You've tried the systems.
Oh, have you tried the systems. (gah.. I’m sooo sick of this word)
You bought the Notion template that promised to "organize your entire business in one dashboard." You watched the 45-minute YouTube tutorial. You spent three hours customizing it with your brand colors and setting up all the databases.
You used it for... four days. (Tbh, I used mine for about two hours…)
Then it became one more tab you feel guilty about not opening.
Or maybe you went the paper route. Bought the $58 productivity planner with the gratitude prompts and the habit trackers and the inspirational quotes. Used it religiously for maybe a week.
Now it's collecting dust on your shelf next to the other planners that were going to change your life. And that bullet journal.. Remember when those were a thing?!
Or maybe you hired someone to build you the "perfect system" - custom SOPs, documented processes, the whole nine yards. They handed you a beautiful 47-page operations manual.
Which you've looked at exactly twice. And read the intro exactly once.
And now you're sitting here thinking: "What's wrong with me? Why can't I just stick to a system like everyone else?"
Let me stop you right there.
Nothing's wrong with you.
Your systems are wrong for you.
There's a big difference.
The Lie We've All Been Sold
Here's what every productivity guru, business coach, and "systems expert" won't tell you:
Most systems are designed for robots, not humans. (And let’s be real, part of that is because it’s the robots doing the designing. I see you, thinly veiled chatGPT…)
They're built on the assumption that you:
Have consistent energy levels throughout the day
Make rational decisions under pressure
Can switch contexts without cognitive cost
Will remember to check your system every single day
Have zero emotional resistance to certain tasks
Operate in ideal conditions with no interruptions
In other words, they assume you're not a human running a business while also being a parent, partner, friend, and person with a nervous system that occasionally decides today is a great day to feel ALL the anxiety all at once. (Why am I spiraling over a FONT CHOICE?!)
The system isn't accounting for:
Decision fatigue (which we covered in the last article)
Emotional capacity
Stress responses
Context switching costs
Varying energy levels
The fact that some tasks make you want to crawl into a hole
The crippling guilt that comes as you’re trying to finish one last task while your kids are asking if they can just sit with you for two minutes.
So when the system doesn't work, you assume you're the problem.
You're not.
The system failed you. Not the other way around.
Why Systems Fail: The Real Reasons
Let's break down what's actually happening when a system doesn't stick:
1. The System Requires Too Many Decisions
Remember decision fatigue? Your brain can only make so many decisions before it taps out.
Most systems add decisions instead of removing them.
Example: Your new project management system requires you to:
Decide which board to put the task in
Choose a priority level
Assign a due date
Add tags
Write a description
Link to related tasks
Set up recurring tasks manually
By the time you're done setting up the task, you've used half your decision energy for the day.
So you stop using the system. Not because you're lazy. Because your brain is protecting itself.
2. The System Doesn't Match Your Actual Workflow
You found a "perfect" client onboarding system... designed by someone who works with 10 clients at a time.
You work with 2.
The system is overkill. It feels heavy. You skip steps because they don't apply to you. Then you feel guilty about not using it "properly." Then you abandon it entirely.
Or the opposite: Someone sold you a "simple" system that works great... if you only have 3 responsibilities.
You have 47…thousand. (Did you go change that diaper yet?)
The system can't scale with your complexity, so you outgrow it in a week.
3. The System Ignores Your Emotional Reality
Here's what nobody talks about:
Some tasks carry emotional weight.
Sending a proposal to a dream client? That's not just a task. That's vulnerability. That's potential rejection. That's imposter syndrome in a PDF.
Your system treats it like "Send proposal - Due Friday."
Your nervous system treats it like "Expose yourself to judgment and possible failure."
Guess which one wins?
When your system doesn't account for the emotional difficulty of a task—not just the logistical difficulty—you'll avoid it.
And then you'll beat yourself up for "procrastinating."
4. The System Was Built For Your Best Day, Not Your Real Day
You designed your perfect morning routine on a Sunday when you were well-rested, motivated, and full of optimism.
It looks like this:
5:00am: Wake up
5:15am: Meditation
5:30am: Journaling (ahhhh)
6:00am: Workout
7:00am: Healthy breakfast
7:30am: Deep work
Your Tuesday looks like this:
5:00am: Alarm goes off (because you’re GOING TO DO IT this time)
5:05am: Snooze.
5:37am: Wake up in a cold sweat from another abstract nightmare
6:00am: Roll over and wish your bed was this cozy last night when you were trying desperately to fall asleep
6:15am: Shower while mentally catastrophizing. Or don’t shower. But still spiral.
6:30am: Coffee (apparently you’re intermittent fasting now.)
7:00am: Put out three fires before you've even opened your laptop
The system assumed ideal conditions.
Real life is not ideal conditions.
So the system breaks. And you think you broke it.
What Makes a System Actually Stick
Okay, so if most systems are built wrong, what makes a good system?
A system that sticks is:
1. Designed Around Your Constraints, Not Your Aspirations
Stop building systems for the person you think you should be.
Build them for the person you actually are. Right now. On your worst day.
Not: "I'll wake up at 5am and batch all my content on Sundays."
Instead: "I'll film 3 TikToks on my lunch break Tuesday and Thursday because that's when I actually have time and energy."
Your system needs to fit your real life, not your fantasy life.
2. Reduces Decisions, Not Adds Them
A good system is boring. Automatic. Pre-programmed.
Bad system: "I should post on LinkedIn 3x per week."
(This requires you to decide when, what, and whether you're in the mood.)
Good system: "Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 9am, I post on LinkedIn. The topics are pre-chosen on Sunday. No thinking required."
The less you have to decide, the more likely you'll do it.
(We'll go deep on this in the Implementation Intentions article. For now, just know: automation > willpower.)
3. Accounts For Your Nervous System
If a task feels hard, there's usually an emotional reason.
A system that works acknowledges that.
Example:
You avoid following up with leads. Not because you don't know how. Because rejection feels terrible and your nervous system is protecting you from it.
A bad system says: "Follow up with leads every Friday."
A good system says:
"Set a timer for 20 minutes. Follow up with as many as you can. Stop when the timer goes off."
"Reframe rejections as data, not personal failure."
"Reward yourself after (coffee, walk, whatever works)."
"Lower the stakes: You're not begging for work. You're checking if there's a fit."
See the difference?
One system ignores your humanity. The other works with it.
4. Has Built-In Friction Reducers
Your system should make the desired behavior easier and the undesired behavior harder.
Want to post consistently on social media?
Don't rely on motivation.
Instead:
Batch film content once a week
Use a scheduler so you don't have to remember
Write hooks in a swipe file so you're never starting from scratch
Set a calendar reminder that nags you
Want to stop doomscrolling?
Don't rely on willpower.
Instead:
Delete the apps from your phone
Use website blockers during work hours
Make it inconvenient to access
Make the right choice the easy choice.
5. Is Flexible Enough to Survive Real Life
Rigid systems break.
You don't need a system that works perfectly every day.
You need a system that still works when:
You're tired
You're stressed
You're traveling
Your kid is home sick
You only have 15 minutes instead of 2 hours
The best systems have versions:
Ideal version: 2-hour deep work block, morning pages, full weekly review
Realistic version: 1-hour focused time, 5-minute journal, quick Sunday check-in
Survival version: 20 minutes on the ONE most important thing, that's it
All three are valid. None are failures.
How to Build a System That Actually Works For You
Ready to stop fighting your systems and start working with them?
Here's the process:
Step 1: Audit What's Not Working (And Why)
Grab a piece of paper. Answer these:
What system have I tried to implement in the last 6 months?
How long did I use it before abandoning it?
What specifically made me stop?
Too complicated?
Too many decisions?
Didn't fit my actual workflow?
Made me feel bad about myself?
Required energy I didn't have?
Be brutally honest. This isn't about shame. It's about data.
Step 2: Identify Your Real Constraints
Not your ideal state. Your actual reality.
How much time do you actually have?
When do you actually have energy?
What tasks do you actually avoid (and why)?
What conditions actually exist in your day?
Example:
Fantasy: "I'll do deep work from 9-12 every day."
Reality: "I have three 30-minute pockets: 6-6:30am, 12:30-1pm, and 8-8:30pm. That's it."
Build for reality.
Step 3: Reduce Decisions to Zero (Where Possible)
Look at your daily/weekly tasks.
Ask: "Can I pre-program this decision?"
Instead of:
"I should work out this week" → "I work out Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 6am. Non-negotiable."
"I need to post on social media" → "I post Tuesday/Thursday at 9am. Topics chosen on Sunday."
"I should follow up with leads" → "Every Friday at 2pm, I send 5 follow-up emails. Done."
The goal: Remove the decision from the moment.
Step 4: Match the System to Your Energy, Not Your Calendar
Stop time-blocking based on when you're "supposed" to work.
Start energy-blocking based on when you actually have capacity.
High energy (morning for most people):
Creative work
Strategic decisions
Content creation
Important conversations
Medium energy (mid-afternoon):
Admin tasks
Emails
Scheduling
Light planning
Low energy (end of day):
Organizing
Responding to comments
Passive consumption
Planning tomorrow
Work with your biology, not against it.
Step 5: Test, Tweak, Repeat
A system isn't set-and-forget.
It's a living thing that evolves with you.
Every week, ask:
What worked?
What didn't?
What needs to change?
What can I simplify?
Don't be precious about it. If a system isn't serving you, change it.
The Bottom Line
If you've tried systems before and they didn't stick, it's not because you're undisciplined or flaky or incapable.
It's because most systems aren't designed for actual humans.
They're designed for ideal conditions, unlimited energy, and zero emotional resistance.
You need systems that:
Reduce decisions
Fit your real workflow
Account for your nervous system
Work on your worst day (not just your best)
Evolve as you grow
That's it.
Not more complicated. Not more rigid.
Just more human.
Because structure isn't supposed to cage you in.
It's supposed to set you free.
Ready to build a system that actually fits your brain?
Or join us in The Portal where we build systems together, test them in real life, and adjust until they actually work.
Because you didn't start your business to spend it fighting your systems.
Let's make them work with you instead.
Until then, take good care.
xo,
k