Reflecting on When Systems Break and Trust Begins
Monthly Muster • Systems as Practice
Happy Middle of the First Month!!
When I conceived this sprint theme, I originally thought of writing a more traditional “year in review,” which just didn’t feel interesting or “on-brand,” as the kids say.1 But I also wanted to revisit the essay that started it all, as a way to explore what exactly changed in the past year. As I wrote, I discovered that my external system of processes, tools, and practices had come to function more as a Rorschach test of my own internal preoccupations than anything else. The journey of “fixing” a broken system mirrors the purpose-focused journey that I’ve been on for most of 2025.
Which is why, over the past month or so, we’ve been exploring what happens when we (and by “we,” I mean “me”) build productivity systems that exhaust rather than serve us—and what it looks like to practice systems that honor our actual design instead of trying to transcend it.
We started with a SloDo “The Systems We Keep,” raising our awareness around how we talk about our systems—the apologizing, the overselling, the comparing. What does your relationship with productivity reveal about how you view your limitations?
Next, we took a Deep Dive into “When Your Productivity System Breaks You.” I shared my system breakdown story, and the turning point that came when I realized I’d become a curator of other people’s ideas instead of generating my own insights. I was treating my limitations as technical problems to solve when the real challenge was adaptive—learning to trust how God designed me instead of engineering control.
We then shifted to doing something with what we learned by turning to Focal Things, and “Building a System That Fits a Human Life.” I shared the actual tools and rhythms I use now, but more importantly, I shared the questions that keep me honest and help distinguish between solving real problems versus avoiding uncomfortable work. We looked at three specific struggles—system cycling, tool overwhelm, and perfectionism—with concrete guidance for each. The through-line: building systems that work on your worst Wednesday, not just your best Monday.
We wrapped up with a Character Reference from “Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost and the Power of Destroying Your Notes.” We met Dr. P, who taught without notes and destroyed his sermon notes after preaching to avoid being drawn back to old insights and prevented from receiving new ones. His practice reflects profound trust in his capacity to engage with Scripture, his experience, and his relationships. In my own life, I realized that in hoarding highlights and perfecting workflows, I was keeping myself focused on who I was instead of who I’m becoming.
I hope you’ll check out anything that you missed, and that you find something inspiring, challenging, or otherwise worth incorporating into your days.
Use this worksheet to take notes!
Recommendation
I have two!
I came across this lovely post and found myself encouraged that what I’ve discovered for myself isn’t unique to me, but is something that others have, and do, work out in their own lives and systems. Check out Notes by Allie for gentle and human-scale systems ideas.
I loved this post by Notion and systems designer Marie Poulin, reflecting on the common principles that underpin every productivity theory (including mine!). Marie offers so many great insights about systems, theories, and tools, based on her years of personal reflection and professional experience. I especially appreciated this one:
It’s normal for tasks to linger on our list longer than they should.
It’s normal to skip doing a weekly review because we’re too tired.
It’s normal for things to feel messy, or information to feel chaotic.It doesn’t necessarily mean the system is broken; it just means you’re a human doing your best to stay organized in an increasingly complex landscape. Real systems are a little messy.
Given this month’s reflection, whew. Thank goodness someone else said it too.
And if you haven’t yet, you should check out my conversation with Marie on the People Watching podcast!
And finally…
It’s tacofredag!!
No tacos this month, but the next best thing: ham and Swiss cheese on King Hawaiian sweet rolls. Is there anything that doesn’t go with King Hawaiian rolls?
And if you’re curious about how to create sustainable systems in your purpose-focused life (or you just want to talk about simplifying your systems), book a Systems Therapy session! We’ll take a look at what’s broken, missing, or confused in your processes, tools, or practices, and then see how I can help.
Let’s be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.
Shalom,
