This post is part of the Drift 101 series — a beginner-friendly introduction to the core building blocks of The Drift Method. If you’ve ever felt stuck repeating work you know you’ve done before, Kits might be exactly what you’re missing.

In my last post we looked at Steps, the Drift Method’s core unit of motion. Where Steps help you decide what to do next, Kits help you do it faster.

In this article, I’ll share how to reduce friction, save time, and build smarter by creating modular tools you can reuse across Flows (projects, processes, and other efforts toward a desired state).

1. The hidden cost of starting from scratch

For myself and many other indie builders, creators, and digital doers the path from idea to outcome can get surprisingly repetitive. I don’t just create the work, I often end up recreating my process every time too.

For example, when I spin up a single-page website, it’s the same series of tools, steps, embeds, and checklists. But if I haven’t done it in a few months, I forget the specifics.

I end up digging through old projects, redoing decisions I’ve already made, and losing time with very little gained in the process.

The same thing used to happen when I was producing music. Each song had its own vibe, but the release process? Basically identical every time.

That’s where Kits come in.

2. What a Kit is (and isn’t)

In The Drift Method, a Kit is a bundle of reusable tools, resources, steps, notes, and tips that help you go from your current state to a defined outcome within the context of a Flow.

Kits are modular. Lightweight. Evolving. They can include:

  • Templates
  • Instructions
  • Links
  • Notes
  • Checklists
  • Tools

The underlying concept might feel vaguely familiar. Depending on what you make or do, it can be helpful to think of them as cousins to things like:

  • A software package that installs a working setup
  • A spellbook that contains your best incantations
  • A mise en place that sets you up to cook without pausing to hunt for ingredients

Kits aren’t static templates. They aren’t bloated playbooks. They’re not a “systems dump.”

They’re creative trailheads: small, sharp, and specific. Maps to paths you’ve walked before.

For example, two Kits I use often are:

  • The Drift Kit for Notion — I use this daily, across projects. It holds my Flows, Steps, Notes, Kits, and more. It’s not just my own method… it’s my default workspace.

  • A Website Setup Kit — This contains links to my favorite site builder tools, a checklist of what to embed or track, and reminders for launch steps. Because I’ve built and reused this, standing up a site is now 95% reuse and 5% net-new effort.

3. Why Kits matter

Even small delays add up. Let’s say—as part of an occasional process—you have to search for a tool or reference for five minutes per step.

If there are 20 steps in the process, that’s an hour or more of wasted time every time you do it.

Kits help eliminate that waste.

They also reduce friction. You don’t have to guess or stall wondering, “What do I do next?” You just follow your past self’s best thinking (the one who already figured it out).

It feels like placing your own Mario Kart boost pads on a familiar track. Each Kit makes the work feel smoother and faster, like you’ve rigged the course to your own advantage.

They also preserve your energy for the interesting work. The part that’s truly creative or context-specific. And when the scaffolding is already in place, that flow is easier and more enjoyable to dive into.

4. How to start building Kits

Start with what you repeat.

If you’ve done something 2–3 times, and it’s likely you’ll do it again, that’s your Kit candidate.

Especially if it’s something with a lot of steps or tools and you don’t do it frequently enough to remember everything offhand.

My favorite Kits to build are ones around multistep processes where the steps really matter, but the steps themselves aren’t that interesting once you’ve done them once or twice.

Here’s how I usually start:

  1. Create a new Kit page in Notion (inside my own Drift)
  2. Drop it into the Flow where the work is happening
  3. As I go through the process, I jot down tools, notes, instructions, tips, and steps
  4. I write it like I’m handing it to someone else, that way it’s legible later when I’ve forgotten the details

This process is lightweight and incremental. You don’t need to stop everything to create a perfect resource. Just capture what you’re doing as you do it.

Over time, your Kits become custom recipes written for your own kitchen with your ingredients, your tools, and your environment in mind.

I store my Kits in their own central database using The Drift Method with Notion. From there, I can link them to any Flow they’re relevant to. That way, I can reuse Kits across multiple flows while keeping them easy to find when I need them. Like a digital tool library.

And if I use a Kit and it doesn’t feel helpful? I update it. That’s the rule.

5. Evolving my Kits over time like living libraries

Kits aren’t meant to be precious. They’re meant to be used, and that means they’ll change.

Ask yourself: could someone else use this Kit without much explanation? If not, you’ve got a chance to simplify it.

I update Kits when I notice something unclear or when the process itself changes. I’ll split a Kit if it starts trying to do too much, like if I initially combined both standing up a website and publishing content for it. Those are two different outcomes and deserve their own Kits.

And when a Kit feels outdated or unused? I archive it.

Not delete, because it still might hold insight into why I made certain decisions.

But I let it fade to the background so it doesn’t clutter my active workspace.

If you’re worried that Kits might constrain you, don’t be. Chances are, you already use templates in your life: standard guitar tunings, routines that help you get into flow, favorite tools you reach for when prepping to do work.

Kits just make that repeatability more intentional (and more useful).

They don’t box you in. They get you past the boring parts faster, so you can spend more time doing the work that matters.

Building your first Kit

Now you might be asking: What can I build my own Kits around? Here’s a simple question to illuminate the answer:

What’s something you’ve done 3+ times in the last few months?

That’s a Kit waiting to happen.

Start small. Save your future self some time.

And if you’re curious how Kits connect to the rest of The Drift Method, keep going. Next up in this Drift 101 series: Views — how to reflect, reorient, and adjust course without losing momentum.

Want to start building your own system the Drift way? Download the free Drift Method Starter Guide and start building your own Drift system.