It might be harder some days, but you're in the swing of things.
You may do it at the same time each day, or while you're doing the same activity.
Whatever it looks like, it's a familiar part of your day.
I let that get away from me.
The last few months of 2025, I let the creator rhythm get away from me.
Videos stopped going up.
Articles didn't get published.
Newsletters didn't go out.
Threads and Substack went quiet.
Whatever motion I had, just stopped.
Now I was facing that static friction.
When I'd look to post, I had lost where to start.
When I went to make that video, I'd stare at the microphone, and the stack of bills I was going to go through, and … man, it's hard, maybe tomorrow.
That place was awful to be in.
It was almost like starting fresh.
Actually, it wasn't fresh at all.
It was square one, and I was tired.
I had forgotten the rhythm of creating, and now I needed to discover it again.
I had to push harder to get things moving again.
So if I had to choose my friction …
I'd take the friction when things are moving.
The friction is never going to go away.
But it's far preferable to the startup friction I'm going through now.
Thanks for reading!
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Photo by Nellie Adamyan on Unsplash