I was in London recently for a keynote, and one night, we went to a restaurant called Bob Bob Ricard. It’s a beautiful place—velvet booths, golden accents, amazing food.
But that’s not what makes it special.
Bob Bob Ricard holds a very specific distinction: they pour more champagne than any other restaurant in Britain.
You might assume that’s because they have an unbeatable selection. Or maybe their prices are better. Or perhaps they’ve somehow found a way to make champagne taste even more divine.
Nope.
It’s because of a single, brilliant design choice.
At every table, there is a small button labeled “Press for Champagne.” And when you press it, as if by magic, someone appears with a bottle, ready to refill your glass.
That’s it. That’s the secret.
They sell more champagne than anyone else simply because they make it ridiculously easy. No flagging down a server. No scanning a QR code. No internal debate about whether you should get another glass. Just a button, waiting to be pressed.
And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
The truth is, we don’t always do what we want to do. We do what’s easiest. The path of least resistance wins almost every time.
You might want to read more, but your phone is right there, glowing with notifications.
You might want to eat healthier, but the chips are at arm’s length while the fruit is buried in the fridge.
You might want to write more, but every time you sit down, your laptop tempts you with news articles, emails, and social media.
What Bob Bob Ricard understands—better than most—is that if you want a certain behavior to happen, you have to make it frictionless. You need a “Press for Champagne” button for the habits you actually want in your life.
When I got home from London, I started thinking: What do I really want to be doing more of? And how can I make it as easy as pressing a button?
One small change: poetry books.
Instead of keeping my phone nearby, we started scattering poetry books around the house—on the coffee table, next to my bed, on the kitchen counter.
Now, when I get the impulse to reach for my phone, I reach for a poem instead. It’s short. It doesn’t require a big time commitment. And unlike checking my email, it leaves me feeling more inspired, not less.
Think about it: What’s the “Press for Champagne” button you need in your life?
What’s the thing you say you want more of but never quite get around to? Reading? Writing? Calling old friends?
And what’s standing in the way?
Design your life like Bob Bob Ricard designed that button. Make the good things easy. Make the distractions just a little harder.
Because the difference between what you want and what you do is often just one small button away.
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