Episode 68 - I Remember the Turning Point (And Why You Need These Systems)

Welcome to Episode 68 of the Time for Living Podcast!

TRANSCRIPT

show notes

One year ago, I had 90 minutes to work on my business. By the time I figured out what to do, I had 40 minutes left—and I wasted most of that feeling scattered and guilty. Sound familiar?

This episode is for mom entrepreneurs who are finding pockets of time but don't know what to DO with them. You're working hard, but you're not working smart. And that's not a discipline problem—it's a system problem.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why finding time isn't enough (and what's actually missing when you sit down to work but feel paralyzed)

• The exact moment I realized hustle wasn't going to work anymore—and what I built instead

• How the Home Hub and Business Hub systems work together to eliminate decision fatigue in both your home and business

• What shifts when you stop making a thousand tiny decisions every day and let systems run on autopilot

• The real difference between working hard and working smart (spoiler: it's not about more discipline)

• How to organize your fragmented time so every 30-minute block actually counts toward business growth

READY TO TAKE ACTION:

Grab the free Hidden Time Finder at timeforliving.co/timefinder to see where your time is actually going. Then join me in the Home + Business System Workshop on January 27th at timeforliving.co/workshop to learn how to organize that time with complete systems.

Let’s Connect:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timeforlivingco/

• Email: hello@timeforliving.co

Final Thought:

You don't need more time. You need systems that make the time you have actually count.

TRANSCRIPT - I Remember the Turning Point (And Why You Need These Systems)

INTRODUCTION

Hey, it's Lucy. And I need to tell you about something that happened about a year ago that I still think about all the time.

I was sitting at my desk on a Tuesday morning—tea going cold, my notebook open to a completely blank page. I'd just dropped my son at school, and I had exactly 90 minutes before I needed to leave for a meeting.

Ninety whole minutes. That felt like a luxury.

But here's what happened: I sat there for 20 minutes just trying to figure out what to do. Should I work on the podcast? Finish that lead magnet I started? Respond to emails? Plan content? What was I even working on this week?

And then I remembered I hadn't planned dinner. And I needed to order my son's hockey equipment. And wait, did I ever respond to that client email from yesterday?

By the time I actually started working on something—anything—I had maybe 40 minutes left. And I spent most of that time scattered, distracted, switching between tasks, not really making progress on any of them.

I closed my laptop that day feeling completely defeated.

And here's what I realized: Yes, I had a time problem. But underneath that? I had a SYSTEM problem.

Now, I know I talk about time a lot on this show. And I don't want to discount that—because the time problem is real. You DO need to find your time. That's why the Hidden Time Finder exists. That's why we talk about the 15 minute evolution.

But here's the thing: time and systems are completely intertwined. You can't separate them.

Because I had all these minutes scattered throughout my week. I'd even mapped them out. But I had no infrastructure for what to DO with them. No system for knowing what mattered most in my home. No system for knowing what actually moves my business forward.

Finding the time is step one. But organizing that time? That's what makes it actually work.

That was the turning point. That's when I realized I needed to build something different.

And what I built—the Home Hub and the Business Engine—is what I'm teaching you in the workshop on January 27th.

If you've been wondering whether this workshop is for you, whether it'll actually work, whether you have time to build systems when you barely have time to breathe? This episode is going to answer all of that.

Let's talk about what life looked like before I had these systems, what it looks like now, and why I believe this is the missing piece you've been looking for.

BEFORE SYSTEMS: THE SCATTERED HUSTLE

Let me take you back to what my life looked like one year ago, before I had these systems.

My home was running on what I call "reactive management." Nothing had a specific place or process. I was just constantly putting out fires. Oh, we're out of milk—guess I'm going to the store again. My son needs forms signed for school—where did I put those? Dinner? I'd figure it out at 4:30pm and then scramble.

Every single decision was made in the moment, which meant every single decision was taking up precious mental energy.

And my new business? It was even worse.

I'd finally sit down with 30 minutes to work, and I'd spend half of it just trying to remember where I'd left off. What was I working on? What was the priority? What actually matters right now?

I had all these minutes, but no clear path for what to do with them.

I was using tools like the Hidden Time Finder—which, if you haven't grabbed it, it's at timeforliving.co/timefinder—and I could SEE where my time was going. I could see I had 45 minutes on Tuesday mornings. I could see I had an hour on Thursday afternoons.

But seeing the time wasn't enough. I needed to ORGANIZE that time. I needed infrastructure. I needed to know: when I sit down with 30 minutes, what's the ONE thing that matters most right now? When I'm managing my home, what's my system so I'm not making a thousand tiny decisions every single day?

Here's what was actually happening: I was working HARD, but I wasn't working SMART. I was hustling, but I wasn't building anything sustainable. I was finding the time, but I was wasting most of it on decision fatigue and scattered energy.

And the worst part? I felt guilty ALL the time. Guilty when I was working because I should be present with my family. Guilty when I was with my family because my new business wasn't growing. Guilty for not having it all together when other people seemed to manage just fine.

Can you relate to any of this? Because here's what I need you to know: this isn't just a time problem. This is a SYSTEM problem.

And they're related. They're intertwined. You need BOTH.

THE MOMENT IT CLICKED

That Tuesday morning I was telling you about? That wasn't just another frustrated moment. That was the day something clicked for me.

I was loading the dishwasher—again—after my failed work session. And I thought: "Why am I even loading this dishwasher right now? Why don't we have a system for when this happens?"

And then I thought about my new business: "Why don't I have a system for what I work on each week? Why am I making this decision from scratch every single time I sit down?"

Because here's the thing—I KNEW I was capable. I'd already built and sold one business, and have another one that currently runs on autopilot. I had the skills. I had the drive. I had the vision for what I wanted to create.

What I didn't have was a system that would let me use my time effectively without my entire life feeling like chaos.

And that's when I realized: successful businesses aren't built on hustle alone. They're built on systems. Maybe the hustle worked before kids—when we had more time and less clarity about what actually mattered. But now? We have different priorities. We know what's truly important. And that means we need a different approach. We need systems.

So I asked myself: What if I treated my home like a business? What if I created actual systems—not just to-do lists, but SYSTEMS—for both my home and my business? What if I stopped trying to remember everything and started building infrastructure that would remember FOR me?

That question is what led me to create the Home Hub and the Business Engine.

And here's what I want you to understand: these systems didn't give me MORE time. They made the time I already had actually COUNT.

WHAT LIFE LOOKS LIKE NOW

Let me tell you what life looks like now, one year later, with these systems in place.

My Home Hub means my house runs on autopilot for the most important things. Groceries happen on a schedule. Meals are planned. My son's hockey gear is always in the same place. The house resets every night with a 15-minute routine. I'm not making a thousand tiny decisions anymore—the system makes them for me.

And here's what that created: mental space.

Because when my home is running smoothly without me having to think about it constantly, I can actually FOCUS when I sit down to work on my business.

Which brings me to the Business Engine. This is the system that tells me exactly what to do with every pocket of time I have. When I sit down with 30 minutes, I don't waste 20 of them deciding what to do. I look at my Business Engine, and I know: "Okay, this week my priority is podcast content. I have 30 minutes. I'm writing show notes."

The decision is already made. I just execute.

And you know what's happened in this past year?

I've gone from scrambling to publish one podcast episode every week to publishing consistently every single week with space and clarity. I've created multiple lead magnets. I've built email sequences. I've grown my audience. I'm launching my first paid workshop on January 27th.

And I'm doing all of this in the same fragmented pockets of time I had before. Same 30-minute blocks. Same interrupted schedule. Same mom life with a 7-year-old who plays hockey and needs me.

The difference isn't the amount of time. The difference is the SYSTEM.

So when I say time and systems are intertwined? This is what I mean. You need to find your time—that's always going to be important. But you also need to organize that time so it's not slipping through your fingers.

THE SHIFT

Let me give you one quick contrast so you can see what I mean.

One year ago on that Tuesday: I'd scramble through the morning—forgot to plan breakfast, can't find the library book, running late. Sit down to work and waste 20 minutes deciding what to do. Start something, get distracted, switch tasks, end up scrolling Instagram feeling guilty.

Now with systems: Breakfast is already planned in my Home Hub. Library book is in its spot. I sit down, open my Business Engine, and I already know what I'm working on. I'm actually working within five minutes.

Same 90 minutes. Completely different results.

That's what systems do. They don't give you more time. They make the time you have actually COUNT.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THE WORKSHOP

Okay, so let me tell you what's actually happening in the Home + Business System Workshop on January 27th.

This isn't theory. This isn't me talking AT you for an hour. This is a working session where we BUILD these systems together for YOUR life.

Here's what we're doing:

Part 1: Build Your Home Hub

• I'm walking you through how to identify your top 3 non-negotiable home systems (the things that, when they run smoothly, make everything else easier)

• You'll create your Home Hub—your command center for how your household runs

• We'll set up your systems for meals, routines, household tasks—whatever YOUR home needs most

• You'll walk away with a complete system that runs on autopilot

Part 2: Build Your Business Engine

• We'll identify your top 3 business priorities for THIS quarter (not someday, not eventually—right now)

• You'll create your Business Engine—your system for knowing exactly what to do with every pocket of time

• We'll map your fragmented time to your priorities so you never waste another minute deciding what to work on

• You'll walk away knowing exactly what you're working on and when

Part 3: Integration

• This is where we connect these two systems so they work TOGETHER

• You'll see how your Home Hub creates the space for your Business Engine to thrive

• You'll build your complete weekly structure that honors both your family and your business

And here's what makes this different from every other productivity workshop you've seen: this is designed specifically for mom entrepreneurs building businesses in pockets of time.

Not corporate professionals with 8-hour workdays. Not full-time entrepreneurs with flexible schedules. Mom entrepreneurs with school pickup and sick kids and interrupted plans and 30-minute work blocks.

This system WORKS with your real life, not against it.

And yes, we're still talking about time—because time matters. But we're organizing that time so it actually works for you.

ADDRESSING YOUR OBJECTIONS

I know what you might be thinking. So let me address the questions I've been getting:

"But Lucy, I don't have TIME to build systems. I can barely keep up as it is."

I get it. But here's the truth: building these systems takes about 60 minutes in the workshop. That's it. One hour to build the infrastructure that will save you 3-5 hours EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

That's not a time expense. That's a time INVESTMENT. And it pays off immediately.

"What if I'm not naturally organized? What if I've tried systems before and they didn't stick?"

Here's the thing: the system CREATES the organization. You don't need to be naturally organized. You need a system that's so clear and so simple that it works even when life gets chaotic.

And if systems haven't worked for you before, it's probably because they weren't designed for mom entrepreneurs. They were designed for people with predictable schedules and uninterrupted time. These systems are built for interruption. They're built for chaos. They're built for real life.

"Will this work for MY situation? I have a toddler / multiple kids / a full-time job / a specific business model / etc."

Yes. Because we're not using MY systems—we're building YOUR systems. In the workshop, you're identifying YOUR top 3 home priorities and YOUR top 3 business priorities. You're creating a system that fits YOUR life.

This isn't one-size-fits-all. This is customized infrastructure that you build for your unique situation.

THE INVITATION

So here's where we are:

The workshop is January 27th. That's exactly 7 days from today.

Registration closes on January 26th at midnight, or when we hit capacity—whichever comes first.

You have the Hidden Time Finder. You've found your time. Now it's time to organize that time with complete systems for your home and your business.

This is the missing piece.

The piece that turns scattered hustle into sustainable progress. The piece that takes the time you're already finding and makes it actually PRODUCTIVE. The piece that lets you build your business without your home falling apart.

If you've been on the fence, this is your week to decide.

If you've been waiting for the "right time," I need you to hear this: the right time is when you have a system that WORKS with your real life. And that's what we're building together in 7 days.

Registration is open right now at timeforliving.co/workshop.

The workshop is live on January 27th. If you can't make it live, that's okay—register anyway and you'll get the replay. But I really hope you can be there live, because there's something powerful about building these systems together in real-time.

Less than 7 days left. This workshop is happening, and I'm not sure when I'll teach it live again.

So if you know you need this—if you've been nodding along to everything I've said today—go register right now. timeforliving.co/workshop.

I'll see you on January 27th. We're building your systems together in 7 days.

Until then, keep showing up. You're doing better than you think.

Talk soon.