The new book from Mitch Mitchem
F*
Your
Friction
What to Say and Do When Systems and People Steal Your Time and Money
- You're not crazy.
- You're not lazy.
- You're being robbed.
Kindle and paperback open on Amazon. Signed copies come direct from Mitch at MitchMitchem.com. Prefer another store? Buy anywhere.
Newrevised
edition
Watch the trailer
The trailer.
The problem
You are not imagining it. The phone trees, subscription traps, password loops, and systems that make you do the work are stealing your time, money, attention, and energy.
Much of that friction is not accidental. It is the business model.
used at least one possible dark pattern
used more than one
In 2024, consumer protection agencies from 26 countries, including the FTC, reviewed 642 subscription websites and apps. Nearly 76% used at least one possible dark pattern. Nearly 67% used more than one.
Source: FTC press release, July 10, 2024 (ICPEN and GPEN review).
The Friction Hall of Shame
You know
every one.
The phone tree
Press 1. Press 4. Say "representative." Start over.
The cancel trap
One click to join. A scavenger hunt to leave.
The doom-loop app
Every path leads back to the home screen.
The form for no reason
Twelve fields to tell them what they already know.
The "update"
It broke everything that worked.
The password loop
Reset it. Verify it. Reset it again.
Got a company or system that belongs here? Tell us what happened. We feature stories only the way you choose, and never publish your email.
Once you see it, you can't unsee it.From the back cover
What's inside
Five ways to
fight back.
A direct, funny, evidence-backed field manual for recognizing useless friction, deciding what deserves your energy, and taking your life back.
The Grandfather Test
Five questions that cut through any corporate lie. Fail one, it's friction. Fail two, it's theft.
Fix It or F* It
The decision framework that ends paralysis in ten seconds flat.
The Six Friction Identifiers
Spot the moment a company quietly assigns you its job.
The AI Friction Killer
Use intelligent technology without surrendering the human element.
The Reclaim Method
A 4-week plan to take back the hours, days, and years friction has already stolen.
Bonus The pro tip on page 15 that gets you past the bot and to a human.
Praise
Readers and rooms.
“A rare leadership book that doesn’t just inform you, it interrupts you.”
Mitch Mitchem was the highest rated speaker VISIT Denver has had in the last ten years.
As heard on
About the author
Mitch
Mitchem
Mitch Mitchem is a keynote speaker on adaptability and leadership, a Second City-trained improviser, author, and business leader. Across about three decades onstage, more than 4,000 presentations, 12 countries, and 10 million+ people, he has learned how humans respond when plans collapse and uncertainty becomes real.
He has performed alongside Jimmy Buffett, The Beach Boys, Ziggy Marley, *NSYNC and Britney Spears. Today he leads HIVE, the human capability company.
The keynote
Bring the F* Your Friction
keynote to your event.
F* Your Friction: Your Customers Are Doing Your Job
A keynote on the friction your customers and your people fight every day, delivered by a Second City-trained improviser with about three decades onstage. Funny, direct and built for customer experience, HR, healthcare and employee experience rooms.
- See the friction you hand your customersThe phone trees, forms and "self-service" that quietly move your job onto them.
- Spot it in secondsThe Six Friction Identifiers show the exact moment a process starts stealing time.
- Decide what to fix firstFix It or F* It turns endless debate into a ten-second call.
- Use AI to remove friction, not add itPut intelligent technology to work without losing the human element.
“Mitch Mitchem was the highest rated speaker VISIT Denver has had in the last ten years.”
A copy for every attendee
Pair the keynote with a book for every person in the room, shipped to your event.
For teams, events and fans
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Book Mitch to speak
A keynote on the friction your customers and your people fight every day, with a copy of the book for every person in the room.
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Fighter Kit.
Free tools from the book to spot friction, time it and fight it, plus a free sample of F* YOUR FRICTION. Straight to your inbox.
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AudiobookComing soon.
Stop taking it.
There are only so many hours in the day. Spend them on what actually matters.