The Importance of Productivity Systems for Entrepreneurs

I’m sure you have heard of the story behind McDonalds’ Fast Food Restaurants success: it is due to its amazing systems.

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Systems were set up so that anyone could do them – including teenagers.

Just follow the system.

If you don’t have well-running productivity systems – especially for your home business, your income, your peace of mind, your health, and even your relationships will suffer.

Five Essential Systems for Maximum Productivity

System 1 is your People system. Your people system is the most important support system in your life and business. If this people system isn’t functioning well, nothing else matters. No correction in the other systems can make up for the lack in your people system. Why is this? It’s because people are the ones that have the money to buy what you are offering. Your people system needs to include a good plan for follow-up of customers and prospects. And you need to have a system for attracting more prospects.

Have the foundation of your people system built on love, rather than fear. Every person is going through some kind of trial. Do not think of people as a potential customer – rather think of them as a person with needs that you can show love to. “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8 (NASV)

System 2 is your Activities’ system. Activities’ system in short is how you spend the individual hours of your days. You spend your life not in weeks or months or years, but rather in hours. Do you know what the three resources we as human beings have? Time, money, and energy. Time is the most valuable resource you have because it is the only resource that can never be replaced. The richest person in the world cannot buy a single more minute of time. “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NASV)

Having a good time management system is crucial for your productivity. I personally use a planner pad and plan the “big rocks” to accomplish for each day as well as the “tasks.” Evernote is a great tool for organizing your life and information.

System 3 is your Environment system. Your environment is comprised both of your outer environment and your inner environment. The outer one includes your home and work environments – it is the physical environment you can see and touch. (Actually, your outer environment would include your physical body too.) Then your inner environment describes your emotional and spiritual  – that which you can’t actually see and touch. You only can see the effects of it.

Getting rid of clutter in both your outer and your inner environment is paramount to this system working well.

System 4 is your Reflection system. Another name for this system is introspection system, as named by Noah St. John in his book, The Secret Code of Success [affiliate link]. This system needs to be installed and functioning well so that you can continually evaluate how you are doing with reaching your goals. You need to constantly be asking yourself if what you are doing is working and if the goals you are pursuing are still the ones you want to be pursuing.

Barbara Sher said, “I could do anything if I just knew what it was.” Do you have your goals written out? Do you have a plan to regular review them?

Luke shares with us the importance of planning and evaluating: “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” Luke 14:31 (NASB)

Be sure your reflection system is in order.

System 5 is your Simplify system. All the systems above reveal the need for this fifth system: the need to simplify! We live in the information overload stage! When we have too many choices set before us, you know what happens? Our stress level goes up and our productivity goes down!

You need to simplify your life and streamline your business so it can run like an efficient machine while you get the breaks that you need to refuel your tank. Don’t just have a “to do” list; also have a “stop doing” list. Be sure you are spending your time in what matters the most.

These are the five essential productivity systems for success in your home business as a Christian entrepreneur. When you install these systems and have them operating at optimal levels, you will enjoy more productivity and a deeper satisfaction with your life.

Credit: This post has been inspired by Noah St. John’s book. For more details on each of these systems, grab your copy of The Secret Code of Success [affiliate link].

What systems do you have in place that are working well for you in your home business?

First published: March 2019

Updated: July 2021