Systems have always been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up with a learning disability and a divorced household, I had to use systems from very early on in my life. A system is more important than any one single idea or thought. Ideas are random and systems are duplicatable. A system allows you to reproduce your efforts and results. Systems prevent you from being random and help you become strategic.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a great genius in being random. However, when you are trying to design and create your dream life there is enough randomness at play already. Some people rebel against systems and I respect that but does that rebellion serve a purpose and if so, what is that purpose? When I have clients who are rebelling against their own systems, my first instinct is to ask them if that method works for them. Most of the time it doesn’t but there are times when it does. When I am in the creative process I intentionally throw most of my systems out (for a short while) because it allows my creativity to expand and experiment, but this mode is very intentional. Once I have gotten all of the creativity and experimentation I need, I then spend some time getting organized, realigning the systems and order. Other times when I am writing and typing a blog, I need organization from the start so I can focus. Randomness and disorder act as a distraction. These differing modes of operation are an important part of my own system.
In order for your systems to work most effectively, they need to be your own and not someone else’s. Most unintended rebellion comes from trying to force yourself into someone else’s system instead of tweaking and modifying it to suit you and your own needs. Systems can support, hinder, or can come up somewhere in between. Another question I tend to ask clients is “Are your systems making you more effective?” If it’s not then we need to tweak it so that it does.
For example, let’s take a successful sales person who has a system which helps them create and attain success, but then they switch positions or companies. They will typically be just as successful with the new position or company because they have a system that they can follow to produce consistent results. We see this with CEO’s that change companies all the time. Their systems help them be more strategic and efficient in the creation of their results and outcome, their personalized and tested system follows them wherever they go in the business world.
In Lifestyle Design and Business Creation, it is very important to keep track of your process so that you can duplicate it and create a personalized system for future success. If the focus is on creation and effectiveness then that also means you need to release what does not work or help you. When creating, designing, or optimizing your systems be very cautious when introducing new tools, software, gadgets, and tech into the system that is already working for you. It is also important to give yourself plenty of time to implement the new addition so that you are not hindering your process. Effectiveness is always the goal in using and creating your system.
This is precisely why I call myself a Lifestyle Design Strategist -- because I have tested tools, systems, and strategies that assist my clients to design and create their ideal life, and in turn fine-tune their own individualized systems.
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I understand what you're talking about when you mention systems. I think I have them in both work and life. Systems are unique, but repetitive. If I like something, I'll stick with it, but if a system is down, then it's time to reconsider. Work (in my field) has the same idea. I put clients into a system of "what needs to be done when", and let the gears turn appropriately. It's kind of fun to be so insured that your systems work, but you always need a back up plan. Great post Kat!