Why Running Your Business Feels So Hard (Even Though You're Good at What You Do)
You know that feeling when you're good at the work itself, but running the business around it feels exhausting?
Like you're constantly playing catch-up with your own business. Everything takes longer than it should. You have tools, templates, saved email drafts—but somehow it all still feels scattered.
Here's what's actually happening: you're running your business off invisible systems.
The sticky note with your onboarding checklist? That's a system. Those mental reminders to follow up after consult calls? Also a system. The late-night calendar shuffling so client delivery doesn't implode? Definitely a system.
A system isn't some fancy thing you implement once you get a team. It's just how anything gets done: the interacting elements (steps, tools, decisions, people) that work together to move something forward.
Right now, you're using systems. They're just invisible—living in your head, scattered across tools, relying on memory instead of structure.
And invisible systems cost you energy.
When Everything Lives in Your Head, It Costs You Energy
My clients usually come to me saying things like:
"I felt like I wasn't taking great care of my people along the way."
"I was scattered, trying to play catch up, unsure of how to change it."
"I hired Jacki and no longer feel like everything is on fire all the time."
What's actually happening: their systems are invisible. Unspoken. Fragmented. Relying on memory and mental load instead of structure and support.
Invisible systems look like:
Rewriting the same client email 12 times because the template lives in your inbox, not your process
Spinning your wheels on what to post because your content plan is part Airtable, part voice memo, part wishful thinking
Knowing you've done a task before but having to figure it out from scratch every single time
Having a team member ask you a question and realizing the answer only exists in your brain
Feeling like you should be better at this by now
For neurodivergent business owners especially, invisible systems create a double burden: you're already managing executive function challenges, sensory considerations, and energy fluctuations. When your business processes demand constant decision-making and memory recall on top of that? It's not sustainable.
The Invisible System Audit: 5 Questions to Reveal What's Already Running Your Business
Before you can make things easier, you need to see what's actually happening. Try this quick assessment:
1. What task do I recreate from scratch every time? (Client onboarding emails, project kickoff calls, invoice reminders, content planning)
2. What information lives only in my head? (When to follow up, what questions to ask in discovery calls, which client gets which deliverable format)
3. What causes me to say "I should really write this down"? (Those moments of "wait, how did I do this last time?" or "I need to remember to...")
4. What breaks when I'm sick, overwhelmed, or take a day off? (If you can't do it, does it just... not happen? That's an invisible system.)
5. What would a team member (or future you in six months) need to know to do this task? (If the answer is "too much to explain," that's your invisible system talking.)
If even one of these questions made you go "oh... yeah," you've found where to start.
How One Client Reclaimed an Entire Week
I had a client who ran a social media strategy agency with a small team. She was doing 100% of the onboarding for new clients—a month-long process that left her feeling perpetually behind.
She didn't think she could delegate it. The work felt too nuanced, too relationship-heavy, too "hers."
But when we actually mapped out the workflow—every email, every call, every asset request, every calendar invite—we discovered something surprising:
An entire week's worth of tasks could be offloaded to her team. Another handful could be automated with simple email sequences and intake forms. And a few? Didn't need to happen at all.
The result: She reclaimed a full week in every onboarding cycle. Not to work more—but to work more deeply on what she actually loves and does best: social media strategy. The part of the business only she could do.
The work didn't change. The clarity did.
How to Make Your Invisible Systems Visible (Without Overwhelming Yourself)
You don't need to document your entire business in one weekend. You just need to start seeing what's already there. Here are some low-friction ways to begin:
1. Screen Record Yourself Doing a Repetitive Task
Pick one thing you do regularly—sending a proposal, onboarding a client, setting up a project. Turn on Loom or your phone's screen recorder and just... do it while narrating out loud.
Watch it back. You'll immediately see:
Steps you didn't realize you were taking
Decisions you're making on autopilot
Places where you hesitate or have to hunt for information
You don't have to turn this into an SOP right away. Just seeing the pattern is the first step.
2. Do a "Brain Dump Sprint"
Set a timer for 10 minutes. List every recurring task you do in your business. Not the one-offs—the things that happen again and again.
Then go back through and mark:
✅ Things that feel easy or automatic
⚠️ Things that feel draining or "heavier than they should be"
❓ Things you're not sure you're doing "right"
The ⚠️ and ❓ items? Those are your invisible systems begging to be made visible.
3. Track Decision Fatigue for One Week
Grab a notes app or voice memo. For one week, every time you think "What should I do about X?" or "How did I handle this last time?"—note it.
These moments are breadcrumbs. They're showing you exactly where you're spending mental energy that could be supported by a clearer process, a template, or a documented decision.
4. The Sticky Note Test
If you had to explain a task to a virtual assistant or a future team member, what would you write on a sticky note?
If your answer is "too much to fit" or "I'd just have to show them," that task needs to be made visible. It doesn't mean you have to delegate it—but you should be able to articulate it.
5. Notice What You're Apologizing For
Do you ever catch yourself saying:
"Sorry, I forgot to send that"
"I know I should have this written down somewhere"
"Let me get back to you—I need to remember how I did this"
You're not flaky. You're running on an invisible system that's asking too much of your working memory. These apologies are clues.
Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
"I tried documenting everything and it felt rigid and lifeless"
You don't need a 47-step SOP for everything. Sometimes "visible" just means:
A bullet list in your notes app
A voice memo to yourself
A Loom you can re-watch
Start with what feels natural to your brain. Systems can flex with you—they don't have to be corporate and stiff.
"I documented it all and then never looked at it again"
This usually means the documentation wasn't connected to the moment you needed it. Instead of one giant "Business Bible," try putting the instructions where you'd actually use them:
Email templates in your email tool (with a tag or label)
Project checklists in your project management tool
Social media workflows in the folder where you store your content
If you have to go hunting for the documentation, you won't use it.
"My work is too creative/custom for systems"
Creative work needs structure more, not less—because structure is what protects your creative energy for the parts that actually require it.
You don't systematize the creative thinking. You systematize everything around it: how you gather information, how you kick off a project, how you deliver files, how you follow up.
That way, when it's time to do the actual creative work, you're not also trying to remember if you sent the invoice. Read more about building neurodivergent-friendly systems here.
Quick Wins vs. Deeper Work
Not sure where to start? Pick your energy level:
If You Have 30 Minutes This Week
Choose one task that annoys you every time you do it
Screen record yourself doing it once
Write down 5-7 bullet points of what you just did
Save it somewhere you'll actually see it next time
That's it. You've made one invisible system visible.
If You're Ready to Go Deeper
Let's map what's actually happening in your business, identify what's costing you the most energy, and build a plan that fits your brain and your capacity.
Sometimes the fix is a better tool. More often, it's naming the pattern, tightening the flow, and removing decisions you shouldn't have to keep making. Sometimes it's just a little process care.
You Don't Need to Start From Scratch—You Just Need to See What's Already There
I help creative service providers turn invisible systems into intentional ones. Not by burning it all down. Not by stuffing you into someone else's SOPs. Not by automating every last thing.
I filter what already exists through a lens of:
Clarity — What's actually happening?
Fit — Does this match your capacity, values, energy, and the way your brain works?
Support — What would make this feel lighter?
The goal isn't to optimize every minute of your day. It's not to become a productivity robot.
The goal is relief.
Because let's be honest: You don't need a prettier project tracker. You need to know that when someone says yes, there's a clear path. You need your business to hold you—not the other way around.
"After working with Jacki, my business is a much more supported, sustainable creature.'" — Serena Hicks
You deserve a business that fits how you actually work.
Let's map what's already working (and quietly breaking). Let's build something steadier from what you already have.
Ready to Stop Relying on Memory and Mental Load?
Book a free 50-minute Systems Clarity Call. This is for creative service providers who are tired of feeling like they're constantly catching up with their own business.
In our call, we'll:
Identify 1-2 areas where invisible systems are costing you time, energy, or peace of mind
Create a realistic next-step plan that fits your capacity and the way your brain actually works
No pitch—just practical insight from someone who's helped dozens of neurodivergent solopreneurs and small teams turn chaos into clarity.
This is especially helpful if you:
Have ADHD, autism, or other neurodivergent traits that affect how you organize and execute
Feel like you "should" be more consistent but something keeps getting in the way
Have tried productivity systems before and they didn't stick
Lead a small team and feel like too much still lives in your head
"Man, does Jacki organize the chaos in my brain!!" — Jayci Trujillo
