Picture this: It’s 7:30 am. You’ve got your morning coffee in one hand and your phone in the other. You’re already answering client emails, checking Instagram, and putting out fires before you’ve even taken your first sip. Sound familiar?
That used to be my morning too. And my afternoon. And my evening.
Until I implemented the right systems.
Systems aren’t just fancy automations or complex workflows. They’re the foundational framework that lets your business run smoothly without constantly demanding your attention. They’re what make the difference between feeling perpetually overwhelmed and actually enjoying your business again.
Let me walk you through what a day looks like with and without systems, and the exact systems that transform the experience.
Morning: Setting the Tone
Without Systems: At 7:30 am, you’re already in reactive mode. Coffee in one hand, phone in the other, answering urgent emails and messages before you’ve properly started your day. You feel behind before you’ve even begun.
With Systems: You’re enjoying that morning coffee while reading a book or doing a quick meditation, knowing your project management system already has your priorities organized for the day ahead.
The difference maker: Weekly planning (20 minutes) and daily planning (5 minutes) systems. Looking at what needs to happen each week and setting realistic expectations for each day. I actually schedule less than I think I need each day, which gives me breathing room when things take longer than expected (or lets me finish early – bonus!).
Mid-Morning: Deep Work or Distraction?
Without Systems: Team check-in time means spending a full hour making new tutorial videos because your VA didn’t do tasks correctly. Then you’re staring at a blank document for your upcoming launch because you never documented what worked last time. Your Voxer keeps pinging with client questions only you can answer.
With Systems: You spend 30 minutes on team check-ins, reviewing work and approving next steps because your SOPs are clear. Launch prep consists of reviewing past metrics and optimizing your existing email templates – not starting from scratch. Your notifications are silenced during your focus block.
The difference makers:
- SOPs your team actually uses. Clear documentation and processes mean your team can work independently with minimal back-and-forth.
- Content management systems. Stop creating from scratch! Store and track what’s working so you can reuse and optimize.
- Boundary systems. Communicate office hours upfront in your client onboarding so they know when to expect responses.
Lunch Break: What’s That?
Without Systems: Lunch at your desk while frantically sending access to a new client who’s been waiting since yesterday. The emails you planned to write this morning still aren’t done.
With Systems: An actual break where you step away, watch some Netflix, maybe call a friend. Your business will still be there in 30 minutes.
The difference maker: Automated onboarding systems ensure clients get access immediately without your manual intervention. Plus, the radical act of turning off notifications on your phone!
Afternoon: New Clients, New Chaos?
Without Systems: A new client signs up! Great news, but now you need to drop everything to manually create contracts, search for email templates, and set up portal access – a 30+ minute process that derails your afternoon.
With Systems: New client signs up, you send them a payment link, and once they pay, they automatically receive their contract, welcome email, and portal access. You hop on Instagram to send a quick voice note saying how excited you are to work with them. Done.
The difference maker: Automated client onboarding that works whether someone signs up at 3pm or 3am.
Evening: When Does Work End?
Without Systems: Laptop open on the couch, half-watching a show while trying to finish “just a few last-minute things” that somehow stretch until midnight.
With Systems: Devices away because your project management system is updated with tomorrow’s priorities, and your automation workflows continue running in the background.
The difference makers: Updated project management systems that give you clarity on what’s happening tomorrow and when, so you can truly disconnect.
The Biggest Takeaway
You don’t need 20 complex systems to transform your workday. Just a few foundational ones:
- Project management systems with weekly planning rituals
- SOPs that allow your team to work independently
- Client communication boundaries established from day one
- Automated onboarding that works while you sleep
- Notification boundaries that protect your focus
Here’s the quick win I recommend implementing today: Turn off ALL business notifications on your phone. Slack, email, project management tools, social media – all of it. Check these platforms on your terms, not when they demand your attention.
Business is hard enough. We don’t need to make it harder with chaotic, reactive workflows when that’s a fixable problem.
Ready to Transform Your Day?
If you’re looking at your day and wondering where you’d get the biggest ROI on your time and peace of mind, my Systems to Scale Audit is the perfect place to start. We’ll go through your day, client onboarding, offers, and team to identify the sticky points and implement systems that give you back your time and energy.
Head over to my Instagram and DM me “scale” on Instagram or send me a voice memo about your challenges, and I’ll tell you if the audit is a good fit for you. My DMs are always open!
Here’s to systems that serve you, not the other way around.
Connect with Sam:
- Website: https://www.systemswithsam.com/services
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/systemswithsam/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwhiz/
