Do you have any systems set up for your blog?

Could your business run without you?

A system is a set of processes, tasks or activities that can run without you. It is a documented procedure that plays a major role no matter what stage of business you are in.

If you are new to systems, click here to check out some of the benefits of creating systems for your blog or business.

Today, I want to share my 7-step process to identify where you can implement a system in your business.

Oftentimes, we are blinded by our daily routine to see what we should automate or can improve.

Step #1 - Identify

The first step in this process is to identify where you can put a system in place. To get started I want you to think of the processes you do in your business on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis.

Take out a sheet of paper and jot down tasks or projects that you do often.

Once you have created your list, take a minute to answer the questions below. Think of your daily tasks or projects you complete often.

Is the task essential to your business?
Does it occur often or even daily?
Is it repeatable?
Can you delegate it?

If you answered YES to any of these then you need to put a system in place.

For example, you do the exact same process every week for your YouTube videos:

Researching
Outlining the content
Writing a script
Recording the video
Editing the video
Scheduling it to go live
Promoting the video

Creating a system for completing these tasks for each video will make it easier for you. Even if you aren't delegating the work you still need to create a system for yourself so you aren't recreating the process every time.

Here are a couple of examples of tasks you can identify that may need to have a system created:

Bookkeeping
Lead generation
Customer service
Writing content
Scheduling social media
Gaining new clients
Sales
Emails
New projects

You might find that certain tasks aren’t repeatable, or don’t reoccur often. That’s okay you don't have to create a system for everything.

Step #2 - Focus on One

Now that you have identified that you need a system, step 2 is to focus on one process that you will create a system for.

For example, if you made a list of 8 processes that you can systemize in your business, I want you to only focus on one.

This will help you to go through each of the steps in my system.

Step #3 - Break It Down

Now, it is time to break down the task you chose in step 2. To do this, I want you to brain dump everything you do when completing that task to see if you need to create a system for it.

You may be surprised to see how many steps make-up a certain task in your business. Sometimes we don't realize how many tasks we actually do until you have written it all down.

For example, maybe the task you chose is creating a new course in your business. When you do this brain dump, you may break it down to look like this:

Survey your audience
Do research
Brainstorm course title & tagline
Brain dump course content
Write course content outline
Create course graphics
Setup course modules & lessons
Write launch email sequence
Record/write content for course
Launch calendar

This list does not include every task that goes into creating a new course for your business. But, you will need to get as specific as possible.

You may even realize when doing this brain dump that many systems make up this task in your business. For example, there might be one system for how you edit course content and that system has its own set of sub-tasks.

The important part is writing out every action you need to complete that makes up this process.

Step #4 - Is It Broken?

As you go through and write down every item that makes up your task I want you to start thinking about how you execute it right now.

Do you have an issue with the way you are doing it?
Do you get inconsistent results?
Do you get confused or frustrated when you are completing the task?

These are key indicators that a system needs put in place.

For example, if you want to create a system for writing new content for your website and your tasks included:

Research & brainstorm
Outline the post
Write the post
Edit the post
Create graphics
Schedule it to go live
Share on social media

As you go through this list you may realize that you have issues with the way your content is formatted. This means you'll want to have a specific system for how you do it.

Not only does this help to save time, but it will ensure that you get the desired result every single time.

This is especially true if you have team members and need them to complete tasks in your content process. Having a system will streamline the process and reduce any issues that may arise.

Step #5 - Let’s fix it!

Now it is time to fix the way you have been doing it to help you streamline and automate this task in your business.

To do this you need to start at the beginning.

Look at your list of tasks:

How should the process work?
Is there anything that you can eliminate?
What can you do before or after to make it better?

For example, you may need to rearrange some of the tasks on your list so that the process runs smoother. Or, you can even eliminate tasks that aren’t necessary.

One thing I like to do is draw out the process and put each step in the correct order. This lets me visualize the system so that I can duplicate the process every single time I complete it.

Step #6 - Test Run

It is time to do a test run of your system. Doing a trial run will help you to make sure you aren't forgetting a step, or not documenting a step properly.

You can’t do this step unless you are completing the task. For example, if you are working on creating a system for your new videos for your YouTube channel you need to wait until you are actually doing a new video.

This will ensure that you are going through each step of the process. Doing this will allow you to see if any edits or changes are necessary to your system.

What changes can you make?
Is there a better way?
Did it work how you expected?

Step #7 - Track It

The last step in the process is to document your system so that you can create a standard operating procedure. This sounds a lot fancier than it is.

You do not need to overcomplicate this step. Find a program that you are comfortable using and document exactly how you did the task. You can use Google Docs, Asana, Microsoft Word, or even Trello.

The important part of this step is to make your system repeatable. An example of a repeatable system I have in place for my site, Frugal Fanatic, is for creating new content. I documented the process in Asana. Now when I write new content I can use my template and go through each task.

I can even assign certain tasks to this system to members of my team. Doing this keeps it organized, consistent and repeatable.

It’s time to take action and systemize your business. Go through my 7-step process to identify where you can put a system in place to be more effective with your time.

You may find that once you have your systems in place you have cut out hours of your week because you have streamlined and automated tasks.

7 Step Process to Create an Effective System in Your Biz