I wanted to do it. Why didn’t I?
I was working on something I was really excited about. I had made progress. Good progress, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be.
I was flummoxed. I was excited about the project, why wasn’t that enough? Why didn’t I make the progress I expected?
And so I brought it to my coach.
I shared how things were going, what I had tried, where I hadn’t made progress, how I was feeling about the whole thing.
And she shared this observation with me…
It seemed that I had two systems for getting things done.
One that worked well, a standard system (or really a collection of systems). Sticky notes, timeblocking, to-do lists, moving to a new location when I wanted to focus, listening to certain music, creating an accountability structure and self-imposed deadlines. These were all systems honed over time, which helped me get things done even when I didn’t necessarily feel inspired to work on them.
And then I had another system. One for the things where “excitement” carried my momentum. Where I was inspired to pick up the work and make progress. I didn’t need the support of my “standard” system, my enthusiasm was enough to step into action.
And it seemed I was relying on the second system rather than the first to make real progress on my project.
It was an interesting observation. That I had been relying on one system when I had a better system available.
Why hadn’t I gone straight to the system I knew would work? The project was important to me, it should have been a no-brainer to leverage the system that would best support my success.
It was because I didn’t think I “had” to. It’s work to implement the system I know works. I would have had to expend energy implementing the scaffolding. Shouldn’t my enthusiasm have been enough?
And so I ask you…where are you not leveraging your tried-and-true systems, and as a result, not getting the results that you’re going for?
Oh, and I’m pleased to report that my project is back on track and humming beautifully, now that I’m leveraging my systems.
October 8, 2026
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
Book your free strategy session.
