My system failed me (ok, maybe that’s not quite true)
I had a 45 minute break between calls.
Perfect, I thought. I’ll eat some lunch, make progress on an interesting book, and have a few minutes to prep for my next conversation.
I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Oops. I didn’t have anything to eat.
Ok, that’s not entirely true, but there wasn’t anything that I could easily heat up or assemble for a balanced, nutritious lunch. There were some odds and ends, and a few things that actually needed to be thrown out.
My system had failed me.
Ok, that’s not entirely true. My typical system is to grocery shop and meal prep on the weekends, so throughout the week it’s easy to pull together satisfying, healthy meals.
And I hadn’t been working that system.
Lately, my weekends have been full, so I’ve been squeezing in shopping trips to pick up easy to prep or ready-to eat options.
And that system had failed me.
Ok, that’s not really true, either. The last few weeks were busy, 4 days on the road, a number of other commitments outside of work, a full weekday schedule. I couldn’t remember the last time I had bought groceries.
Ok, my system hadn’t failed me, I had failed to work the system.
Have you ever noticed this about your systems?
It’s easy to blame our systems, but as James Clear states in his book Atomic Habits, “You’re current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results".
Systems and habits work, even if the results aren’t quite what we want.
Our system to hit the snooze button in the morning will consistently result in us getting up later than planned.
Our system to ignore our inbox will consistently result in important messages falling through the cracks.
Our system to put off tough conversations will consistently result in the need for even tougher conversations.
My system to not shop for groceries very predictably resulted in me not having options for lunch.
Are you finding that your systems are failing you? Take a look:
What is the system you’re currently using?
As neutrally as possible (read: keep all judgement away), take a moment to identify the system you’re currently following. Draw a picture if it helps, anything that gets you clear on each step of the system and the predictable result it delivers.What different result do you want?
Now, clearly identify for yourself what difference you want in the results you’re getting from the system. Specifically, what would you like your system to deliver?Redesign the system
With a clear outcome in mind, decide what changes are required to deliver the new outcome you’d like. Perhaps it’s fully replacing the system with one you know (or expect) will work, or it may be adjusting a part of the system to tweak the result.
With this new system in hand, the final step is to WORK THE SYSTEM. It may take a few iterations to hone in on the system that both provides the results you want and is a system you can consistently work, but with a bit of patience you’ll get there.
And hopefully you won’t find yourself scrambling for lunch because you didn’t work the system to fill the fridge.
May 14, 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?
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