You can’t boil a pot of water with low heat.

It sounds obvious, but sometimes you need the reminder:

If you want something to change, you need to turn up the heat.

In chemistry, there’s a concept called activation energy — the amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction. Think of it like a hill that has to be climbed before anything interesting happens. It’s the energy barrier that needs to be overcome in order for a transformation to begin.

And it applies to our lives, too.

Let’s say you’re on the couch, watching TV. A thought pops into your head: I should really start making dinner instead of ordering takeout. Then reality hits — you’d need groceries. Which means getting dressed, going outside, walking to the store, picking out ingredients, coming home, unpacking, and cooking.

That’s a mountain of effort compared to the easy alternative: Open your phone, tap Grubhub or DoorDash, and food appears at your door. The activation energy of making dinner feels massive. The energy required to order food? A few taps. No hill at all. Your phone is within reach. Your credit card is saved. You’re already logged in. Tap, tap, tap — done. Then you eat it.

And afterward? You feel the sting: “Ugh, another night of takeout. Why do I keep doing this?”

Well… because it made sense in the moment. Your brain is constantly doing calculations. It’s built to conserve energy, to choose the easiest path forward.

Nature does this, too. Water flows where there’s the least resistance. Humans walk where the path is shortest — cutting across grass instead of taking the sidewalk (ever heard of the “golden path” in UX research? Same idea.)

Your brain isn’t broken. It’s just being efficient.

But if you want meaningful change, you have to overcome that initial resistance.

That’s where catalysts come in. In chemistry, a catalyst lowers the activation energy of a reaction. It’s like someone showing up with a wheelbarrow when you’re trying to push a heavy box uphill. Suddenly, what felt impossible now feels doable.

You can apply the same principle to your habits. Want to stop ordering food?

Try raising the activation energy for that choice:

Now it takes effort to order — and that effort creates a moment to pause.

At the same time, lower the activation energy of cooking:

Small changes like these shift the equation. Suddenly, cooking isn’t a mountain. It’s a manageable hill.

There’s another strategy, too — the one I use most often:

Fast-forward to the end of the decision.

When I’m craving dessert or thinking about a second helping of something sweet, I ask myself: How will I feel afterward?

Yes, in the moment I want the donut. Or another slice of cake. But I’ve learned: I rarely enjoy it the way I imagine I will. It’s the idea I like — not the experience itself. What I actually enjoy is waking up the next morning feeling clear, light, and proud of myself.

That feeling? I try to hold onto it. And when I do — I can skip the dessert. Not every time. But often enough.

Sometimes, there’s no catalyst. No shortcut. No trick.

You just have to turn up the heat.

Water has a high specific heat — meaning it takes a lot of energy to raise its temperature. If you leave a big pot on low heat, it might never boil. The fastest way to get it going? Crank the burner. Max it out. Add more energy. That’s how change happens.

(And yes — technically you could add salt or pressure to help the water boil faster, but the point stands: you still need a lot of energy to get it moving.)

So, what’s your goal? What’s the activation energy required to reach it? Can you lower it — with a catalyst? Can you raise the resistance of the unhelpful path?

And if not…

Can you dig deeper and turn up the heat — remembering who you’re doing this for (Your future self.)