Hello my friend,
How are you doing?
I got this question from C and I thought to answer it here -
“How do you set systems in different areas of your life so that nothing crashes when you are not there or when you are focusing on another area of your life?”
This is a very good question.
Managing different commitments can be very tricky, but you have to create systems such that things can move on fine without you (as much as you can).
I will use myself as an example to answer this question, so it can be as practical as possible.
My name is Aramide Kayode. I actively run a free school that provides 12 years of high quality education to children in low-income communities (Talent Mine Academy). I am a successful wife to a successful man and a present mum to a blessed baby girl.
Every weekend, I send valuable newsletters but still show up in church to serve in the kid’s church. I consult for a few organizations, both locally & globally and I try to honour multiple speaking engagements depending on my schedule.
For now, these are all my commitments (as far as I can share)
At Talent Mine, I have a team that works full-time in managing daily operations/admin stuff to an extent. To effectively do this, I look out for committed & competent people whose personal mission align with that of the organization while hiring.
To ensure that I do not lose the excellence of my work, I set up Standard Operating Procedures and Process Flows that shows a detailed step-by-step way to get things done. This way, we are able to maintain that excellence in service delivery even when I am not around.
So, when I have to meet with a potential donor or organization or speak at a conference, my team members are effectively handling things. I delegate admin stuff + areas of weaknesses as much as possible, so I can focus on the organization strategy & my areas of strength within the organization.
At home, I outsource cleaning + house chores & engage the services of a nanny. A big plus on this is my supportive husband. So, when I have to be 100% at school, I have a huge support system at home that can provide excellent care to my baby.
Sometimes, the mistake is that we want to be 100% everywhere, but it’s impossible. I used to be a perfectionist - trying to do everything because I didn’t think anyone would do it like me. But I had to learn to outsource a lot when I had my baby.
I identify my priorities per time and season, focus on them brutally and outsource the in-betweens.
It’s juggling, not balancing. I cannot be everywhere at the same time but by empowering my team (both at home & at work), I am able to be 100% per time at any where. Does this make sense to you?
Last year, I was in the UK & Kenya for one month and the school improved even in my absence, because I have an empowered team.
When I had to show up at school almost everyday in November last year, my home was on running great because I had an empowered team (a help + my husband and sometimes, my mother in law, who is absolutely one of GOD’s gifts to me).
These support systems help me balance so much at a time.
The idea is to outsource as much mundane tasks as possible so you can buy time for the key priorities in your life.
Things that can help:
Get the right people on your team + empower them
Have SOPs for admin stuff & delegate to the right person without fear
Outsource menial/low level tasks (if you can). This will free up more time for you
Plan effectively. Know your priorities per time and brutally focus on them.
NO is a complete sentence. Learn how to say NO.
Ask GOD for wisdom on how you can effectively organise your life (James 1:5)
ps: This is my personal experience and what has worked for me. I am not perfect and I am still on a journey, but these have helped so far. Please do well to contextualise this write up to your schedule/commitments/nudges from GOD.
This is it. Is it helpful?
Let me know.
I’ll see you next Saturday. Till then, stay fabulous. With Love 💕, Aramide
Thanks for sharing 👏
This was helpful, I needed to read this now. Thank you so much for sharing.