Most people think they need more time to cook. What they actually need is less friction. And when friction is removed, everything changes.
Like many people, they associated cooking with long prep times. Over time, this created resistance, and resistance led to avoidance.
Until the process becomes easier, behavior rarely changes.
As a result, cooking was inconsistent, often replaced by takeout or quick, less healthy alternatives.
Using a faster prep method, such as a vegetable chopper, eliminated the most time-consuming part of cooking.
When prep time dropped, the mental barrier to cooking disappeared. There was no longer a need to convince themselves to cook—it became the default option.
This led to secondary benefits. Healthier meals became more common, spending on takeout decreased, and overall stress around food preparation was reduced.
When effort decreases, repetition increases. And repetition is what forms habits.
The faster something is to do, the more likely real cooking habit change it is to be repeated.
The biggest improvements don’t come from working harder, but from removing what slows you down.
If you want to cook more often, the solution is not to force yourself. It’s to make cooking easier.
Over time, small efficiency gains compound into significant lifestyle changes. Saving a few minutes per meal adds up to hours each week.
And sustainability is what ultimately determines whether a habit lasts.
You don’t need to become a different person to cook more—you just need a better system.
And the people who succeed are the ones who design their environment to support their behavior.