Let me tell you something I wish someone had said to me sooner:
It’s not that you’re disorganized — it’s that your brain wasn’t built for most of the systems you’ve been handed.
I spent years trying to “get my act together” with planners I never opened, to-do lists I lost under piles of papers, and apps that only made me feel worse when I didn’t stick to them perfectly.
Sound familiar?
If you’ve ever thought,
“I know what to do, I just can’t seem to do it,”
You are so, so not alone.
Let’s talk about what it means to build workflow systems that actually work with your brain — not against it.
First: you’re not broken.
There’s nothing wrong with the way your brain works.
If traditional productivity methods haven’t worked for you, it’s not because you’re lazy, inconsistent, or lacking willpower. It’s likely because those methods were designed for linear, neurotypical brains — not creative, multi-layered, pattern-leaping ones like yours.
Let’s stop trying to cram ourselves into those systems and start designing ones that actually fit.
Step one: Ditch the shame.
Seriously. All of it.
The planner you bought and forgot about?
The digital tools you set up and never opened again?
The notebook full of “new systems” you swore would change everything?
It’s okay. You weren’t doing it wrong — you were experimenting.
Now we get to do it differently.
Step two: Pay attention to how you work best.
Ask yourself:
When do I feel most focused or energized during the day?
Do I prefer visual reminders or auditory ones?
Do I need everything in one place or do I like separation by category?
Am I more likely to follow through on a task if I break it into micro-steps?
For me, visual cues are everything. If something disappears into a digital folder, it might as well not exist. I need color-coded dashboards, visible to-dos, and sometimes — yes — sticky notes taped to my screen. That’s not clutter. That’s function.
Step three: Build systems around your real energy, not your ideal energy.
We all have that version of ourselves we imagine: the person who wakes up early, drinks water, checks their task list, and finishes everything by 3pm. Lovely idea.
But the truth?
Some days I’m productive in bursts. Some days I need long breaks. Some days I barely function.
And instead of fighting that, I’ve learned to build systems with flex.
That means:
Planning for less than I think I can handle
Using templates and repeatable workflows to reduce decision fatigue
Automating low-energy tasks (or outsourcing them) so I don’t waste spoons
It’s not “lazy” — it’s strategic.
Step four: Let your systems evolve.
This part is key.
What works for you now might not work in six months. And that’s not a failure — that’s information.
Your systems can be living, breathing things that grow with you.
I used to need hour-by-hour plans. Now, I use blocks. And when my executive dysfunction flares up, I switch to visual weekly boards so I don’t drown in details.
No shame. No rigidity. Just compassionate adjustment.
You don’t need to hustle your way into clarity.
You need systems that honor how your brain naturally functions.
You need tools that feel like support, not pressure.
Workflows that help you breathe, not brace.
A way of running your business that makes space for being human.
And you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
This is literally what I help people do — co-create systems that support you, even on low-energy days. Especially then.
Because clarity isn’t a productivity hack. It’s a form of care.
