What I learned about systems while jet-lagged in Paris
On Monday, I woke up at 11 AM.
Not because I decided to sleep in. We were in Paris on our way to Lagos, in a few days, and still adjusting to the time zone change. The room was dark. All curtains pulled together. My mind was trying to stay consistent but my body pulled me back down towards the bed thinking it was still 3 AM.
This is the unsexy part of solopreneur remote work.
The relentless self-motivation.
The early morning drag and cloudy eyes.
A stumped toe on unfamiliar hotel furniture when traveling.
I eventually shuffled through the darkness to the bathroom, rinsed my face off, drank some water, took a few intentional deep breaths, then sat crossed legged on the small off-white leather couch next to the hotel fridge.
My body, again, reminded me: “dude, let’s go back to bed. We went to bed at 5 AM. Aren’t we on holiday. Chill out bro.”
“Hmmm, perhaps I should chill.” I thought.
Then my entrepreneurial brain said: “Chill? OK. I guess. But If you don’t do the work, who’s going to do it for you?”
“OK. Let me start with my meditation.” I did a 20-minute meditation. Then I wrote in my journal for a few minutes.
I looked at my task list and thought to myself, just follow the process, and opened up my laptop. Then I begun. I had a few DMs to send. A few emails to respond to. Drafted my newsletter. I put my head up and it was almost 1 PM.
It was a reminder that systems are not just there to facilitate growth. They are there as an insurance against resistance.
“Just breathe and follow the process” – That nonsense the gurus preach
This last week has been a struggle.
To be honest with you, I know I published a newsletter last week but if you asked me exactly what the topic was about, I would hardly remember.
Between traveling. Family priorities. Catching some type of cold, then fending it off, then pushing through a brief fever to make a family event, while trying to be present and pleasant. Life can easily pull you in multiple directions. This is normal.
One thing that suffers as a solo founder is your business. There’s no one there to keep you accountable. Even the people around you have an illusion that your business runs on autopilot. So while you keep juggling the balls during a trip, making sure you have dinner, visit family, make time available, no one is asking: “So how are you keeping your business running?”
Your availability.
Your ease.
People on the outside see it as a given while you run a business. The reality is that when things get tough I just fall to my systems.
You might have heard this before, preached by some guru or the other:
“You need a system to grow”
“You can’t build anything without a system”
“System this, system that.”
This is all true but what they don’t talk about is how systems are not just about growth, they are an insurance card for consistency for when the going gets tough.
That’s where I found myself this week.
In survival mode.
Straddling the line between “you need to keep going” and “this is your opportunity to take a break.”
When I have these thoughts I know I’m barely making it and what I really need is intentional rest. But when you’re fighting jet lag and swift changes of environment, and your business needs to keep going – then all you can do is take a deep breath, look at your system, and do the one task.
I saw the same thing with a well-known founder I worked with.
Millions read his newsletter. When he got busy, traveling for conferences and keynote speeches, he’d send voice notes, quick draft updates, edit ideas. All because there was a writing and review system set up with his team.
They published every week, same day, same time.
This brings me to the point of sustainable systems, they only work when they are easy to start.
Easy entry points matter more than perfect systems.
A ridiculously easy entry point is all you need.
Here’s what I’m experimenting with: systems with entry points so easy they feel almost silly.
For instance, here is my content assembly system for my newsletter:
Mon: Choose a topic.
Tue: Plan & Structure.
Wed: Draft.
Thur: Edit.
Fri: Publish.
Sat: Rest.
Sun: Repurpose.
I choose a topic on Monday, and this is key. It takes me only 3 minutes of thinking or going through my notes.
Here’s the interesting part, it’s the easiest thing to do but the most important because without that foundational choice, everything breaks down.
Once I’ve done this, I have made a commitment to the process. The funny thing is your mind and body starts conspiring to help you close the loop of your system. After the choice, my mind starts ruminating on the idea, spotting opportunities all around.
What is the easiest entry point for a system around a goal you want to achieve? If you want to write a book, perhaps start by choosing a name or topic. Then move on to possible chapter ideas. Then with each chapter, choose a central idea. On the next day, write about that one idea for 30 minutes. Move on to the next.
I’ve been experimenting to see whether this holds up while I travel.
I look at the task list that I created the night before. When I see a task, I just remind myself, you just have to start with 15 minutes. And without any interruption, I end up completing the task even if it takes a full hour.
The main practice here is to look at your task and do something that might seem counterintuitive. When you look at the first task in your system, ask this question: “How can I make this easy?”
You’d be surprised how your brain will conspire to make it happen for you.
Most times, it just starts with sitting down to begin.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t have any systems, you will be swayed by the chaos of the world where resistance flourishes. However, it is hard to stick to a system unless you have an easy entry point.
Build systems that are stupidly-easy to start.
Keep practicing.
Yours truly,
Nifemi.
P.S. What’s your easiest entry point into a system you’re building?
Hit reply or comment below, always curious what fellow practitioners are experimenting with.
