Le Cunff writes, “When you’re devoted to an action, you don’t force yourself to act; the action expresses something you value.”
devotion comes from the Latin devovēre: to dedicate by a vow, to promise solemnly.
We assume that folks who appear highly disciplined are exerting more willpower than we are, in order to achieve the things they do. But it could be they just have reduced friction in the things they’re committed to. 1
Le Cunff’s matrix of devoted action suggests four states across a matrix of devotion and friction.
- FLOW. Where devotion is high and friction is low, taking action feels natural, repeatable and easy; almost effortless.
- STRAIN. Where devotion is high but so is friction, taking action comes at a cost even if the desire and motivation are there.
- COASTING. Where fiction is low but so is devotion, we perform unfulfilling work on autopilot because it’s easy, often at the cost of getting stuck here.
- AVOIDANCE. Where friction is high AND devotion is low, we avoid taking action completely, since the work is both unrewarding to start and to complete.