You have contracts, templates, workflows, and ways of doing things. But somehow your business still requires more mental effort than it used to.

If you’re wondering if you’re the only one whose business feels harder to run than it should, first off, you’re not alone. And that’s why we’re breaking down common reasons that your business feels harder to run than it should.

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Why things feel harder

One common reason is that your business has grown, but the way you manage it still reflects an earlier version of your business.

The systems were designed when you had fewer clients, fewer offers, fewer decisions, and fewer moving pieces. The systems that helped you build your business are actually probably what’s now creating friction, because it’s not about more discipline, better organization, or another productivity tool.

So how do you know you’ve outgrown a current system? 

How to know when you’ve outgrown your systems

The first sign is that you’re personally holding the system in your head. 

A common way you figure out this is happening is you’re trying to explain a process to a new team member and realizing that the documentation doesn’t match up with what you’re actually doing.

Or you pull up an email template and rewrite it for the fifth time because that’s not what you say anymore.

For me, I know that if I’m trusting my memory rather than my system, it’s because I no longer trust my system, which means I’m carrying more mentally than necessary, and I need to update my system so I can trust it again.

A recent example in my business was a client onboarding process for a project I only do a few times a year. When it came up this time, the onboarding process was spread across multiple places. And while I had a checklist in the system, it was an older version that I didn’t like, so I had to find the version I used last time.

I had to piece it all together, even though I remember thinking the last time I did this project that everything was scattered. Not having an up-to-date process for this kind of project was fine when my business was newer, but these days I need to trust my systems so nothing falls through the cracks.

So this time, I took the time to capture the system in a way I could trust the next time one of these projects comes up, rather than relying on my memory and spending valuable time gathering all of the right pieces.

When you have a team, the problem of you being in the center of making the system work only multiplies. You’ll have a team member who follows the documented process but still comes back with questions.

This can happen for many reasons. Maybe the system hasn’t kept up with current processes. But more commonly, this happens because the system captures the steps, but not the decisions. These are things like when to give grace and when to hold the line, or how to handle certain kinds of client requests.

So your team has to come to you for your judgment. Regardless of whether you’re running your business solo or with a team, the same problem exists. Too much important information lives inside your head.

Why systems become outdated

Systems usually become outdated because your business changes. You might not notice it because the old process technically still works, but technically works and supports you are not the same thing.

It’s not that the original system is wrong; it was just designed for a different season of your business. 

So how do you start spotting these things?

You start spotting them by thinking about where moments of friction are happening.

Any time I have repeated questions, it’s a signal that friction exists. The questions are actually a blessing because they’re data that helps me identify where the underlying friction is happening.

If you’re running your business solo, you can jot down each time you rely on your memory and not your systems. 

If you have a team, jot down where team members are coming to you for the answers rather than relying on the documentation.

Either way, what you note is data on where things aren’t captured clearly. If it’s an edge case, then leave it out of your documentation. But if it’s a common thing that comes up, then it’s data that your memory has become the bottleneck of this system, and it might be time to update so that you and your team can trust the system rather than relying on your memory.

Start small with one system

The solution is not to revamp everything, but to solve the biggest friction point one at a time. 

For example, if you: 

• keep postponing a task because it feels complicated or you don’t know where to start,
• feel a moment of frustration of, “I thought I already answered this” when you are asked a question for the dozenth time
• have something in your business you know there has to be a better way to do

These are data points that highlight where friction exists. Your goal is never perfection, because that doesn’t exist, but making improvements that compound to create a business that feels easier over time.

Old systems weren’t a waste of time

I want to remind you that your existing systems aren’t sunk costs. They helped you build a successful creative business. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep them etched in stone. Your business has evolved, and your systems need to as well.

Having systems you trust and don’t require your memory will make it so that your systems don’t become another job for you to manage. Instead, they’ll quietly support your business.

Because the reality is that the best systems don’t replace your expertise; they protect it. 

I challenge you to spend a few minutes thinking about one area of your business where you trust your memory more than your systems, because that’s likely the best place to start making tweaks. 

Next, we’re going to continue this theme of rebuilding trust in your systems by discussing why your brain has become the backup plan in the first place.