Speaker 1: 0:01

One, two, three, four. Welcome to the Systemized Business. Here we dive into strategic productivity to help you overcome entrepreneurial overwhelm. I am BK and I do not believe that you have to be a slave to your business. You can streamline both your business and your life with simple systems. So, whether you're a female entrepreneur navigating the fast-paced world of business, this podcast is your go-to resource for simplifying processes, optimizing efficiency and achieving more with less stress. Let's get started on building the systems that will take you from overwhelmed to in control. Hi there, friends. Welcome to the systemized business, and I'm so excited to be back after a bit of a break. If you are a returning listener, thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey, and if you're new, I'm thrilled to have you join me, and if you're new, I'm thrilled to have you join me. Okay, so I'll be honest.

Speaker 1: 1:11

The podcast has been on a bit of an unscheduled hiatus, and I'll be talking about that in today's episode. You know, sometimes, even when we're focused on productivity and we have the systems, life happens, systems fail and we ultimately lose momentum. And that's okay, because today we're going to talk about how to pick yourself up and get back on track when things don't go according to plan. So if you've been following the show for a bit, you might notice something new. We've gone through a bit of a rebrand, and what was once BK Talks Business is now the Systemized Business. You might be wondering why the change? Well, as entrepreneurs, we are always evolving and I wanted this podcast to really reflect what I'm passionate about and what I know. So many of you are dealing with strategic productivity systems and kind of getting past and getting over that feeling of being overwhelmed by all the moving parts of your business, even your life. So, moving forward, you can expect action-packed advice as well as interviews with inspiring business owners and experts. And what better way to kick off this new chapter but by talking about what happens when systems fail. Even those of us who love a good system, there are times when things break down, when the unexpected throws us off course, and we can, you know, find ourselves struggling to regain that momentum. So today I'm going to be sharing a little bit of how I lost momentum and how I kind of got back into the swing of things, and I'm going to give you the exact steps so you can recover when your systems fail. So let's get started, okay when we're talking about losing momentum, because it's something that happens to all of us, even the most organized and the most system-focused entrepreneurs, and I want to share what happened with me so that you know that it happens to the best of us. You are not alone by any means.

Speaker 1: 3:40

So for me, the loss of momentum wasn't really due to just one thing. It was a combination of factors that hit me over. You know, a few months, life got really busy. I found myself you know there were a lot of things that I was juggling with, from traveling to managing my businesses and on top of it all, you know, to top it all off, my computer decided to completely give up on me, and I'm sure you know how that feels. Being an online business and your tech fails just throws everything into chaos.

Speaker 1: 4:20

And so in the midst of this you know it was during the summer months or the winter months, wherever you are in the world, and generally these months are typically kind of slow so motivation and inspiration kind of just whittled away until it disappeared. Just whittled away until it disappeared. Every time I thought about recording an episode, for example, it felt like this huge task that I really didn't have the energy for. And I wonder, do you know, what do you do? You has that ever happened to you? You know, when life keeps piling on, and not that anything significantly devastating is going on, but just things just keep piling up, and even the things that you love to do start feeling a bit overwhelming and start feeling a bit like work, which I hate. That I hate when things that I love turns into work, because then it stops being enjoyable, there's no joy or, you know, fulfillment that you get out of this.

Speaker 1: 5:35

So, and it's easy to fall into this cycle where you kind of fall into this inertia and it's hard to kind of get yourself going. So, yes, I have systems in place, but those systems fail, and when they do, you kind of feel a little bit stuck like, okay, what do I do now? So, for me, when my computer packed up and then you know travel schedule, and there was movement, but not the movement, and not movement in certain directions, if that makes sense, and so those little disruptions threw me off track, and once I was off track, it was really hard to get the motivation, the enthusiasm to really get back on track. And so I had to remind myself, consciously remind myself okay. Why did I start this to begin with? So what do you do? What do you do when this happens? How do you get out of the rut? How do you regain your momentum when your systems fail and life feels like it is running away with you and that you have lost control, right?

Speaker 1: 6:53

But before we kind of get into that, we need to know why systems fail in the first place. We need to get to the bottom of why our systems fail. Even the best designs system can break down over time and when that happens, it leads to that frustration, it leads to that overwhelm, especially for busy entrepreneurs like us. So there are a few key reasons why systems fail, and recognizing them can help us stay one step ahead and avoid the stress altogether. So now I'm going to be speaking more generally regarding either your business or your life systems.

Speaker 1: 7:41

So one of the most common reasons why our systems fail is that we just simply outgrow them. As your business evolves and grows, the systems that worked perfectly fine when you were smaller or just starting out might no longer be able to handle the increased demands. Maybe your team has expanded or the volume of work has increased beyond what your original system was designed to manage. So suddenly things start slipping through the cracks and the feeling of being in control literally disappears. Feeling of being in control literally disappears. Another reason could be just to external factors, things that are outside of our control. This could be anything from an unexpected technology issue. For example, if your computer dies on you or you suddenly change, the business environment suddenly changes, increased client demands that was unforeseen, the market shifting a little bit, or even personal disruptions like illness or family obligations or unexpected travel or unexpected travel.

Speaker 1: 8:58

When life throws you these curveballs, even the best systems can be strained, even break under the pressure. There is an issue that it could just be that the system itself is being neglected so that regular maintenance is not being done. Systems, just like any other tools or processes, need ongoing attention. If we set up a system and then forget about it over time it's going to stop functioning at its best. Maybe you've been so busy that you haven't had time to review or update your processes, or maybe you haven't noticed small inefficiencies creeping in until they've become big problems. So when systems and processes are not regularly checked and optimized, they eventually lose their effectiveness, which leads to more work and more stress in the long run.

Speaker 1: 10:05

When any one of these things happen, when we outgrow our systems or the external things that happen, or we neglect to keep coming back and maintaining our system, our process, our workflows it leads to overwhelm, instead of freeing us up to focus on what matters. Broken systems then add layers of complexity and stress to our lives. Suddenly, we're spending more time trying to fix issues, chasing down information or dealing with mistakes that when, and that's when burnout starts creeping in. So, as entrepreneurs, we rely on systems to help us manage the chaos of running a business. It keeps things intact and systemized. But when those systems fail, it literally does feel like everything is falling apart, and it can be very daunting to try to pick up the pieces. But the good news is, systems can always be fixed, they can always be refined, they can always be replaced, and that's exactly what we're going to dive into next.

Speaker 1: 11:24

How do we get back on track when our systems fail? Our momentum is lost and we feel stressed. Okay, so let's focus on that, on how do we get back on track when we've lost momentum. It can be tough to restart, to recalibrate once you've hit a roadblock, but the key thing is to take things step by step. So here are four practical ways to do that.

Speaker 1: 11:59

The first step is to first of all take a good, hard look at what went wrong. Why did your system fail in the first place? Was it because you outgrew it? Was it anything external that kind of affected it? Did you just forget about it and neglected to keep coming back and refining the processes and eventually fell apart? So it's important to really be honest about this evaluation. Ask yourself what specifically led to the breakdown. Did you miss deadlines because the whole process is just overly complicated? Did external circumstances, like a computer breaking down or an unexpected trip, throw things off balance? If you can identify the root cause, you can then avoid making the same mistakes in the future. So the key question here is where are the weak points and how can I address them? Moving forward Once you've identified where the breakdown could have happened, the next step is to prioritize.

Speaker 1: 13:19

When we lose momentum, everything can feel urgent, but the reality is not. Everything needs your attention right this second, start by making a list of all the tasks or areas where things have piled up and then ask yourself what is the most important task to address first. Focus first on the essentials, where tasks will help you regain control, to move the needle forward, as it were. Simplify where possible. Cut out any non-essential task or process that leads to you feeling stress. You really want to have clarity of mind so that you can rebuild your momentum. So a key tip here is simplicity. Simplicity leads to clarity and clarity leads to progress.

Speaker 1: 14:21

So, okay, third step now that you know what went wrong, now that you know what needs your immediate attention, it's time to rebuild or refine your system. This could mean tweaking your existing processes or completely redesigning them based on your new reality. You want to ask yourself is this system still serving my current needs? Maybe you need to automate more of your tasks. Maybe you need to delegate more responsibility of your tasks. Maybe you need to delegate more responsibility. Perhaps you might even need to invest in new tools to better support you and better to support your growing business.

Speaker 1: 15:08

Whatever it is that you identify, this is your opportunity to create a system that is more resilient and adaptable and that you can make sure can handle both the day-to-day and the unexpected. So a key action to make here is make small, gradual changes to your system. Don't be afraid to test new ideas. Nobody's going to grade you. You don't need to put yourself under enormous amounts of pressure.

Speaker 1: 15:41

The goal is to create a process that works for you, not against you, and then finally, once you have a system or the beginnings of a system back in place, back in place, the key is accountability and consistency, because it is easy to regain that momentum for a short time, but the real challenge is staying on track, week after week, month after month, year after year and so on. One way to do this is setting up accountability, whether it's checking in if you have a business partner or accountability partner, a coach even, or even something like using a project management software tool, can help you track your progress and keep you accountable to yourself. Keep you accountable to yourself. So having a routine or a system of checks can keep you staying on track, can keep you on track and even when the motivation dips, it reminds you that ah yes, this is what I have committed to do, and you can build that consistency through small, regular actions rather than really big, unsustainable efforts. So establish regular checks with yourself or with a team member to make sure that you stay on track and to set realistic, sustainable goals.

Speaker 1: 17:12

It's okay to start small, so evaluating why the process broke down, prioritizing the most essential tasks. To do that can help you get back on track. And then, once you have the basics of a new system, then you refine it. You stay accountable, not only for you to regain momentum, but also so that you create systems that are stronger and more adaptable in the future. So remember, systems are always meant to support you. They're not meant to hold you back. That's not why we create them. We create them for freedom. But when they fail, this is an opportunity for you to take a step back, to see how you can better improve your systems, how you can refine your workflows and to ultimately improve your workflows and to ultimately improve. So I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on where your systems might be breaking down and what you can do to rebuild that momentum.

Speaker 1: 18:30

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Systemized Business. I hope you found today's tips valuable and that you are ready to take action towards streamlining your business and even your life. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on the next one. If you are ready to dive deeper, visit our website for more resources, strategies and support. All the links are in the show notes. Let's continue building the systems that empower us to succeed. All right, I'll talk to you soon. Bye for now.