Systems Set You Free
Why structure isn’t the enemy of freedom—it’s the pathway to it.
In a world inundated with 40-step morning routines and insanely high expectations, it’s easy to assume that freedom means less structure. That the only way to feel ease is to rebel completely—to wing it, to push through, to survive this week and try again next quarter. But the truth is: most of us aren’t overwhelmed because we’re doing too little.
We’re overwhelmed because we’re carrying everything in our heads.
When I started CPA by Day, it wasn’t just because I love clean books (although, I do). It was because I kept meeting brilliant, thoughtful people who were doing meaningful work—and quietly unraveling under the weight of it all. Their business was growing, their creativity was expanding, and so was the mess behind the scenes. They didn’t need more discipline. They needed a better container.
That’s what systems are.
Not punishment. Not perfection. Not rigid routines designed to impress strangers on the internet.
They’re just containers. Ones that hold your work so you don’t have to hold it all yourself.
When you have systems you can trust—systems that are simple, aligned, and actually make sense, you stop spinning. You stop over-functioning. You stop staying up at night rethinking every email, every invoice, every undone task you forgot to write down. Your mind gets quieter. Your week gets lighter. And you get to focus on what you actually started this business to do.
The irony is that the moment you stop resisting structure is often the moment you get your freedom back. Not the performative kind. Not the “I posted my color-coded Notion dashboard and now I’m sobbing in the parking lot” kind. Real freedom. The kind where your business supports your life.
If you're craving that kind of shift, something softer, quieter, more sustainable, I’d love to help and I’d love to provide the space for you to help others. That’s what I do here. We don’t overhaul everything overnight. We pause. We get honest. We build systems that breathe.
You don’t have to choose between ambition and peace.
You get to have both.
And it starts by letting your business support you, for once.
So how do we get started? Let’s start with five grounded, doable steps to begin building systems that work.
Name what isn’t working.
Start with the truth. What part of your business drains you the most? What keeps falling through the cracks? Where do mistakes happen the most often? What do clients struggle with that you can address? You don’t need to fix everything at once—you just need to see it clearly.
Choose one small area to simplify.
Maybe it’s your invoicing process. Maybe it’s your weekly to-do list. Pick something low-stakes but annoying, and commit to making it 20% easier. One tiny system is better than a dozen abandoned ones.
Put it in writing - outside your brain
Even the most intuitive systems break down if they live only in your head. Whether it’s a Google Doc, a checklist, or a recurring calendar block, write down the steps. Let your future self be a little more free. Look at us, are we ‘systeming’ already?!
Automate or delegate one thing.
You don’t have to do everything manually forever. Set up a recurring payment. Use a template. Ask for help. Let something go. Systems aren’t just tools—they’re boundaries.
Revisit. Tweak. Make it yours.
The best systems evolve with you. Don’t aim for perfect, aim for sustainable. Check in regularly and ask: “Is this still helping me? Or is it time to shift?”
The point isn’t to become a machine. It’s to make more space for the parts of your life that matter.
And that kind of structure?
That’s not restricting. That’s freedom.
Lets look at an example in action.
A Real-Life Example: Jordan’s Invoicing Reset
Meet Jordan, a freelance brand strategist juggling multiple client projects, a packed Google Calendar, and way too many “friendly reminders” about unpaid invoices. Invoicing always felt like a chore—so it kept getting pushed to the end of the week (or the month… or longer). Not only was this frustrating but it also delayed payments impacting her wallet directly.
Step 1: Name what isn’t working - Jordan realized she hated how inconsistent her invoicing was. Some clients were getting invoices late, some forgot to pay, and she never felt confident about who had paid what. Not only that but it was hard for her to track her revenue for tax purposes at the end of the year because she didn’t know if she had invoiced for all of the services she provided.
Step 2: Choose one small area to simplify - Instead of overhauling her whole invoicing system, we focused just on clients with recurring retainers. These were the easiest to streamline and took up a surprising amount of her time each month.
Step 3: Put it in writing - outside your brain - Jordan created a simple checklist in her calendar.
Create a QuickBooks invoice template linked to her regular client info.
Create a checklist for filling in invoice details.
Draft a canned email message for consistent delivery.
Implement a recurring calendar reminder 24 hours before invoices were due
Step 4: Automate or delegate one thing - She set up recurring invoices and automated reminders through her invoicing software. Just like that, two hours a month and a lot of mental clutter disappeared.
Step 5: Revisit. Tweak. Make it yours - After a few weeks, we added one more touch: a quick weekly finance check-in on Fridays to review payments and send any last-minute invoices. It became a calm rhythm, not a stress spiral.
The result? Jordan went from dreading invoicing to having a clean, consistent system that ran smoothly in the background. Thus giving her more time for deep work, creative energy, and weekends that actually felt like rest.
It sounds simple, and it is.
Most systems aren’t hard—they’re just hiding behind the noise.
And once you pause long enough to see them clearly, everything gets lighter.
