
Fancy hotels, Apple products and Japanese factories all have something in common. All unprofitable background friction is removed, so that users have their full amount of energy to go fight the battles of their choice. A good first move to a low friction house is starting with something very small, very humble, and close to you daily: Replace the salt grinder with an open dish of ground or flakey mineral salt, to directly pinch and sprinkle.
Here are the reasons why:
Arrange to keep adreanaline down
Any act of force or opposition, even pulverizing a little rock of salt, affects our brain chemicals, and prime us for conflict. If we set up our home life life with micro-conflict and resistance happening over and over, this can subconsciously spill over to venting conflict with people, and thats no good. Conflict impacts our mental health. The entire nation of Japan have a conflict-aware culture, and avoid sliding anything across the floor or table, and never tear anything open.
Only do work that creates value
The value of fragrant, freshly ground pepper is self-evident. A grain of rock salt has not lost any saltiness since it was first formed, possbly way back in the pre-cambrian era. Fresh griding isn't going to add much.
Don't conform without good reason
One day I called up a company selling salt and pepper grinders. 'Why do we freshly-grind salt?" I asked. The lady who answered the phone was adoreable in her honesty
'No reason. People like to have something to go with the pepper."
Don't nag friends
If the only salt in sight is the grinder, guest cooks are likely to hold it over cooking, and the salt inside gets steamy and clogged up. The future is a place of co-operation and hospitality, so design productive areas so people can do a good job without thinking too much. A dish of salt by the stove, moved to the table at dinertime works well.
Set up your life so your actions succeed in one movement.
Re-instate the salt cellar.
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