Many digital nomads have a bit of a love/hate relationships with making plans. Part of what we love about this lifestyle is the freedom, but as we all know… in order to travel, you do need to be able to show up “on time” for your flights, trains, etc. I see this push/pull struggle with plans also start showing up in how we approach our businesses.
I’ve spent the last several weeks in my posts sharing my thoughts about ditching your “annual plan”, what to do instead, and tools for strategic planning. Now, I want to talk with those folks who really struggle with the concept of planning anything at all. I’ve chatted with folks in our digital nomad & location-independent entrepreneur community, and I heard a lot of comments like these:
“I’m allergic to schedules and systems.”
“I never plan more than 3 days in advance.”
“I’m not much of a systems person.”
“I don’t really think long-term.”
There’s a lot of “fly by the seat of your pants” approaches out there. Let’s acknowledge that when you’re a brand new entrepreneur, neck-deep in your own learning curve, the “keeping it loose” approach can be the reality (and to some degree a necessity.) After all, you’re still figuring out what works, so you have zero desire to create any structure or systems because it’s likely to change yet again in just a few weeks.
Here’s the challenge, however… there comes a point where you realize that if you never plan or systematize anything, then you cannot scale your business. Essentially, you haven’t created a business, you’ve created a job.
Now, for some folks, that’s just fine. As long as it’s a location-independent job, that’s all they want. However, if your business needs you to keep everything happening, then you don’t really have as much freedom as you might want.
That’s when it’s time to start exploring your options… and we’re travelers, right? We love to do a little exploring. So, let’s explore how you could start getting even more freedom over your time (not just your location) by considering how crafting better systems could improve life for you and your business.
Four Reasons Why Systems Matter
Let’s get clear about why systems and planning can be a good thing… because there’s a reason why so many successful entrepreneurs talk about building your systems.
Reason #1: Systems save your brain from extra work. – Think once, and take action over and over again! The simplest system, which virtually all of us have used in the past, is a checklist. Basically, a checklist (particularly for something you do repeatedly, like packing) allows you to do the thinking once (what do I need to pack?), but then you can reuse that information over and over again. Most travelers love a good packing checklist, and that’s a form of system to make sure that you’re not forgetting something important that will create a hiccup in your travels. (Yes, you can always buy another phone charger… but wouldn’t you rather not have to?)
Now, take the same principle and apply it to your business… what if you could have a checklist for the steps involved in writing, publishing, and promoting a blog post? Or onboarding a new client? Or preparing for a product launch? – Why make yourself re-think every time you do these repetitive activities in your business? Instead, you can document the process in a “process checklist,” and then, the next time it happens, you just work your way down the list until the process is complete. It truly can reduce the mental load!
Reason #2: Systems reduce mistakes and improve quality control – When you force yourself to repeat the same thinking every time, it’s far more likely that you’ll occasionally miss a step. Just like not checking your packing list and forgetting your phone charger, the same risks happen in business. Sometimes it just creates a minor hiccup, but sometimes it can look like you really don’t have your s*** together for that new customer.
Now, I won’t say that mistakes will never happen when you have systems, but they will be fewer. A former client shared with me her leadership philosophy and the lesson she told all her new hires, “Embrace mistakes, just make new ones.” In other words, learn from the mistakes when they happen and don’t repeat the same ones again. That’s what systems allow you to do. You won’t make the same mistake repeatedly, if your system is solid. A new one might show up occasionally, but as the system improves there will be fewer and fewer, and they will rarely be the same.
Reason #3: Systems allow for automation – In this day and age… glory, so many things can be automated. My husband Brian does onboarding for HubSpot (a big online marketing platform that you may of heard of), and he told me a story about working with a recent new customer. She was explaining how she had team members manually exporting data out of one tool and importing it into another to keep the two databases in sync with each other (something I too remember doing about 10 years ago … back in the early days of digital systems.)
He asked her whether she had ever considered setting up Zapier to pass the information immediately between the two tools. Surprisingly… no! She had never even considered the possibility that this process could be automated. In about 15-20 minutes, they had a zap setup that completely eliminated the manual process of transferring information from one tool to another, and she was over the moon happy!
In order for this to work, they needed to clarify the process they had been using and data that needed to be transferred, then setup a tool that could accomplish the same (or a roughly similar) outcome. I loved this story, although Brian originally told me about it because the client’s reaction was “Oh my god, thank you so much! I could kiss you!”… nothing like your husband sharing about how his client wanted to kiss him *heeheehee* – He’s pretty lovable and kissable, and I feel the same way when he solves major problems for me too, so I know the impulse ;).
Reason #4: Systems allow you to delegate – If it’s crystal clear what needs to happen (and in what order), then it becomes a lot easier to hire someone else to help you get it done! Here’s where the freedom really comes. When you can start taking tasks off your plate and enlisted the expertise of someone else to get things done for your business… I’m not kidding, it’s life-changing. Suddenly, big chunks of time are freed up allowing you to either reinvest that time in more revenue-generating activities or simply use it to enjoy your travels!!!
So, if you’ve been saying “I don’t have time to create systems in my business,” then I’m going to push back and say… that’s exactly why you need them… like right now!
Even if you just create a couple simple processes for activites you do frequently, then hiring someone to get those tasks off your plate is the BEST way to regain time for all the amazing projects and experiences that you could be doing.
The Systems Secret
Here’s the secret about building systems in your business (and your life)… they don’t need to be perfect, and they don’t need to be complex and extensive.
They need to be “just enough” to simplify, clarify, and get essential pieces off your plate. So, if you’ve been saying “I’m not a systems person” in the past, then I challenge you to identify and create one simple system for a repetitive task in your life in the next week… even just a checklist!
If you have no idea where to start, then you’ll definitely want to pick up Your Freedom Map eGuide to help you end the grind and start creating a business that can run on auto-pilot.
It will help you:
- Brainstorm the processes that you can simplify, document, and delegate to start freeing your time and energy.
- Learn the difference between a system, a process, and a tool so that you can always be solving the right problem not just churning through new productivity apps.
- Get a step-by-step approach to clarify your business processes so they become easier to do and to delegate.
- Identify the areas of your business where you’ve been “flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” for too long and wasting time and energy.
- Discover the 7 Core systems that you NEED to run ALL 50+ Business Processes.
This guide will give you a great way to find your first step. Here’s the 2nd systems secret… once you have a taste of the additional freedom and breathing space that building systems can give you, then I promise you’ll be thrilled to start building some more!
If that’s the case, then make sure to also keep your eyes open for the launch of my new course:
The Freedom Evolution: The 5 Elements You Need for a Business and Lifestyle You Desire.
We will be giving you all the essentials you need to get some core systems and processes rolling in your business:
You’ll learn how to:
- Track all your tasks and projects clearly and consistently in your Master List System so that you can stay focused.
- Draft a job description for your first (or next hire) that ensures you’re hiring for the right role.
- Interview candidates using a very specific type of question to ensure you get exactly the skill sets you need.
- Create process documentation so much more easily and even delegate creating it to your team members!
- And… so much more about managing your personal energy, improving your productivity skills, creating respectful boundaries, and staying focused on your goals!
All of these lessons are relevant across different industries and business models… so you’re certain to be able to massively upgrade your business growth with that support. Now, download the guide by clicking on the image above, and let’s get you started building your first system!
