24 Systems I Use to Streamline My Life (+Business)

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post on Medium outlining some of the systems I used to streamline my life at that time — which considering I really had no Medium following and I published it for fun, reached a surprising number of people. Clearly, the mild neuroticism that guides my life resonated hundreds of people I didn’t know… so I wanted to update the list with new systems I’ve implemented in recent years since owning a business.

As all of my clients and friends know… I truly do love a good system, and spend a lot of time developing systems that make my life more streamlined and easy to manage. I think if there’s a task you have to do more than a few times… there should be a system to make it easier when you have to repeat it.

Here’s to working a little smarter — not harder. ;)

Do you have systems that you swear by, tools that help you focus + streamline, or hacks for productivity? Let me know here!

1. I use Google Calendar to time block my week, manage deadlines, + set goals.

Personally, I’m a fan of having everything right in front of me (versus spread out in different tabs, tools, or programs), so I use Google Calendar to manage everything from work deadlines to travel plans to goals. Here are a few systems I use within my Google Calendar.

• I have three main calendars — one for personal events, one for business, and one for time blocking. While my business calendar is connected to my work email, I added it to my personal calendar to be able to see everything in one place.

• I use my time blocking calendar to plan my workload each week, which essentially functions as a time budget. I have repeating events for projects that I complete on a weekly or monthly basis, and I’ll slot additional projects around those recurring events depending on their deadlines, priority level, and the times of day that I know I’m most productive. I also slot time for admin tasks, meal prepping, and exercise. I arrange projects at the beginning of the week, and then as the week goes on, I move things around as needed. This kind of turns my calendar into a puzzle — I have an idea of how long each project will take and which are necessary to get done that week, and then it’s just a matter of arranging them and executing. It saves a lot of time I would otherwise be trying to figure out what to do next. Having this as a separate calendar allows me to toggle it on and off in my calendar view so I can see just my “real” events (meetings, plans, etc.). This calendar also helps me visually manage my bandwidth, so I know when I have space for new projects / clients or when I’m at capacity.

• Additionally, when I get a new project or task, I’ll immediately add it to my time blocking calendar in whatever week it’s due and rearrange tasks around it, to make sure I have space.

• I use Google Keep on the sidebar of my calendar to pin items I’ll need for reference, like my own or clients’ Zoom links or frequent flyer numbers for when I’m booking flights.

• I use Google Tasks for one-time or repeated reminders. After client calls, I’ll add tasks for small follow-ups so they don’t slip through the cracks. I add tasks as I’m going through my email if there are things I don’t want to forget to complete that I find there. I’ll also set recurring reminders for things like oil changes or refilling my dog’s medication.

• I use all-day events to plan things like trips and Christmas gifts — I’ll create an event, and then use the description portion of the event to write notes, invite lists, paste links, and brainstorm. So when I’m looking ahead to plan, I have all my ideas in front of me.

2. I use Notion to as a personal and business hub.

Over the last few years, Notion has completely changed the way I work. While I’ve used task management softwares like Asana and Trello, I always found them to be somewhat lacking and siloed. Notion allows me to organize everything exactly the way I want to in a clean, but customizable, interface.

For me, I have one hub (I call it “The Hub”) that links out to everything I use frequently both in my business and in my personal life. This includes a link to a dashboard that’s devoted just to my business, a photo gallery vision board for the year with captions, and a link to my journal database.

A quick Pinterest search for Notion templates will give you a pretty good idea of both how aesthetic and functional your layouts can be.

3. Each of my clients has their own hub within Notion.

When I start working with a new client, I’ll create a custom dashboard for them that contains everything I’ll need to reference in our time working together. It will include a database for all of our call notes, links to brand guides and assets, etc. I’ll also create a client-facing dashboard that contains links to monthly reporting, our overarching strategy document, and our onboarding timeline.

4. I use Relay’s profit-first method to automate my business banking.

Relay has been such a helpful tool for business banking. It allows me to automate where incoming deposits come from based on percentage instead of a fixed number, as well as allowing me to automate my payments to myself. Via these percentages, I’m able to bucket cash for taxes, paychecks, giving back, operating costs, and profit.

5. I use Calendly for booking calls.

Calendly makes it easy for leads or current clients to grab a time that works for me on my calendar without the back and forth. Of course… my Calendly is synced to my Google Calendar so there aren’t any conflicts, and I set working hours within Calendly based on the windows / days I’m available for calls.

6. I use filters in Gmail to eliminate spam and categorize newsletters.

A cluttered inbox can be a nightmare… I use filters on Gmail to automatically delete promotional emails that I don’t want to hit my inbox at all (the “unsubscribe” button isn’t always super reliable), and I also use filters to automatically move certain emails into folders (like newsletters I might want to reference later but that I don’t want as a distraction in my inbox).

7. I schedule cards for birthdays or occasions with Postable.

Postable makes it easy to either schedule cards ahead of time from wherever you are, or send a card without having to go get an actual card, envelope, and stamp. You can store contacts and their birthdays within the website, and it will remind you when they’re coming up. There are tons of card designs to choose from, and you can write whatever message you want — and the card will be printed and shipped.

8. I send client gifts with Goody.

Goody allows you to send personalized gifts to whoever you’d like — you can either choose a gift for them or you can allow them to choose their own gift within a certain budget that you set. You can also write a personalized message before you send, and then you can send the gift via an email through Goody, or via a customized link that you can include in your own email or text.

9. I keep perishable foods in the side compartments of my fridge.

I saw this on TikTok and it’s changed my life. Before, I kept things with a long shelf-life in the side compartments of my fridge — things like sriracha or mustard. Now, I keep those things in one of the drawers in my fridge (because if I want any of those things, I’ll find it) — whereas my perishable produce is now in the side compartments of my fridge that I see immediately. This helps me use produce before it goes bad. I also keep lemons, limes, and ginger in the butter compartment.

10. I have a drawer for healthy grab+go meals and snacks.

The other drawer in my fridge is dedicated to healthy snacks that I can pack quickly when I need food on the go. I keep foods like sliced apples, almonds, turkey, cheese, carrots, and cheese sticks there, in addition to a bento box that I can fill quickly. This ensures I always have healthy food with me if I’m out of the house so I don’t have to rely on takeout.

11. I have two bags I keep stocked with everything I need for everywhere I go.

During the week, I bounce between working from home, working at a coworking space, teaching or taking yoga classes, or doing various activities outdoors — in a lot of different orders. To make sure I have what I need for each phase of my day, I have two bags. One is a work bag for my computer, various chargers, notebook, lunch, AirPods, and wallet. And the other has a toiletry bag with everything I need to get ready, an active outfit (with sneakers), and a simple outfit to cowork in (with cute shoes). Both bags come with me in and out of my car, and get restocked every day.

12. I have an organizer in the back of my car for all outdoor / activity gear.

I love to be outside, and it’s one of the main reasons I love living in Tennessee because there are outdoor activities year-round. I have an organizer with six compartments that I keep everything I need to do any of the activities I like doing — swimsuit, towels, rollerblades, water-proof bags, sunscreen, water bottle, daypack, sneakers, and a change of clothes. In the summer, I also keep my paddleboard in my car all time.

13. I use Amazon Subscribe to replenish home staples.

I have products that I buy on repeat like dish soap and toothpaste on auto-pilot with Amazon subscribe so I don’t have to think about restocking them. I have a calendar reminder to go in and skip anything I don’t need that month each month, but otherwise it all runs on its own.

14. I regularly unfollow + mute accounts on social media.

I know… I manage social media and I’m here muting accounts. I think it’s important, though, to organize the input that’s coming in in our digital worlds. There is so much content and so much noise… and not all of it is important, or important enough to see every day. I mute accounts that I don’t want to lose track of (or “unfriend”), but whose posts I don’t need to see regularly. This allows accounts I really do enjoy seeing and engaging with the be at the top of my feed. Social feeds are what you make of them.

15. I create the same file structures within Google Drive, Gmail, and my desktop.

This makes finding files easy, no matter where I’m looking for them. I also pin folders I use often on the sidebar of my Finder window (Mac).

16. I content-batch social media content one year ahead of time.

There are certain types of content worth repeating on social media — customer reviews, before and afters, product highlights. So while I’m doing the work to create these types of content, I’ll go ahead and create enough of that content type of a year while I’m in the headspace of that format. Kind of like meal prepping. Then, as I approach each month of the year, I have some content staples that are already ready to go for me.

17. I use ManyChats to automate customer interactions on social media.

ManyChats is a great tool to automatically send your audience links they request, answer comments, and automate customer interactions. For example, you can send a lead magnet to customers that comment a specific word, and collect leads while you sleep, essentially.

18. When I time block, I give myself chunks of time to be in a certain headspace.

When it comes to managing my time, I really like to maximize whatever headspace I’m in at the moment. For example, I know that I’m usually more capable of focused work like writing and strategy in the morning before around 2pm, so I like to slot projects that involve these tasks then. When I start to lose focus, I’ll do tasks that are are bit more mindless like content batching or admin tasks. Also, when I’m in a headspace to be creating content (writing + designing), I’ll give myself enough time to stay there and get ahead while I have the opportunity. This allows me to get a lot more done than I would if I were bouncing between different types of tasks.

19. I organize my iPhone screens with widgets and folders.

I change this all the time, but currently I have three pages on my iPhone — one for personal organization with a Maps and Calendar widget and some folders for various personal apps; one for fitness / personal development with a couple workout app widgets, hiking, and breathwork apps; and one for inspiration with a Pinterest and notes widget. I also have an app called Since on that page, where you can log milestones or keep track of streaks (and it tracks how much time “since”), which is fun to look back on.

20. I have certain “uniforms” I wear over and over.

I’m no Steve Jobs, but I do like having certain “formulas” for my clothes — combinations that work over and over without much thought. I like having shirts or pants that I like in several colors to mix and match, and I like having clothes that all pretty much all work well together. I’ve also found that a neutral palette with a few pops of color makes outfits feel more fun and interesting without much effort — bright blue shoes, a chartreuse beanie. Versatile items also make packing for trips very easy.

21. I schedule a “doctor week” every year.

I don’t know if anyone really loves managing doctors appointments… I definitely don’t love it. But I heard someone in a podcast recently talking about how she schedules all of her routine health appointments in one week — which I loved and have since adopted in order to just knock everything out at once.

22. I wear bright clothes to networking events.

A hack I recently discovered at a local happy hour while wearing a bright pink and green sweater… instead of having to think of conversation starters or figure out how to enter a group of people to introduce myself, people approached me the entire night to compliment my outfit.

23. I use an Apple Watch to teach my yoga classes.

When I’m not toggling between client social media accounts, I’m teaching a few yoga classes a week, and I’ve found having an Apple Watch to be pretty helpful. While I do a lot of my class off-the-cuff, I do have a sequence written out ahead of time, which I’ll text to myself. Then, while I’m teaching, I can both reference my sequence and adjust the volume of the music from my watch. This allows me to walk around the room without having to look at my phone during the class.

24. I keep a Notion board for business inspiration and ideas.

There is so much inspiration out there for design, business ideas, content, copywriting, etc. — but if I don’t have somewhere to keep them, the ideas inevitably get lost or end up scattered. I have one page in Notion (linked from my Hub) that I collect ideas in, whether it’s a website I love or a concept I’m obsessed with. I also have a Pinterest board for ideas when I find them there.

Did you like these? I’d love to hear yours! Let me know. :)