The Incredible Power Of Filters When Tempted With Systems FOMO

I’m obsessed with looking under the hood of other people’s systems.

No matter how good my system is, how happy I am with it, or how well it is running I’ll always jump at the chance to see how somebody else is doing something. This used to lead me into spending days re-arranging my whole system or switching tools.

It’s easy to slip into the mindset that if you had that system or process you would be just as organised, prolific, successful [insert outcome here] as that person . But take it from me, that is rarely the case.

Instead, we squeeze ourselves into someone else’s way of working and we become miserable or worse yet… give up.

So how do you stop yourself from reworking your system every weekend? You ruthlessly apply filters to any new system you let in. These are some of mine:

• Is this a pain point for me? It’s easy to think everything shiny is goo. But i ask myself whether this will solve a real problem that I have actually experienced. If not, I pass.
• Does this remove friction? Removing friction is one of my highest values, so anything that might remove a little friction gets in, otherwise… hard pass.
• Does this suit my working style? Simply, you don’t have to fit into anyone else’s way of working. If it won’t work for you… say no.
• If I’m really not sure about it, I’ll test it out for a week or a month. If I find myself just not using the technique or tool, I’m not afraid to scrap it.

Get clear on your system, try things out and then create filters so you’re not constantly starting again every week with a new system.