Do You Want To Be Effective? Build A System.
The subject of building systems in the context of one’s personal life has not been widely talked about. If you probably understand it, you are one of the very few who understands it and I am happy about it.
If you don’t know so much about it, not to worry, I am writing this piece for you.
The need for building systems in your life arises mainly because of your desire for BALANCE.
The need for balance is important because we all have multiple things calling for our time and attention and we don’t want to be ineffective at any one of them.
If you do not want to sabotage an outcome in any area of your life for another then it is important to build systems.
If you have issues with doing a lot of things effectively which might include missing deadlines, being pressured, being overwhelmed with all you have to do…this piece is for you!
What is a System?
I convened a meetup that addressed the subject of building systems a couple of months ago and in the process of publicity, a friend reached out to me and requested that I shed more light on the meaning of a system.
He assumed I was talking about something that had to do with software and computer systems. I don’t want anybody reading this article to see it that way so I will define what a system is in the context of one’s personal life.
A System is a set of repeatable activities, put in place to produce an expected or desired outcome.
A System is a structure intentionally created to accomplish a clear goal.
5 Things Building Systems Will Do For You
I will like to further explain the subject of building systems by using Henry Ford’s Assembly Line.
On December 1st, 1913, Henry Ford installed the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. His drive and passion led him to the innovation of the assembly line.
His passion was to build motor cars for a great multitude, in his words “When I’m through, everybody will have one”. His innovation reduced the time it took to build an automobile from more than 11 hours to 2hrs 30minutes, which is incredible and also reduced the prices drastically, making it relatively affordable. Producing just one car for 11 hours must have been a herculean task.
We can take a cue from the assembly line as a structure that Henry Ford put in place to produce outcomes or crush his goal with a little effort compared to the former mode of production.
Below are 5 things a life system can do for you:
It Makes Your Life Easier
Building life systems helps you reduce the stress of having to think of execution repeatedly. The time used to think and plan execution over and over again can be channelled into something of more value.
When production takes place in a manufacturing company, they don’t think of how to create a replica of the next product because there is a system in place to ensure mass production.
In the same vein, building systems will save you the stress of planning execution time and time again.
It will help You Crush Your Goals
So many of us have goals we are working so hard to crush. Some people find it hard to stay through the process to crush their goals. As much as being disciplined is important, the subject of building life systems might be the only hack you need to crush your goal.
Let’s take a practical example of a person who wants to read a book of 700 pages, if the person wants to read it in 100 days which is roughly 3 months, the person might have to commit to reading 7 pages every day for the next 3 months.
The example above is a typical system, yes, it is as simple as that.
It will help You Think Deeply And Create
The process of building life systems requires that you see things from a broader perspective. To do this, it allows you to use your mind to process thoughts, possibilities, scenarios and come up with a strategy, structure and system that can work for you.
Building a life system is custom made, there is no one size fit for all for everybody. You have to carefully think through what works for you.
If you want to create a system around exercising to lose weight, you have to consider your realities at the moment e.g You could be a nursing mother, you could be running shift jobs, you could be in traffic daily for 4hrs, whatever the case may be, you have to think deeply and create a system that works for you or else it won’t work.
It will help you cultivate a productive Habit
There is a popular and commonly accepted opinion that you can build a habit around something you consistently do for 90 days. In the same vein when you repeat an activity over and over again, it could help you form the desired habit.
It will help your Consistency
One of the major problems people have when it comes to accomplishing a goal or finishing whatever it is that they started is the problem of consistency.
Building a system will help you put all the structure you need in place to finish whatever it is that you have started or committed to.
In conclusion, the subject of building systems is lightweight yet has a huge impact on our outcomes. I trust you have found these points very helpful, It has worked for me and I strongly believe that it can work for you.
I’m rooting for you, you can live a life of balance.
