Welcome everyone to this week's episode where we are going to be talking about how to adopt a system focused approach to life. What does that mean to have a systems focused approach to life We're going to be talking about how to lay the groundwork how to build the foundation, how to form habits, which are the building blocks of every system. And lastly, we're going to touch on the human element of all systems, which is communication. Because no system can exist in isolation. Everything is about communication. Welcome to Upskill Talks, I'm your host, Michelle Shaw, lead Upskill at Upskill Community. Upskill Talks is a podcast for leaders, leaders who are actively seeking innovative and creative ways to interact. Lead themselves and others in every episode through real life stories and enlightening conversations, we will explore the challenges and opportunities real leaders face in today's everchanging workplace. We will present you with real strategies. For you to leverage your soft skills and produce transformative results. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Let us begin. A really good way to jump right into this conversation is to figure out what do we mean when we're talking about a system? And I know different people may have different ideas about what a system is or what does a system mean for you? And I want to invite your definitions before we go further. What is a system? I can go first with my definition. A system to me is just a standardized way of doing things. Just like guidelines or rules that you follow. Maybe that's a start. Well, I like that definition. When it was first posed, I was like, Oh, that's kind of tricky. It feels kind of like a vague thing. But yeah, I agree with what you said, Flora. And maybe like an organizational structure. But I think it is still related to doing things, like process focused. You see, it's tricky. Sometimes we are talking about these concepts and sometimes we never really pause to think about what exactly does this mean or can we actually define this. And a system is defined in many ways. But there are some core things that no matter what the definition is, it comes back to this piece that a system is looking at interrelated components that bring us to a whole. So there's unity system really means tying together all different pieces to become one, like all of the systems in our body and the parts of like the circulatory system. Those are ways that we can think about systems, but we can think about. In an organization, we can think about different divisions coming together to form the whole, that's a way of systems thinking. Another thing that is useful to remember about systems as we jump into this definition is that systems are designed to produce particular outcomes. And so if you use the same system over and over, you're supposed to get the same outcome over and over. Or. At least very close to the same outcome over and over. And so those are two, two things that we need to be mindful of when we jump into this. And as I said, there's a whole body of work and research and a lot of people who specialize in systems thinking do a lot of work, a lot of this comes out of the work of denim. And so there is a, this is a big body of work. What we're looking at tonight is not getting this. accurate in terms of the academic nature of this, but more talking about this in terms of how we are applying systems to our own lives, taking pieces, linking things that are related. Into one whole and designing processes that bring us particular outcomes that we desire and that we design. So that's what we're going to be talking about. And I'm going to hand over for us to think about systems that we already have in our lives that work well. I can start by sharing one system that has helped me in my life and it's actually not related to my work or productivity, but I found that it is the base foundation to a productive day, which is just eating an apple every morning because I found that when I have a good breakfast, it That leaves me feeling good and able to do my work. So that is one system that is food related in my life, but it bleeds into everything else. And yeah, I encourage you, or I'll ask this question right now is what is a system that you've adopted in your life that has helped you just in ways that maybe you can't even quantify right off the bat. Like maybe it's eating an apple in the morning, but you kind of take it for granted that how it helps you. Yeah, I think I have one example of that, um, of like a very simple kind of system that I think has impacts for other parts of my life. So around like bedtime when it's getting late, I have some like automatic bulbs set up in my light fixtures to Kind of dim the light a little bit, become a little bit warmer temperature and past a certain time, I try and like reduce the screen time and read a book instead. And that's kind of like my system for winding down for bed. Cause I know it's not good to get a lot of screen time and bright lights right before. And that system kind of helps me get a better sleep, which then has impacts, you know, throughout a whole bunch of things for the rest of my life. That's excellent. So you're hearing. About systems that we're applying in our personal lives, very small things in our lives that make us live healthier. And so think about the systems in your personal lives. Before we jump into other systems, but we're coming to the systems in the workplace in a minute, but let's stay with the systems, the simple systems in our personal lives for now. Let me hear some more. Who else has a great system? Um, I have a great system. Like every morning I wake up, I would drink two glasses of water. They keep me hydrated throughout the whole day and keep me basically, I'm not sure if I'd say energized, but it would. Keep me in that way and it's healthy too. So, yeah. Yeah. Drinking two glasses of water every morning you wake up. That's a great system, something we can borrow. Many of us could use that system. Form habits and happen automatically. And that is how, you know, and produces the same result. The lights begin to dim, the lights go down, you wind down, you get into your bed, you wake up, you grab your water, you drink two bottles of water, two glasses of water, you're automatically hydrated. You get up and you eat your apple every morning. This is how we develop these systems that are healthy. Through these small habits, but it becomes systematized over time. You don't even remember that you're doing it, but it's producing the results that you want. I just want to add something about systems because here at Upskill, we're about, um, skill development, right? So I think it's interesting to think of. systematizing your life as a skill because it's almost like a mindset or it's a learned thing to be able to see a problem or see chaos or be able to like standardize and routinize it's it's a mindset that if you go through life and you are able to systematize things it can make your life a lot easier or it can make you more productive or whatever it is but it's something that I want to say that it can be learned. Absolutely. Absolutely. And when we think about thinking in systems, you open up your mind to so many different possibilities. Now that we're talking about systems, you're probably thinking, what systems do I have? my morning system includes a cup of coffee. My husband and I make a cup of coffee and we start our day with coffee. That's my, that's my morning system. Another system that's linked to that is that I began maybe about eight years ago to bring. A bottle of water or a cup of water or something, water to my bedside every night and when I wake up, it's right by my bedside. So you're almost putting it right there. It just sort of happens automatically over time. So let's think about systems, these are systems that are positive and we're talking about these are in our personal lives are beneficial for our health and well being. How about systems even in our personal lives that do not help us at all? What are those systems that we have that are not helpful? I have one and it kind of comes to also your environment is also a big part of your system is that the snack pantry that is at eye level that is the most accessible that system when it's filled with Oreos and Twinkies, um, that is a system that I have struggled with in the past. And it also, um, the other point I wanted to add was that your systems, they should be rooted in your values. So if. I value my health. Maybe that's not a good system to have. Um, Michelle, I, I don't mean to put you on the spot, but I think there is a great example of a great system that Michelle has adopted, which is that she decided to prioritize her health. That is her value. So anything that you do in life, you should put your values first. And she has a system now of going to the gym in the morning. First thing. And that's her system because her health is a big value to her. So you want to do that first and design it in that way. Um, so be like Michelle, don't be like me with my Twinkie shelf right in front of my face. Yes. And, and, and by the way, just because I want to make sure that when, when, uh, when people listen to us, that they get the whole picture that, um, Four weeks, five weeks is this is now five weeks of this. New habit, new system that Flora is talking about. So it's a brand new system and it's the first in my life that I have made this commitment to the system. So I have shared it with Flora and Lucas that they're holding me accountable to do this three days a week. And so now it's out in the open. I thought Flora has really put me out on the spot. Now I'm really going to have to do it. The whole room, everyone can hold me accountable. This is really a tough spot, Flora. This is the first time in my life and now I will be accountable to all of you. Okay. Three days a week. That's what it is. That's what it is. Okay. But that, that part of that system now I shared that and now, um, it is, you, you think you have no time. You say you have no time. You're waiting for someone to do it with you. You're waiting for the right time to do it. And then you just decide as Flora says, it is your value. Get up and, and, um, and go to it. and perhaps to, to say that the opposite, um, where we talk about these systems that don't work for us is, is. choosing to binge watch a show in the evenings that is a system that doesn't really take you where you want to go all the time. It's something to do from time to time. And so splitting it where you have three days where you work out and three days where you do the other stuff, it means you can balance and have. Both of the things you can still hang out with family afterwards, but you still make some days where you start earlier and cut out the evening activities. So it's about creating and designing your life is really what it's all about on the personal front. It's totally about lifestyle design, and that kind of brings us to the second part of this, which is systems versus goals, because we can all set goals for our life, right? Like, the new year is coming up, we do New Year's resolutions, and that's also life design. But I want to ask you guys, and maybe think about what is the difference between having a system for your life and goals for your life? I'm I, the question you've asked, um, Flora reminds me of James Claire's book, Atomic Habits. Is he talks a lot in his book about the fact that it is it's designing the environment is setting up yourself for success is really what his. Ideas relate to is more focusing on process rather than the performance and in goal setting terminology, if you control the inputs and the process, there's only one place that it can take you to. And I think that's really what you're saying here is like taking a step back from the goal. For instance, the goal of, I want to lose weight, or I want to do that instead to a process. And we refer to them as process goals, a process, a system of three days a week in the gym, because that will take you somewhere. Um, and listen, I always have to say, because no two people are created equally. For some people, the specific goal as a target is really important. And for some people, it's the process that's important. So this conversation does not mean you need to do things one way or the other. It's just to be aware that there are different ways of doing it and picking the way that works for you. Yeah, I would agree with what you said about the difference between goals and systems. I would probably just put it in a different way, but it means the same thing. Like the goal is what you want and the system is just how you get there. I think what trips some people up though is They just think about what they want, and they don't really put much energy into how to get there. And if you have a very strong goal, yet your system, you know, you've put like two minutes of thought into it, of course you're not going to reach your goal, or at least you're not going to get there nearly as quickly as you could have if you thought about your system a little bit more. But I think, at least for myself, it always feels better to think about the goal, because you're kind of getting that like, good feeling of already being there almost by imagining it. Whereas when you think about the system, it feels sometimes a little boring, or at least that's what some people might, you know, that might be their mindset. And so maybe they just never bothered to set up a proper system and they're just busy dreaming of the goal, hoping one day they might just reach their goal somehow without a proper system. That's a great, great, um, great, great point as well. Sometimes it's easier to set the goal than to design the process. You know, it's easier to say, I want to save, uh, 10, 000 by the end of the year. Um, much more difficult to go, okay, how much do I need to save per month? Then what processes do I have to go through? What do I have to reduce? What it takes work, it takes effort. It takes some thinking to put the process in place. It's much easier to say, I'm going to save 10, 000 and for some people. When they say that they've figured out the system in their heads and they just haven't put it down, but for some people, they truly have no clue how they will, what the steps are to get to that goal. So, would a system be that something you do in your everyday life and a goal is something that you want to achieve through your system? Is, is that what we're trying to say here? I think so. I, I think that's pretty much what it is. The one thing I would say is maybe the system isn't even something you do every day. Like maybe it's like once a week I'm going to do this, but it's maybe just some, it's like the steps. That you take to get to the goal. Um, yeah, like something that Michelle has taught me is doing things bite sized. So it's like starting where you're at and it's almost like stairs. You know, if you can think of maybe your goal as like a set of stairs that you have to climb, you can't climb the whole set of stairs in one step. You got to walk, climb each stair one step at a time. So in my head, that's what the system is. Even if it's not every day, you know, it's like one at a time, at a time, at a time. And okay, that brings us to the third part of this conversation, and the last part, which is the human element of the system, which is social and communicative, because systems can't exist just By yourself. So maybe you have a personal goal. Maybe you're going to do something. But humans, we are social creatures. We thrive when we're working with other people. So whatever system that you do design, I've learned this personally and I can share stories for days about how systems I've designed. They always, almost always work better with other people. So whether you have an accountability partner or you've communicated your goal or whatever system you're implementing. In my personal life, with a new kitchen system that I was setting up with my family. Because, um, I, I love my parents, bless them, but the kitchen sometimes can get very chaotic and messy raising kids. So I decided that I wanted to revamp the kitchen system and make it easier to use so I could start cooking too. Um, but I quickly realized that this was a public area. This was a space that many people used. So I couldn't design the system just for myself. I needed to communicate any changes that I made with my mom, with my dad, because I wasn't the only one. And if I communicate, they have better parts of their system that they could teach me too. So yeah, communication is really important. That is one example of one system that in my personal life, I realized that communication and just involving other people has helped me a lot. Think something that you mentioned Flora was just kind of interesting to consider about how You were designing your system, but it kind of ran into your family system, right? And I think no system exists in isolation. So we always have to think about how our system integrates with other people's systems and their systems within systems. So it's never a single isolated thing. Maybe. So, you know, first you just want to focus on your own system. Once you're comfortable with that, then you can start to consider how it's actually interacting with other people's systems. And I'm really glad you touched on that because, um, the nature of systems is the interrelatedness of the different parts of the environment, the people connected to it. And so what you've Blacked up there is that you were trying to create sort of a closed system, just you. But it's, um, it, that system sits within an environment that other people need access to, and it impacts other people and other people have connections to it. And so, yes, communication is a really important piece of systems. And the communication is not always verbal communication. It may be whether it's. You know, whether you're putting sticky notes on the kitchen covers to say pots and pans go here. Um, it, it can be, however, that communication happens, but communication is important to the system. The, the piece that I think comes out is the notion. From your example, Flora, is this is a sense that you have centered yourself in the middle of the system and, um, place the importance of the whole system on you rather than recognizing the, the role that the kitchen plays in the house as a center of the house as you. Put it as a public space, as a piece that's central to the well being of everyone else in the house, and um, not just a place for you to have how you want it. And this, this is really important because this is happening in your household, and this is a personal thing, but this happens also when we step into the Workplace. And so homes need systems. There are many systems in our homes that mirror some of the systems that are more sophisticated within the workplace. Systems like the shopping list, writing down what you need. And that's really a system and inventory management system. And you would be surprised to know that there are some households where there is that system does not exist. And so it's really important for us to be thinking about what are the challenges we're having in our personal lives and in our homes. And what systems could we create? What systems could we design to help us to develop better habits to produce the results that we want? To reduce chaos in our lives and to limit. The amount of our time that's used and reused on the same things. That's the value of system repeatable, producing the same results over and over again. And that's one way that we use the word system. And that's not the only way we're going to continue this conversation, looking at. How systems are essential in the organization. Thank you for listening to this episode of Upskill Talks. We bring you new episodes every Monday. Please take a moment to subscribe. Leave a five star rating and a written review at Apple Podcast or follow us on Spotify, Google podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Don't forget to share Upskill talks with other leaders like yourself, so they too may gain the skills and insights to produce amazing results. Please go to upskill community.com to review show notes, and learn how you can join a community of leaders from across the globe. Collaborating to lead in a more meaningful and impactful way. I'm your host, Michelle Shaw, and again, thank you for joining me on this episode of Upscale Talks.