The Activation Energy Problem: Why Starting Is the Hardest Part

High-Level Topics

• The physics of agency: objects at rest stay at rest
• Why the first step requires disproportionate effort
• Reducing friction to make agentic behavior easier
• Decision fatigue and its impact on agency
• Environmental design for lower activation energy

Article Ideas

• “Newton’s First Law applies to your life too”
• The invisible barrier between thinking and doing
• How to make agency the path of least resistance
• Why getting to the gym is harder than the workout
• The architecture of action

Brief Outline

Introduction

• You know what you need to do, but you don’t do it
• The space between intention and action is where agency dies
• The problem isn’t lack of motivation - it’s activation energy
• Starting requires overcoming inertia; continuing is comparatively easy

Part 1: The Physics of Agency

• Newton’s First Law for humans: Objects at rest stay at rest, objects in motion stay in motion
• Inertia applies to behavior, not just physics
• The effort to start is always greater than the effort to continue
• Examples:
  • Getting to the gym is harder than working out
  • Opening the document is harder than writing
  • Making the call is harder than having the conversation
  • Leaving the house is harder than the social event
• Why: Starting requires overcoming the default state (rest)

Part 2: What Is Activation Energy?

• Chemistry definition: Minimum energy needed to start a reaction
• Human behavior translation: The mental/physical effort required to begin
• High activation energy actions:
  • Applying for jobs (resume, cover letter, finding listings)
  • Starting a business (LLC, website, marketing, product)
  • Going to the gym (change clothes, pack bag, drive there)
  • Having a difficult conversation (emotional preparation, finding time, initiating)
• Low activation energy actions:
  • Scrolling social media (phone already in hand)
  • Watching Netflix (one click)
  • Staying in bed (literally zero effort)
• The problem: High-value actions usually have high activation energy

Part 3: Why Activation Energy Kills Agency

• Humans are cognitive misers - we default to low-effort options
• Every step between thought and action is a chance to quit
• Decision fatigue: Every micro-decision drains willpower
• “Should I go?” → “What should I wear?” → “Do I have my stuff?” → Too tired, staying home
• The more steps required, the less likely you are to start
• The gap between “I should” and “I’m doing it” is where agency dies

Part 4: Reducing Activation Energy

• The principle: Make starting so easy it’s harder to avoid than to do
• Strategy 1: Reduce steps
  • Sleep in gym clothes → No “getting ready” step
  • Meal prep on Sunday → No “what should I make?” step
  • Pre-write difficult emails as templates → No “how do I phrase this?” step
• Strategy 2: Remove friction
  • Put running shoes by the door
  • Delete time-wasting apps from your phone
  • Set up automatic bill pay
  • Have dumbbells in your living room
• Strategy 3: Automate the decision
  • Same gym time every day → No “when should I go?” decision
  • Meal plans → No “what should I eat?” decision
  • Morning routine → No negotiating with yourself

Part 5: The 2-Minute Rule for Agency

• Make the first step absurdly small
• “Put on gym clothes” not “work out for an hour”
• “Write one sentence” not “finish the chapter”
• “Send one email” not “apply to 10 jobs”
• “Call and ask for the appointment desk” not “schedule and prepare for doctor visit”
• The trick: Starting creates momentum; you’ll usually continue
• Lower the barrier until it feels ridiculous to not do it

Part 6: Environment Design

• Your environment is a series of activation energy decisions
• High agency environment:
  • Books on the coffee table, phone in another room
  • Healthy food at eye level, junk food hidden or absent
  • Workout equipment visible and accessible
  • Desk clear and ready to work
• Low agency environment:
  • Phone next to bed
  • TV as room focal point
  • Snacks within arm’s reach
  • Cluttered workspace requiring setup before work
• Design your space to make the right choice the easy choice

Part 7: Decision Fatigue and Activation Energy

• Every decision drains your activation energy budget
• Morning: high activation energy available → can start hard things
• Evening: depleted → can barely choose what to watch
• Why successful people have uniforms and routines (Steve Jobs, Obama)
• Strategy: Make important decisions when your activation energy is highest
• Strategy: Reduce trivial decisions through automation

Part 8: The Ritual Solution

• Rituals reduce activation energy through automaticity
• Your brain stops negotiating; it just executes
• Examples:
  • Coffee → desk → write (Hemingway)
  • Same pre-workout routine → body prepares automatically
  • Sunday meal prep → no weekday cooking decisions
• Build rituals around high-activation-energy activities
• The ritual becomes the activation energy; the task becomes momentum

Part 9: When High Activation Energy Is Protective

• Some decisions should be hard to start (quitting your job, major purchases)
• Friction prevents impulsive bad decisions
• The key: intentionally design friction
• Add activation energy to bad habits (delete apps, hide junk food)
• Remove activation energy from good habits (prepare environment)

Conclusion

• Starting is always the hardest part - this is physics, not a personal failing
• High-value actions often have high activation energy - this is why they’re rare
• Your job: Reduce the activation energy for things that matter
• Make starting so easy that not starting requires more effort
• Pre-decide, remove steps, design your environment
• Once in motion, you’ll stay in motion
• Agency isn’t about motivation - it’s about engineering the path of least resistance toward the life you want