Differently

Systems that Steady (Part 1)

• Carla Reeves

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Last week, I shared some of the systems that help my life + biz work.

This episode is a continuation of that conversation.

This is less about becoming more efficient and more abou noticing what truly sustains you and thinking about your systems differently.

Enjoy!

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SPEAKER_00:

A deep change in the way that we live requires a deep change in the way that we think. I'm Carla Reeves, and this is differently. What if the most powerful systems for your life and business are not efficient at all? I know it kind of messes with the brain because the story most of us have been living in sounds more like work harder, be more efficient, stay ahead, get it all done, and then we get to relax. So let me ask you, friend, how's that going? I have a strong sense, and I have for a while, with the world changing faster than it ever has, that we need to be more grounded than ever to lead ourselves, our children, our families, our business, etc. And systems and routines help us to do this. It provides a structure that we can increase the likelihood of our own thriving inside of. And I've been thinking a lot about systems, and I heard someone mention on a call the other day how helpful it is to hear about what systems other people are using. And I thought, yeah, that makes sense. I want to do an episode about that. A lot of times we're talking about things that are so deep. So this will be a little more light of an episode. As I started to sit down and organize my thoughts for this episode, I actually realized it kind of surprised me because I intended to talk about the systems I use in my business, like tools and apps and things like that. But when I sat down to actually think about what I wanted to share with you, the systems that are most instrumental in my life right now aren't the ones that we usually talk about. They're running underneath the surface. And those are the ones I want to share with you. And I'm going to share the business tools and apps and things that are my favorites right now, too. But that's going to become in our that's going to come in part two of this episode. So this will be a two episodes, one today and one next week. Some of these systems have to do with how I manage my mind and lead my life. And some are the add-ons that have to do with movement or well-being or actual business systems. As I share what I'm doing, this is an opportunity, I hope, for you to just kind of listen into your own life and business and what's working for you and maybe give you some ideas of things you hadn't even ever thought of. I mean, honestly, just thinking about this made me realize and acknowledge some things that are happening in my life that I don't even think about or feel grateful for. And it gave me a lot of gratitude for that. So I hope that gives you a peek into your own life and maybe there's something you want to add or even remove this year. So the first kind of system I want to talk about are daily systems. And these are really the rhythms underneath my day. They're not complicated, but they're they live quietly underneath the surface and have a huge impact as I started to unpack this. And when I skip these rhythms, everything in the day seems a little clunkier, a little more disjointed, and I'm definitely not as grounded and focused. But when I touch these priorities early in the day, I find over and over again there's more clarity and more flow and more focus to my day. And I've seen this not only in my own life, but in my clients' lives, that where when they're in their own healthy habits or rhythms, they just feel better, they show up better, they um have better results. And when they fall outside of it, life just feels a little clunkier and a little heavier. First rhythm I want to talk about is how I start my day. So you might call it morning routine. And for a long time, I thought a good morning routine had to be perfect and full of all the right things and all of that nonsense that kept me from even doing it for a very long time. Really, it's just a rhythm of how you start your day. So I want you to start to think about how do you start your day? And again, with blameless discernment, because you may start your day by literally picking up your phone, which is what I hear from a lot of my clients. So years and years ago, I decided to change the way I started my day because at that time in my life, I said I was focused on God. I said I wanted to build a really healthy marriage, a really healthy marriage. And when I tracked my time, those things were getting the very breadcrumbs of my time. And I decided to reorient my day and put God first and then my marriage second, and then everything else after that. And that was a game changer, friends. Um, and it's not a huge amount of time. It literally can be five or 10 minutes on days that are just full. On other days, I like to spend 30 minutes up to like an hour and a half or two starting my day. And again, this is something that I started so small when my kids were babies because there wasn't a lot of time. Um, started with like waking up 15 minutes early, and this has grown and grown in my life. So, this is something that you want to match to the season of life that you're in and with what you're up to. So, what this looks like for me is I start my day, I get out my journal, I get out my Bible, I read, I pray, I write. Um, and that just helps me get centered. Um, it helps me remember what's important. It helps me kind of organize and sort and calm any thoughts that are in my head and really think about like what is today about and how do I want to show up? That is a super grounding thing. The next thing I do, and this isn't in any particular order, like it might change by day depending on what we have going on. But the second thing is my marriage. So we spend time in the morning hugging, embracing, and praying together and just holding each other, to be honest. And this has been such a game changer in my business. It's so counterculture to what we're taught. I never realized until 25 years into my marriage how important my marriage connection and the support there and the strength of that impacts how I feel and operate and the results I get in my business. The other thing that we do in our marriage is just kind of check in a lot. We are committed to a lot of communication. So we are always kind of, we call it like sweeping the dirt, like anything that any little things that start to show up or fester or we get annoyed, like we talk through it as quickly as we can so that we can move on into the flow of our relationship. And we check in regularly, like during the day. Every day is a little bit different, but we just check in like how's your day? What do you need? Is there any support you need that I can give you? So we're like a team together in and both committed to each other thriving so that we can thrive together in our marriage, which ripples to our kids, even though they're not in our home, because we can have a steady, calm, strong place for them to land when they need to. Okay, the next system I want to talk about is just movement. So this is kind of a system for your well-being, for your energy, your vitality, and your body. And I don't really think of this as exercise or discipline, although it is, um, but it's really just movement. How can I move my body every day? Whether that's me going to Pilates class, me taking a walk, um, me walking with my husband or a friend, me getting up and using weights in my office with music, stretching, walking to the grocery store, like anything that just gets me up and moving out in the fresh air in the sunshine, if possible, a quick walk, a quick stretch, a quick break, you know, a couple times through my working day is so good for my energy and the quality of my work. So that's another system that really is integrated and supports me. Um, and I don't get too rigid about it. If I miss a few days or it's holidays, I just pick back up when I can. So it's something that I'm committed to for my whole life. So I don't worry so much about like hitting five classes this week or reaching some um big goal. It's just I I tell I tell my friends, like I'm kind of a steady Freddy here. Like I just show up and I move my body and I'm committed to that. I weave it into my days whenever and wherever I can. So, what does that look like for you? Is that something you've been wanting to increase in your life? And what would be the impact of that? So often in our minds, we think we need, you know, a certain amount of time or a set schedule or kind of like an all-or-nothing mindset. And I want to encourage you to give yourself grace and see if you could be more flexible and adaptable with this and and interweaving it into your day. And again, I'm gonna say this with everything start small. Okay, and the third system for today is really, I don't know what to call it, but it's really like a writing and a thinking system. And it is one of those systems that quietly holds my life together. Um, and I don't mean journaling in the sense of like sit down for 30 minutes kind of way, but this writing and thinking system is how I work through to be focused, how I work through friction. So, like any inner friction where I get stalled or lagged on a project, or I'm stewing or rehashing something that happened in a relationship or thinking for others. And the writing thinking system also helps me move through these things so that I can stay in aligned action and stay consistent in my life. And again, this is not a perfect, it's a practice. I use writing throughout my day to think better. Um, and this can look like writing on a uh notebook. So I always have a notebook on my desk, and I also use an app that I'll talk about later called Notion that I do online writing with. And my writing is helps my mind stay focused when it starts to go in other places and directions or starts to spin out. It's right how I sort out my thoughts, organize them, and align them to my goals and what I'm up to in life. You guys have heard me talk about writing a lot. I mean, that's just a through line in this whole podcast. All the a lot of the episodes, I should say. When things stay in my head and I don't use writing, everything feels heavier. I'm much more likely to get into some kind of fear, doubt, confusion, and spinning my wheels. Writing helps me slow down. It helps me ask better questions, it helps me connect the dots from thing to thing in my life. It helps me find the lessons. And honestly, it reminds me of all the things I need to be grateful for. Not that I need to be grateful for, but that I am grateful for. So it's this is such a powerful, powerful tool tool that is just kind of weaved in throughout my day. It's not like on my list to do, it's just there like brushing teeth. But it started on my to-do list. And that's what I want you thinking about too. Like some of these might start on your to-do list, but then they just become a rhythm that's part of your life, like brushing your teeth. So those are the first three: the daily systems, the writing or the movement system, and the writing and thinking system that helps keep my head straight. So, in closing, this isn't about more to do. It's really about just pausing to take inventory. Are the systems that are in your life working? Have you even acknowledged them? Like some of these systems that I shared with you today, and even some I'm gonna share next week, I didn't even think of as systems. But when I sat down, I'm like, wow, that really is something that supports me in my life. And so it might just be shining a light. Like, what are the systems in your life like I'm doing? And do they all still make sense? Do some need to have some become outdated, or maybe you're in a different season, or maybe you're in a different stage of um your business that requires something different. So taking, I hope this inspires you to take an inventory. It's January if you're listening live, and it's a good time to just go, you know what? Have the things I've always done, are they supporting me? What needs to be added? And again, I want you to think small, like micro movements. You know, if there was one system that you could implement this year that would ripple to others, because that's what I love about these systems I've shared with you, is that they are not just something that impacts one area of my life, but all of these that I mentioned, they impact how I show up in my relationships, they impact how I show up for myself, in my marriage, in my business, all over. They all have a ripple impact. Okay, friends. So after listening and you're thinking about your own systems, I would love it so much if you would send me a message. If you're listening on Spotify and I'm not sure what it looks like on Apple, but there is a send me a message button, send Carla a message. And I would love it if you would tell me what season of life you're in and one system that is supporting you. I can't wait to hear from you, and I'll see you next week. If you're still listening all the way to the end, thank you. I wanted to also mention that I am speaking at an event next week here locally in Chandler, Arizona. And it is on uh January 21st. It's called the Purpose Gathering Workshop, and it's a spirit-led morning to refocus, reconnect, and recharge. And we are talking about doing life and business differently. So if you want to check it out, you can go to thepurpose gathering.com forward slash workshop and grab your ticket. I would love to see you there. Hey, thanks for listening all the way to the end. Before you move on with your day, pause and capture one thought or takeaway that stood out to you. Write it down so it doesn't get lost in the noise. And if you're ready to go deeper, come join me in my free monthly class, conversation and guided writing to help you see things differently and move forward with clarity. Save your spot, Carlareeves.com forward slash free class.