Personal and Business Systems move you Forward to your Goal
Recognize Internal Systems then Create Personal and/or Business Systems
I left teaching twice. The first time I went back, I was clueless why I failed replacing my salary. Now I know why I failed the first time I quit and I will share them with you in this series. Oh, I did many things right including:
establishing my own business before quitting
putting aside money to cover basic expenses for months
studying the business industry I was entering in
setting-up my home-office and buying all the equipment and software I needed while I still have a regular paycheck
Still, something went wrong. I did not recognize internal systems that lingered within me that hindered me from moving forward. Let me explain using my classroom experience.
I was a Special Education teacher. When I support students who attend regular classes, I did not stop at finding out WHAT my students should learn. I focused on HOW my students should learn complex subjects. Yes, I know that all teachers do this. However, SPED teachers are assigned to students with larger learning gaps. For example, I taught HS Statistics to students who barely multiply. I had to dig deeper into HOW they learn and align their lessons to grade level standards. How will this help you recognize your internal systems? You must recognize your need to choose or create your own working systems or HOW you work. Systems help you produce content that produce income. But first, look at the way you worked in different settings.
Internal Systems from Previous Employment
It took years for me to realize that I was unconsciously operating under my previous employment structure. At first, I rejoiced in my freedom to work when I want. No more alarm clocks to log-in on time! I can now choose to wake up later for I am my own boss! What I didn’t know was I had to replace that working system or not accomplish anything at all.
When I was teaching, I never go to the classroom unprepared. Even if I had to stay awake late, I will always make sure I have something prepared for my students. Some teachers may wing it, but I was at peace when I have all my materials ready. So why am I not as productive after quitting my job? Planners didn’t work. Self-initiated deadlines also didn’t. Maybe I need others so I joined attended many entrepreneur groups and joined a women’s group where we worked together (on our own projects) during zoom time. I also had an accountability partner. I read productivity books and followed gurus. Everything didn’t work. In the end, I looked at myself like a student lagging behind in business. I knew WHAT (content) I should do. I have no choice but to look at my work process or HOW I worked. I found out I didn’t create work systems to replace internal ones that I still had. Let’s zoom out.
Justin Welsh listed 5 Phases of Solopreneurship. The first one is all about survival and the second phase is to build systems. This was my missing piece. I had to create systems and be consistent. Welsh recommended that we, “think of systems as processes that you can follow to produce a predictable outcome.” Well, as teachers, we can think of it as HOW versus WHAT. Think of your classroom procedures and rules. They are your systems. Your lessons are your content or WHAT you teach. Now it is time to create your own systems for yourself.
How to Start Creating Your Work Systems
The first step is to recognize work mentalities that carried over from your previous employment. I realized I created lessons and original worksheets for specific students. I solved their learning problems. When I no longer have actual students, it was harder to create products. I also worked according to the school calendar and curriculum. I need to find ways to adapt or replace both.
Applying it to my Business
I create and sell educational products in popular marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. Selling is like planting crops; you will not harvest anything if you do not plant consistently. When I recognized how I worked before, I applied it to my own business. Instead of actual students, I had to teach myself how to find education-related problems I can solve. Then, I visualize how to teach them to students or test them with my son. Afterwards, I figured out what time and days I work best. I also delved deeper on separating tasks help me create and tasks help me maintain my work systems. In other words, I went back to looking at content versus systems to create my work process.
Apply to YOU - Your Own Understanding
How will all of these help you? For starters, it will help you save time. I wasted a couple of years and had to go back to the classroom because I did not create my own business systems. I do not want you to waste your time. However, I can only show you what worked for me. You have to decide what will work for you. I call it YOU or Your Own Understanding. I will just show you the general picture of creating business systems and how it worked for me. Next Sunday Systems posts will be about:
Figuring out what business to start before quitting your job
Separate Yourself from Your Business - includes how I established my own LLC with minimal costs