I’ve really enjoyed watching Curling Mixed Doubles at the 2026 Olympics in Milan/Cortina.

I remember noting at the last Olympics, it seemed like everyone in my orbit (friends, family, podcasters) was talking about, and even taking up, Curling.

So I decided to give it a go this year, and it has not disappointed. It’s been fun to watch, and not just because Team USA advanced to the gold medal match^*.

Watching the team work and communication is great, but controlling the stone is also analogous to running a business.

How Curling Works

If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, the goal is to push the stone down ice into a target (called the “house”), like an ice version of bocce ball or horseshoes.

But you control the speed and direction of the stone through “sweeping,” or using brooms to reduce the friction of the ice on the stone.

Your release the stone and then sweep fast or slow to control the speed. You can also sweep at angles to make it curl one way or another.

The ice also matters. Small changes or oddities in the ice may affect how the stone moves — especially with respect to speed. If you watch the sport, you know there’s a lot to manage, but it mostly comes down to friction management.

Applying This to Your Business

I’ve been thinking a lot about how you can properly apply friction to your business to create more time and space. Add a little, and you prevent yourself from going down the wrong path (like getting distracted by social media). Remove it, and you accomplish your goals faster.

Applying friction might mean creating barriers to make tasks harder—like using app blockers, Pomodoro timers, or setting your partner’s number as your 2FA contact.

Reducing friction can be removing steps, automating, or delegating.

How to “Sweep” your Business

If you watch the sport, superficially it seems like they’re just sliding stones down ice. But there’s a lot of strategy. The players take a lot into account, from placement of the other stones, to line angles, guards, and more.

As you consider how to “sweep” your business, there’s a lot you want to consider. But you don’t need to do it all at once.

Here’s what I recommend:

Think about the points in your day that prevent you from achieving your goals. These can be distractions, tasks, or app/services that make it harder to do your job.

You don’t need to be too formal about it. Maybe make a note whenever you feel like there’s friction in your day.

Then, figure out one way to smooth out one of those points. This doesn’t have to be complicated. You can turn off notifications for certain apps during the day, remove an unnecessary step from a task you already perform, or even just learn a keyboard shortcut to an app you’re in every day.

The goal is to make small adjustments over time that build up to a smoothly running business.

Do this a few times, and you’ll gradually change how you work—removing small inefficiencies that add up to big results. Before you know it, you’ll be moving toward your goals with less resistance.

*They took Silver. Congrats Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin!!