Throughout my career, I’ve worked for companies with busy seasons and others that seemed to operate in a constant state of busyness. A common sentiment in these environments is that people feel too swamped to focus on becoming more efficient, improving their skills, or coaching their teams to grow.

Unfortunately, this mindset often spills over into life outside of work. Many of us carry that same “too busy” excuse into our personal lives, always putting off the things we know we should do to improve ourselves.

When you start using a systems and habits approach to improvement, you’ll naturally experiment with different strategies. Some will work, and some won’t. That’s part of the process.

The key is to identify the systems that consistently move the needle for you. These “cornerstone systems” do more than just help you achieve one goal—they support multiple areas of growth. They create a foundation for long-term, systematic improvement.

We’ve all been there. You set out to make a positive change, gave it your all, and still fell short of the goal. It’s frustrating, even demoralizing, but it doesn’t have to signal the end of your journey.

One challenge with the systems and habits approach to self-improvement is the significant investment of time and effort it often requires. You might find yourself working tirelessly to build a new system, only to realize later that it’s not as effective as you’d hoped for achieving your desired outcome.

A recurring theme in the Tao Te Ching is the idea that the sage avoids extremes. This ancient wisdom, while timeless, often feels drowned out in the noise of today’s world.

Rather than accepting life as it unfolds and seeking fulfillment within, we’ve become fixated on external solutions. When life falls short of our expectations, we cast blame outward. If we’re dissatisfied with our circumstances, we long for vast wealth or power to change our reality.

Years ago, I helped launch a fitness franchise. It was a rewarding experience, but one that opened my eyes to something surprising: people often resist what's good for them.

Day after day, I’d watch people walk into the gym, pour out heartfelt reasons for wanting to get healthy—doctors' warnings, family motivations, personal goals—but still walk away without signing up. Meanwhile, across the street, the fast-food drive-thru was packed. No hesitation, no internal struggle—just instant gratification.

When life doesn’t go as planned, it’s easy to external aspects. But the truth is, our outcomes are often shaped by something far more personal: our habits.

Years ago I had to terminate employment for someone I worked with for a while. They had gotten to a point where they angered many people in the organization and acted like an unprofessional brat when things didn’t go their way. Despite our repeated attempts to correct the behavior and let them know of the seriousness, they kept falling on bad habits, responding with anger and conflict instead of understanding and improvement. When we let them go, they blamed everyone else, stating it was other’s stupidity that caused their reaction, so they shouldn’t be accountable for it. .

We all understand the power of compound interest: small investments, given enough time, grow exponentially. But this principle doesn’t just apply to finances—it’s equally transformative when applied to habits.

Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Small, consistent actions—like drinking more water, walking for 10 minutes, or reading a single page of a book—may feel insignificant today. But over time, they build on each other, creating meaningful, lasting change.

We all long for certainty. We want clear answers, sharp lines, and obvious choices. But life isn’t made of black and white — it’s painted in shades of grey.

Learning to move forward without all the answers is one of the most powerful skills you can build.

It’s easy to act on impulse without considering the long-term consequences. Whether it’s snapping at your boss, ignoring a friend, or making a financial move you can't afford, these choices can have lasting effects.

When working toward a goal, the process you use is just as important as the goal itself. A strong system can keep you on track and help you make consistent progress. The key? Make sure your system is simple, sticky, and self-regulating.

Too often, we drift through life on autopilot, making choices by default and blaming others when things go wrong. I lived that way for years—avoiding responsibility, taking what was handed to me, and wondering why life didn’t feel fulfilling. Real change started when I took ownership. I began making intentional decisions, accepting consequences, and carving a path that aligned with what I truly wanted.

If you're looking to improve your life, there's no better place to start than with your habits. By using a systems-and-habits approach, you can intentionally design your days and shape your future—one small choice at a time.

Many people skip this process because they’re chasing quick results. But meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, consistency, and deliberate action. The truth is, most of our lives—up to 95%—are run on autopilot through habits. That’s powerful... but it also means if you don’t shape your habits, they’ll shape themselves.

We live in a world that celebrates speed—microwaves, smartphones, and now AI give us answers, meals, and conveniences in seconds. It’s no wonder patience feels like a lost art.

But improvement? True, lasting growth? That still takes time.

Habits are more than just the routines that get us through the day—they’re a way to harness the power of time. Every small action, repeated consistently, compounds over weeks, months, and years to create massive results. When you build the right habits, you’re not just working toward your goals—you’re enlisting time as your ally.

Humans have been leveraging habits for as long as we’ve existed. Our brains are wired to conserve energy by creating automatic responses to repetitive tasks. When we brush our teeth or drive to work, we rely on habitual patterns rather than conscious decision-making. This frees our minds to focus on other things, allowing us to operate efficiently without constant thought directing every step.

Life has a way of pulling us in different directions. We set goals, create plans, and chase success, all while feeling like we’re never quite there. But what if the solution isn’t out there somewhere? What if the key to achieving more—and feeling fulfilled while doing it—is to stop chasing and start being present?

Wayne Dyer said it best: “Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” It’s a simple idea but incredibly powerful when you truly embrace it. Instead of looking at life as a series of milestones you need to hit, shift your focus to the here and now. That’s where real progress happens.

“Done is better than perfect,” says Sheryl Sandberg, and those five words carry a critical lesson for anyone who struggles with perfectionism. Often, the drive to get everything exactly right prevents us from making any meaningful progress. We wait, tweak, and obsess over every detail, convinced that the perfect version is just out of reach. But while we wait for perfection, we miss out on opportunities to move forward and grow.

Winston Churchill’s famous line, “Perfection is the enemy of progress,” highlights this same truth. Perfectionism can feel like a noble pursuit, but in reality, it often stifles action and leaves us stuck in place. Real growth doesn’t come from flawless execution; it comes from consistent, intentional effort.

A friend recently shared his frustration: his company replaced one toxic employee with… another toxic employee. Both brilliant. Both jerks. The irony? The company had explicitly vowed to do better.

This disconnect is more common than we realize—and it highlights the difference between explicit and implicit goals.

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." This quote by Robert Collier perfectly captures the essence of building effective habits. The secret to long-term success isn’t bursts of motivation or fleeting inspiration—it’s consistency. And one of the best ways to achieve consistency is by using systems.

A system is a structured process designed to help you achieve your goals, step by step. When you rely on systems, you create an environment where your habits can grow naturally, without the constant need for willpower or motivation. Instead of wrestling with whether you "feel like it" today, a good system ensures that the right actions happen automatically.

Life has a way of pushing and pulling us in so many directions that we sometimes lose sight of what really matters. Instead of confidently moving forward, we find ourselves wondering, “What’s the point?”

Maybe it’s when your boss suddenly reassigns the team, handing you piles of extra work that feel meaningless. Or perhaps it’s corporate rolling out yet another time-consuming idea that seems destined to flop.

When striving for personal growth, many of us fall into the trap of relying on motivation and willpower alone. While these tools can spark initial change, they often falter when the excitement wears off or life gets hectic. A more reliable and lasting approach is to use systems thinking to support habit formation.

We all crave clarity. We want to know what’s next, what to do, how to act. But life doesn’t hand us a manual. It doesn’t unfold like a clean step-by-step guide. Some days feel wildly unpredictable—chaotic, unfair, random. Other days are strangely routine—like clockwork, easy to read, eerily familiar. Life is full of contradictions. And navigating those contradictions is the real challenge.

We often hear, “Just trust the process.” But what process? And whose process? Sometimes even the best-laid plans fall apart. And when they do, it’s tempting to give up on planning altogether—just react, just survive, just get through it.

For many of us, life becomes fairly predictable. Our morning alarm sounds at the same time each day. We eat a similar breakfast day in and day out. We work at the same job. We enjoy the same weekend social activities and eat at similar restaurants.

For some, there is more variety than others, but overall, much of life follows these patterns before a sudden change or rite of passage. But through it all there remains an air of uncertainty. Nothing is guaranteed.

The other day I was having a conversation with my daughter about interests. She was expressing an interest in area of her life and said, “I don’t want to have to do all the hard work, I just want to be really good at it.”

She said it to be silly and we both laughed but she emphasized a really good point. Most of us want to be the expert, not the newbie. We dislike being awkward. We don’t like the difficulties of figuring it out. Wouldn’t it be so much better if we can just have the talent without the training?

Life constantly provides feedback—little nudges that tell us something needs to change. Maybe it’s that pang of guilt reminding us to start budgeting or the persistent fatigue signaling a need for exercise.

Yet, despite these signs, most people ignore them. Some notice but push them aside with denial or indifference, avoiding action altogether.

As you embark on a journey of self-improvement using the systems and habits approach to improvement, one element that can create confusion is with regards to measurement.

It is crucial to measure the steps we take and the outcomes we receive. Because we are more concerned with progress over perfection, I tend to emphasize tracking those daily activities. Even when the desired outcomes remain elusive, we can see that we are taking the right steps forward that will eventually result in a win.

I’ve worked for several companies that had busy seasons and some that seemed to be busy all year. One common sentiment is that workers become too busy to work on becoming more efficient, complete training to get better, or coach up their teams.

While this is a frustration and work, I’ve also noticed that some people take this same mindset with them when they leave work. Instead of working to get better, they are always too busy to do what they should do.

Change for the sake of change isn’t always productive. If we’re going to change, it should be with the goal of improving some aspect of our lives. Exploring a new destination or trying a different dish at a restaurant can be enjoyable, but when it comes to personal growth, change should serve a purpose.

I believe in leveraging change as an opportunity for improvement. If my work schedule shifts, I use it as a chance to refine my morning routine. Moving to a new home? I see it as a fresh start to establish healthier eating habits instead of falling into old patterns. Transitions like these give us a unique advantage—they allow us to intentionally shape new behaviors rather than battling ingrained habits later.