When I tell people that systems can save them time, I think sometimes they picture something enormous.
Automations.
Complicated workflows.
Fancy software.
Flowcharts with approximately 82 arrows pointing in different directions. 😂
But some of my favorite systems aren’t complicated at all.
They’re tiny.
And that’s exactly why they work.
📺 Watch the video below to see why small systems can create big results.
A System Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
A system is simply a process you’ve decided to follow consistently.
That’s it.
For example:
Where do your receipts go?
Where do you put a new content idea?
What do you do with a file after you download it?
What happens when you receive information for a new contact?
If you already know exactly what happens next, you don’t have to stop and make that decision again.
You’ve created a system.
Pay Attention to Repeated Decisions
Here’s one of the easiest ways to find places where you might need a small system.
Notice when you catch yourself asking:
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
If you’ve asked yourself that same question before, there’s probably an opportunity to make a decision once instead of making it over and over again.
Maybe every receipt goes into the same folder.
Maybe every content idea goes into the same place.
Maybe every downloaded file immediately gets moved, renamed, or deleted.
The specific process matters less than the consistency.
A Good System Removes a Decision
This is one of my favorite ways to think about systems:
A good system removes a decision you shouldn’t have to keep making.
We make enough decisions every day already.
What deserves our attention?
What needs to happen today?
What does a customer need?
What’s for dinner?
And, perhaps most importantly, do we have enough Diet Coke? 😏
We don’t need to spend additional mental energy repeatedly deciding where to save a receipt.
Make the decision once.
Then follow the system.
Small Systems Save More Than Time
The obvious benefit of a system is that it can save time.
But there’s another benefit that’s just as important.
It saves mental energy.
Every tiny unfinished decision takes up a little space in your brain.
When you have a simple process for handling repetitive things, you don’t have to keep thinking about them.
You already know what happens next.
That’s one less thing competing for your attention.
Don’t Try to Systemize Everything at Once
This is where people can make systems unnecessarily complicated.
You don’t need to sit down this weekend and create a documented process for every aspect of your life and business.
Please don’t. 😂
Start with one repeated decision.
Ask yourself:
What’s something I do regularly that makes me stop and figure out what to do next?
Then decide what you want the process to be.
That’s your system.
Use it.
Adjust it if you need to.
And once that process becomes easy, look for the next one.
Small Systems Add Up
One small system may save you only a minute or two.
That doesn’t sound particularly exciting.
But when you have dozens of small systems quietly eliminating unnecessary steps and repeated decisions, those minutes start adding up.
So does the mental space you get back.
And that’s the real goal.
We’re not creating systems simply so we can say we’re organized.
We’re creating systems so we have more time and energy for the work—and the people—that actually matter.
Small systems.
Big results.
Start with one. 💙