Systems, organization, programs and checklists have always been my thing. My entire corporate career (who am I kidding? my entire LIFE) was built in and around systems and checklists. I loved the orderliness of it all; the sense of grand accomplishment at checking off my boxes as I tracked my way to another completed report, sale, achievement, or goal.
Until I hit my wall.
That wall of frustration and overwhelm and exhaustion that felt like all I was doing was living for my lists, yet never quite satisfied with me. There in the middle of it all.
Systems can be wonderful inasmuch as they are implemented and used to support us: the person using the system or part of the bigger program. The tricky part comes when we get lost in the system.
Because the minute I’m serving a system instead of a system serving me, then that is the very minute to shut it down.
At the very least, it’s a red flag to reevaluate the role of the program or guiding principle. Is there a reset button you can employ? What if you look at things from a different angle? Is there another function for that program?
I’ve shut down more than one system in my life and I’ve revamped others based on a current need. There will be more reworks in my future, as my world evolves.
Remember, there will never be a system, program or process more important than you.
Is there a system waving its red flag at you?
