Path of Least Resistance

It need not be hard

Lee Bae. The Sublime Charcoal Light

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The following is an anti-hustle manifesto. It stems from my personal experience on how to find the path of least (or lesser) resistance. You will find concepts drawn from other disciplinary fields along with practical tips you may want to try yourself.

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“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."

― Frederick Buechner, Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation

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There are two paths to any destination:

• Brute force: the grinder's way. Pure willpower, pushing through resistance

• Gravitational force: path of least resistance. Working with your nature, not against it

We've bought into the idea that grinding is a necessarily evil, that it is the path to promise-land.

We pride ourselves on inbox zero, GTD methodology, and elaborate Notion set-up. I’ve certainly tried them all. Productivity and self-development have become a huge industry, preying on people’s fear of failure, and really, burning us all to the ground.

What if that is a lie? An old truth?

Life perhaps operates under different dynamics and we were using rather harder tactics to navigate through them.

This isn't an argument against effort or commitment.

It's about un-insane-ing yourself (insanity defined by doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results).

Life need not be hard.

Theory of Constraints

When pursuing ambitious goals, our instinct is to ask: "How do I achieve this? What do I need to do?". Then we proceed with creating elaborate plans and an accrescent to-do list.

However, when faced against opportunities, we often fall short. And it isn’t necessarily because we lacked skillsets, resources, or potential. It’s because we were focusing on the wrong thing.

The Theory of Constraints tells us we're only as strong as our weakest link.

It’s a principle commonly used in manufacturing – the significance of identifying and removing bottlenecks. The most important takeaway is that an organization should prioritize addressing the constraint by aligning other activities/teams before anything else.

It’s a framework certainly useful in business.

It’s a framework that is even more profound in life.

The question we should be asking instead is: "What's preventing me from achieving this already?"

Sometimes the barriers are practical: time constraints, conflicting commitments. But more often, they're internal: limiting beliefs, perfectionism, ingrained habits. These internal barriers are what truly define our path – or lack thereof.

There are tons of tips and tools for the practical stuff.

As for the internal barriers, here's what I’ve found to be transformative: keeping a journal nearby — not for gratitude or morning pages, but for something more honest, and raw.

I do a journaling technique inspired by Journalspeak, created by therapist Nicole Sachs. It’s different from meditation (being aware of thoughts), morning pages (brain dump), or stoicism (attempting to be zen about things outside of our control). Rather, it's about diving into your shadow – the ugly emotions and painful memories, and thereby processing them.

I used to push or persuade myself away from my deep narratives. I used to push these away or let them linger like a Nimbostratus cloud above my head. But suppressed feelings are like unread notifications – they won’t go away until you address them.

Now when I sense an inner critic or painful memories surface, I write into them. Facing and re-living the uncomfortable experiences have not been fun, but this little courageous ritual has been my little secret in unlocking my universe – path of lesser resistance.

You can choose your own method, but the point is to focus on removing your blocks, your weakest links to unlock your universe — your path of lesser resistance.

Newton’s Law: find your Domino

There is an old Korean adage:

"Starting is half the battle (시작이 반이다).”

This alludes to the importance of taking action. Personally, this alludes to the art of beginning itself.

Newton's First Law: An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

In the second law, the force on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration.

Energy compounds on itself. The lack thereof (“inertia”) also compounds on itself.

This perhaps explains the “science” behind “once you start, you can’t stop”.

I've noticed a pattern: How I start my day creates a cascade effect. Once on the couch, I tend to stay there. And it takes that much more willpower to change states. But once I start on my desk, the momentum builds throughout the day.

This phenomenon is beyond sheer discipline and willpower. It’s physics at play.

Internalizing this and applying it to my daily beginnings have enabled a path of lesser resistance.

Let me visualize this for you. Here’s how I begin my day to build and keep momentum:

• As soon as I get up, I start writing or building (after vitamins and matcha, of course — because, “but first, matcha”). No distractions allowed just yet.

• I let the momentum build. Sometimes my engine takes longer to warm up, but I don’t force it. I gently guide it.

• I transition the momentum (energy) vs killing it into something else. For example, after deep work, I move to physical activity or different cognitive tasks

There are certainly days when I start on the couch. And when I really really don’t want to get off it but have to – I use strategic “reset” activities to jolt the engine to change states.

• Do a quick and easy workout (don’t stress yourself out by committing to a big one. The point is to get moving vs profusely sweating)

• Take a shower or do a footbath (an activity that is quite common in Korea that I swear by)

• Get out of the house and go to a cafe

• Listen to binaural beats (you’d be surprised how effective this is).

The purpose is to shock your system out of inertia and into a state of motion.

Recovery is not optional

There are two ways to think about recovery:

• Offense: Strategically using it to compound gains

• Defense: Preventing burnout, managing energy debt

Most people apply recovery as a defense mechanism. We rest when they're exhausted, take vacations when we're burnt out, sleep when we can't keep their eyes open. That's playing not to lose.

But elite performers think offense. They use recovery as a multiplication tool.

The benefits of recovery are immense (you all know this)

• Using sleep to consolidate learnings and build neural pathways

• Using rest to build and synthesize muscles

• Using breaks to allow for “shower thoughts” or breakthroughs to solve problems

• Using downtime to let creativity and spark enter your life

And here’s the worst case scenario about recovery. Push too hard for too long, and recovery doesn't just take a few good nights' sleep. It can take weeks or months to reset your system. Recovery is not linear.

That's why rest isn't optional – it's preventive maintenance.

I used to go 110% everyday.

Non-stop working, back-to-back workouts, no weekends off, 4AM mornings everyday. Classic hustle culture (I still wake up early but my days are very different now).

Then I discovered something counter-intuitive: Operating at 70% capacity, but making that 70% count, produced better and sustainable results.

This also allows for one of the most magical aspects of life: serendipity. You have room for unexpected opportunities, creative insights, and spontaneous connections, and even more, have the energy to engage with them.

Play

I have a friend who is always “lucky” in life. Everything works out for her. She had her entire student loans forgiven (she went to med school so it was in the $400,000 range). She bought a house and a Tesla. She is competent and smart. She has a lot of friends and is loved by everyone.

It’s not to say she didn’t put in any effort. She studied, worked and took action – but not any harder than everyone else. She watches all the Netflix her heart desires, eats all the food to her soul. Doesn’t care to wake up at 5AM and meditate. Yet, she is doing just fine, perhaps even better than many of us.

There is one quality that sets her apart. It’s her care-free, playful and giving nature.

And this is one type of person you cannot outwork – someone who lives with ease.

I probably never get to the level of care-free that my friend exudes, but there’s one motto that I remind myself of: if you’re going to do it, might as well have fun with it.

It’s a mind trick, if you will. If something feels like work, it won’t work out for long (something I’ve lived over and over again). Finding and doing work that you enjoy doing is a deeper

Reframe your task as play.

• What can I do differently, make this creative vs monotonous?

• What might I discover?

• How can I turn this into an experiment?

• How can I have fun collaborating?

• How can I set up the environment differently to bring out the best?

And sometimes if you just can't find the fun – practice gratitude. There's always something worth appreciating.

Live a little

Here's my case against going cold turkey.

The mind is like a rebellious teenager – the more you restrict, the more it will act out.

Tell yourself not to think about a blue elephant. What's happening in your mind right now?

My vice is YouTube and snacking. I’ve tried banning it, only to find myself in a binge that takes weeks or months to get back to base (the rebound from binge is also not linear).

Extreme restrictions used to work when I was younger. I had more energy, willpower, and the mental/physical stamina to endure. I like to think I’m a bit wiser now (and that age is only a number, ha).

I try not to adopt habits or routines that I can’t commit to for the rest of my life. Because by definition, they don’t last. And more importantly, complete elimination of your vices is not the key to your success. In fact, it makes it harder, less enjoyable.

So instead of banning something, limit it. Have that buttery croissant and latte every now and then (speaking for myself, really). Allow yourself a little game, social media – what have you.

Purposely build in a little vice – it's what makes the system work.

Life doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact, striving for perfection is what makes you crack. It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s OK, frankly, it’s necessary to live a little.

The Takeaway

It’s not about pushing harder or being stronger. It’s about finding a smarter, gentler path that works with you.

Sometimes, success isn’t in the hustle. It’s in the pause. The recalibration. The shift in perspective.

So, here’s to living with ease. To small, meaningful movements. And to finding your own path of least resistance.