Systems only work when you use them.
Of course if you spent time and energy to set up a system that’s working really well for you, you’d keep using it. Right?
You’d think that would be the case, but here are some common reasons why people stop using great systems:
It gets really busy. You’ve been there. You’re stretched. You’re working a ton. You’re working so much that you just skip doing something that takes an extra few seconds or minutes because it seems like you could use every extra second.
Example: You might have experienced this with files. Have you ever put a piece of paper on your desk instead of in the file? Or, have you ever left a new document on your computer desktop because you didn’t take the extra few seconds to find the right folder?
It seems like you don’t need the system anymore. Everything is working amazingly well. You’re on top of it all. You don’t feel stressed out. You’re not overwhelmed. You feel like you’ve “made it” so you stop using the system.
Example: Think of it this way…You decide to go to the gym so you can be at a certain level of fitness. Once you get to that level, you don’t stop going to the gym. You need to keep going to maintain the level of fitness you achieved. It’s the same with systems. You might have an initial push of extra effort in the beginning, but you need to keep using your systems to realize the benefit.
A new team member doesn’t use it. Maybe you just brought on a new hire or VA who joins the company and doesn’t use the system you set up. It might be because they haven’t been properly trained. Or, maybe they don’t see the point in following that particular system so they just don’t do it.
Example: You might have experienced this if you’ve ever had a team member leave and you’re left a little lost and confused about how they organized things.
It can be so easy so stop using systems when something like the examples above sneak up on you.
If you’re finding that you keep abandoning systems (for any reason—not just the reasons above), schedule a time to chat. We’ll set things up so they work for you for the long-term.
