3 Systems Solopreneurs Need to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed | 120

(Note: This is a formatted and slightly edited, AI-generated transcript to make it easier for you to read through. Please excuse any spelling, grammar errors and filler words – it’s just how I speak LOL)

Most solopreneurs think their overwhelm is a time problem, a tool problem, or just needing to figure out where to start. But after talking to dozens of business owners, I can tell you that it’s almost never any of these things. It’s a “missing systems problem, and not even the kind of system you might be thinking about. So let’s get into it.

Hey, hey. Welcome back to the Cheers to Better Systems podcast. If you caught the rebrand episode, then you already know that we are talking about systems through a much more fuller lens around here, that includes not just business, but life as well. And today’s episode is going to be an anchor for a lot of what is coming.

So this episode today is specifically for solopreneurs who feel like they’re working hard but still drowning in their to-do list, and business owners who have tried setting up systems before but they just didn’t stick. So today, we’re gonna talk about the real reason you feel overwhelmed, the three types of systems every solopreneur needs, why all three have to work together in order for any of them to stick, and we’ll wrap it up with some simple action steps to help you figure out where to start.

So overwhelm has been a recurring theme in my conversations with solopreneurs forever now. Forever. It’s a big one, because we’re managing so many different things, and what I’m noticing is that the same problem keeps showing up. It’s so many entrepreneurs working hard. They feel like they’re doing all of the, quote, unquote, “right things”, but they’re still feeling stuck, and they’ve tried to get a different planner, a different app, you know, another course, and none of it is fixing what they think needs fixing.

And so after I have spent all of these hours on market research calls and sorting through hundreds of survey responses, again, yes, with the help of AI to help me spot some patterns, the thing that kept showing up was that people were convinced that their overwhelm was a business problem. And yeah, that is what we’re talking about, right?

We’re talking about business. “Hey, why aren’t you doing X, Y, Z in your business? What is overwhelming you about your business?” So yeah, the focus has always been on the business. And so I was getting things like, “I need better workflows. I need to manage my tasks better.” But when I started to really zoom out of these conversations to really get a bird’s-eye view, there was a very clear pattern that they couldn’t see themselves.

And for a long time, even I was kind of oblivious to this, of like, “Hey, this is what’s going to help your business.” And well, yeah, 100% it is. The issue is not just business systems. It’s the fact that you’re missing systems in other areas of your life too. And that is the aha moment that led to everything that we’re gonna talk about today.

So before we fully dive in, if you’re not in my free community yet, that is where the conversations are going to keep happening after the episode ends, so definitely come join us. The link is in the show notes. Come hang out with us, especially if you want a place to help you figure out where your own weak link is after we get through this episode.

So here is what I want you to think about before anything else because most of us are telling ourselves that overwhelm is something that it’s not. And until we fix that, none of the systems that we put in place are really going to stick. So this is where we’re going to name the things, okay?

So overwhelm is not a time problem. You don’t need more hours. It is not a tool problem. One more app, another automation, another platform is not going to magically fix everything. And no, you don’t need fewer ideas either. You can have all the ideas in the world. That in itself is not going to make you overwhelmed.

What overwhelm usually means is that you’re missing some sort of system or systems in some area of your life and/or business, and those missing systems are the ones that are quietly causing all the chaos that surrounds everything else in your life. So the three types of systems that we’re going to be covering are business systems, life systems, and productivity systems.

So let’s unpack each one so that way you can figure out which one of these are the ones that you are missing. So system number one, business systems. These are the “what” of running your business. So these cover things like workflows and task management, client processes such as onboarding, offboarding, communication, operations, so invoicing, contracts, file management.

Content systems like planning and batching and repurposing for all of the platforms that you’re producing content on. Trello setups, project management. These are the ones that we have always covered on the podcast. And so some common signs that this is your weak link is that you’re constantly reinventing the wheel for every client, you have tasks that are falling through the cracks, and you feel like your business is running you instead of the other way around.

So these are the business systems. Life systems is systems type number two. So these are the “how” you run your life outside of business. So we’re talking about your home or household. So this includes things like meal planning, laundry, cleaning rhythms, family logistics, school stuff, finances, errands, all of the things that come with being the home manager.

Okay? Caretaking is another one, whether you’re caretaking for your kids, your aging parents, your pets, just pretty much anyone who depends on you, those individually need systems as well. Your day job. I have so many people who are running their business as a side hustle to their day job. So you’re not just managing your home, you’re caretaking, your business, but you’re also managing work on top of that.

So yeah, that’s a lot. And then lastly, your personal wellbeing. So this includes things like faith, rest, relationships, self-care. Yeah, that’s a lot. We’re gonna get to that, okay? Don’t do… We are talking about not feeling overwhelmed, and I know that this list might be like, “Oh, my gosh, don’t go there.” We’re not there.

We’re not there. Don’t start brainstorming. Don’t start thinking about all of the things that you’ve done wrong. No. We’re gonna nip that in the bud right now. Some common signs that this is your weak link is that you’re constantly putting out fires at home. Business is spilling into every corner of your life, and maybe you’re even feeling resentful of your business because there’s no room for anything else.

So for a lot of you, this might actually be where you’re living. We’ve been living in the business systems when really a lot of it is coming from not having really core life systems in place, and we’re gonna dive so much deeper into this in a future episode, so don’t worry. Now, the third type of system is the productivity systems.

This is how you’re going to operate across both. This is like the bridge between your business and life systems. So this is covering things that we may not have realized are a system because we like to think of systems as like a platform or a tool or something tangible, when that’s not always the case.

Productivity systems includes things like routines, habits, planning, focus and attention management, mindset, managing your energy. So these are all things that are part of how you manage both, right? And so if this is failing, it’s going to make it even harder for you to set up those tangible, more practical systems in your life and business.

So common signs that this is your weak link is that you are busy but not productive. You are constantly switching between all of the different tasks in either life or business. You are constantly drained by decision fatigue all day, and you’re feeling like you’re ending the day exhausted, but you don’t really know what you accomplished or you don’t really know what you got done.

It feels like you got nothing done. And then the mental load of everything that you’re carrying feels so heavy, sometimes heavier than the actual to-do list. So the key point between all of this is that these are stacked systems. When weakness shows up in one of these types of systems, it shows up in the other places as well.

For example, you can have the best client workflow, but that is not gonna matter when it’s time for you to show up and start coaching your client if you’re only running on four hours of sleep. You’re not going to give it your best. A perfect morning routine is not gonna save you if your business has no operational backbone.

So you can have the best morning routine, you can do the planning, have your brain dump done, and then you get to work and you’re like, “What? I don’t know all the tasks that are included in this project. I don’t know what I need to work on today.” These three really have to work together for any of them to actually stick.

And so this framework is going to be the anchor of a lot of what we cover on the podcast moving forward, and all of them will be built on this foundation, that business systems and real life rhythms need to support each other. And not to say that you need to have everything perfectly set up for all of it, no.

100% no. We are humans. We’re not meant to be perfect. We are not meant to be perfect, so stop trying to make everything perfect. However, even going through the list that I mentioned, maybe there are some things that stood out to you, and maybe those are the ones that are like, “Oh, yeah, actually, I can see how doing this one system, this one routine, getting better rest, I can see how those things will naturally help this other thing go better for me.”

And that’s the point. That is the point of this episode. So right now you got some simple action steps, okay? Step one is I want you to just quickly rate each of the three systems. Are they solid, are they shaky, or are they barely there? For business, life, and productivity. And maybe it’s a mix, right? Maybe you feel decent in business, but you’re actually missing some of the life aspects.

Or maybe you feel like your habits and your routines are locked in, but you still haven’t been able to make time to create those business systems. Let’s just take a moment to get a high level rating of where you sit with these systems. Step two is to pick the weakest one. Decide and acknowledge where your overwhelm is likely coming from, because that is going to be what you as an individual need to tackle first.

And then step three is going to be to actually choose one small, small, small, small thing that you can work on this week to improve that weak link. So just one. We’re not overhauling everything. I’m pretty sure there’s an episode on that somewhere on the podcast. And if you’re not sure where to start, or actually, I just really genuinely want to know what you picked, come let us know in the free community to share what you’re gonna work on, to share what you found is your weakest link, and just start asking for ideas on how you can fix it.

These are the types of conversations that are ultimately going to help me know the areas that you need help with the most. So that is how I’m going to base the future episodes on future workshops, future resources is based on you. So, we’ve gotten this far because of your responses and your surveys and your support in helping me figure out the direction, and that’s what we’re gonna continue doing.

So figure out where your weak link is, and then come share it with us in the community. So all right, let’s quickly recap this episode. Overwhelm usually means that you’re missing a type of system. The three types of systems work together, business, life, and productivity, and you want to fix the weakest one first.

Now, in the next episode, we’re going to go deeper into what I had teased in the last episode of what is really irking me about the word productivity. And so we’re gonna dive deeper into that and sharing some examples of the types of productivity systems that you might need fixing. But for now, go ahead and join the free community to really take this episode further, share which of the three systems is your weakest, and get support from other solopreneurs who are working on the same thing.

The link is in the description. Thank you so much for being here. Cheers to better systems, less overwhelm, and more peace. See you in the next one.