---
title: Makings things frictionless
date: 2024-08-14
permalink: daily/2024/08/14/makings-things-frictionless
tags:
  - software-development
cta: ~
snippet: |
  If you want people to do things, you need to make them as simple as possible.
---

If you want people to do things, you need to make them as simple as possible.

If you need to need to switch to a different window or tab to run your tests, you'll be less likely to run them.

I have keybindings in Neovim to run the current test, the previous test or the entire test file, which means I can easily run a test with a couple of key presses and without needing to change applications or to a different terminal.

I do the same when working on presentation slides, and need to compile the reStructuredText document into a PDF [using rst2pdf][0].

I also use watchers with `entr` - commands that watch for changes, such as a file being saved, and running a command. This means I can also have my tests run automatically whenever I change a file.

I have snippets to generate complex code or commands I need to run often, saving me time and reducing errors.

The more frictionless and easy I can make running a task, the more likely I am and others are to do them.

[0]: {{site.url}}/talks/building-presenting-slide-decks-rst2pdf