The Ultimate Guide to Creating Systems That Fit Your Life

(From Someone Who Nearly Lost Theirs)

Hey, I’m Isak. Before anything else—before the tips, the frameworks, the digital tools—let me say this: I didn’t write this because everything in my life is perfect and organized and I always know what I’m doing.

Honestly, it’s pretty much the opposite.

Real Talk: The Mess That Got Me Here

I’m a tech nerd, sure. I’ve studied systems my whole adult life. But my introduction to “systems for life” wasn’t some fun, organized project. It was, well… desperation. I burned out. Badly.

I mean, not the “oh, I’m tired, I need a vacation” kind of burnout. I’m talking about the can’t-get-out-of-bed, can’t-read-words, can’t-even-make-breakfast kind of crash. The kind where you re-evaluate everything—your goals, your habits, your sense of who you are.

People don’t always talk about this stuff, but if I’m honest, I was doing all the “right” things I’d read about—hustling, pushing myself, trying to optimize every hour, every calorie, every workout. I wanted to be the perfect student, the perfect entrepreneur, the perfect… whatever.

Spoiler: that didn’t work out.

I remember one day, I literally just sat on the floor staring at the wall, completely blank. All my ‘routines’ and ‘systems’ felt pointless… My body and brain simply said, ‘No more.’

Why Systems? (‘Cause I Needed to Survive)

When my old way of life stopped working, I had to start over. Literally. At one point, my “win” for the day was just being able to walk to the kitchen and get a glass of water. That was it.

And it was humbling. I had to let go of the idea that I could “power through” everything forever. Turns out, you don’t get bonus points for grinding yourself into the ground.

So, I started small. I built these little routines, these “mini-systems,” just to get basic stuff done. Some days it was like, “Okay, step one: get out of bed. Step two: make tea. Step three: stare at the wall for a bit. Step four: journal how you’re feeling (even if it’s miserable).”

It wasn’t glamorous. But it was real. And it worked, slowly, over time. If you want to learn more, check out The Complete Guide to Burnout Recovery where I share my own struggles as well as my best tips.

Okay, But Why Should You Care?

I’m not telling you this for sympathy. I’m telling you because, honestly, I see a lot of people heading in the same direction I was going—maybe not as extreme, but the signs are there. Overwhelm. Stress. That nagging sense that you’re always behind, always missing something.

If that’s you? You’re not alone. And you don’t have to stay stuck.

I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but here’s what I learned about building systems that actually fit your life (not the “ideal life” you see on Instagram, but the messy, unpredictable, beautiful, sometimes exhausting one you’re living right now).

Step One: Admit You Can’t Do Everything (And That’s Okay)

This is the hardest part. Seriously. If you take nothing else from this guide, take this:

You can’t do it all. You don’t have to.

I used to think systems were about squeezing more and more out of myself. Turns out, the best systems are about making peace with your limits, and using what you do have wisely.

For me, that started with a little self-compassion. I remember feeling guilty for needing rest, for not being ‘productive enough.’ But that guilt was just another weight on my back. The real breakthrough was accepting that my energy is finite, and that’s actually okay

How I Actually Use Systems (Not Just Theory)

1. Tasks: Get Them Out of Your Head

People always talk about “productivity tools.” I’ve tried them all. Todoist, Notion, Google Keep, sticky notes, even writing on my hand (don’t recommend for sweaty days).

But here’s the deal: the tool matters way less than the habit of getting stuff out of your head. If you’re carrying around 20 open loops in your brain, you’re going to feel fried. Every. Single. Day.

For me, it’s Notion. For my friend, it’s a stack of index cards. For you? I don’t know—try a few, but don’t overthink it. Just pick something and start dumping every task, idea, reminder, and “oh crap I forgot to…” into it.

I even do this for really tiny stuff—like “buy toothpaste” or “text Dad back.” It adds up. For more productivity tips, check out Work From Home Tips: Strategies to Enhance Productivity.

Real Moment

Sometimes I forget for a few days and my brain gets that old “spinny wheel” feeling. I get anxious. That’s my cue to go back, empty my head into the system, and breathe.

If you have trouble starting, try setting a 5-minute timer. Dump everything in your head onto paper or into your phone, no judgment, no editing.

2. Notes: Your “Second Brain” (But Messier)

Look, my digital notes are not some perfectly organized library. Sometimes they’re basically a pile of half-baked ideas, random links, and quotes from podcasts. But that’s okay! They’re not for show—they’re for me.

I try to keep it simple: If I read something interesting, I save it. If I have a thought I don’t want to lose, I write it down. Sometimes I’ll tag it, sometimes not. Sometimes I’ll go back and highlight the really good stuff, and sometimes I never look at it again.

The point isn’t to have some perfect PKM (personal knowledge management) system. It’s to have a place for things I don’t want to forget.

Once in a while, I’ll scroll through old notes and stumble upon something I wrote a year ago. It’s like finding a letter from my past self—sometimes cringey, sometimes brilliant, sometimes both at once.

If you want to make your notes more useful, try summarizing the main idea in one sentence at the top. Even if you don’t, just having a messy ‘idea pile’ is better than losing good thoughts to the void.

How I Use Voice Notes + AI to Capture My Thinking

One of the coolest upgrades I’ve made to my system in the last year is using my phone as a “portable thinking recorder.” Whenever I have an idea, want to talk through a problem, or just need to vent, I open up the voice recorder on my phone and start talking. Sometimes I’m walking, sometimes I’m cooking, sometimes I’m just lying on the floor. It doesn’t matter—I capture whatever’s on my mind.

Here’s the magic:

As soon as I finish a voice note, it gets automatically uploaded to the cloud. From there, an AI service transcribes and summarizes everything for me, and then drops it right into Notion, organized by topic and date. No more losing my best ideas or insights to the ether. I can search, review, and even share my thoughts as written notes—without having to type a thing.

The best part?

I’ve clocked over 33 hours of recorded voice notes since I started using this workflow. That’s a ton of raw thinking, brainstorming, self-coaching, and story-capturing. And the total AI cost for all that—transcription, summarization, and storage—has only been $14.40. Seriously. For less than the price of a takeout pizza, I get a searchable, organized record of my own thoughts and ideas.

If you’re someone who processes things verbally, or you just want an easier way to capture your thinking in the moment, I can’t recommend this enough. It doesn’t have to be fancy; even simple voice memos and an AI transcription tool can change the way you remember, reflect, and create.

Bonus: It’s actually kind of fun (and a bit surreal) to see your random late-night rambles show up the next day as neat summaries in your notes app. Highly recommended.

True Story

Half of my most creative ideas come from randomly scrolling through old notes and going, “Wait, I totally forgot about that!” Connect the dots, spark a project, off I go.

3. Protecting Focus (The Struggle is Real)

I used to think I was great at multitasking. Turns out, I was just great at being distracted.

Now, I try to set up little “focus pockets”—blocks of time where I turn off notifications, close extra tabs, and just do one thing. (Does this always work? Absolutely not. My phone is a sneaky little dopamine machine.) Check out my blog-post on setting boundaries if you want to learn more.

But I notice: when I do manage even 30 minutes of deep work, I feel way better than after three hours of half-working, half-scrolling, half-worrying.

What’s helped:

• Putting my phone in another room.
• Using browser extensions to block distracting sites.
• Making a playlist for focus (lo-fi beats, anyone?)
• Giving myself permission to take real breaks—walks, stretches, staring out the window.

How I Actually Block Distractions (A Peek at My Freedom App Setup)

I talk a lot about protecting my focus, but honestly, the only way I manage to do deep work (or sometimes even any work) is by making distractions hard to access. Willpower alone? Doesn’t cut it for me.

This is a screenshot from my Freedom app dashboard. If you’ve never heard of it, Freedom lets you create custom blocklists and schedules to shut out distracting websites and apps on all your devices. I use it every day. Here’s how:

• Block Unhealthy Websites: I have a massive list of websites I know are time sinks for me—news, clickbait, forums, etc. I set this to block on all my devices for a big chunk of the day.
• Block Social Media: Social media is my kryptonite, so I have a separate blocklist for that, often running 24/7 on my phone.
• My Schedule: I have time-based blocks—like shutting down certain sites at night so I’m not doom-scrolling before bed.
• Evening Wind-Down: After 9 PM, Freedom kicks in to help me actually relax. It blocks news, social, and anything else that might get my mind spinning right before sleep.

One thing I both love and sometimes curse about Freedom is its “Locked Mode.” When you turn this on, you can’t just end a session early if you get tempted or feel like cheating. It’s honestly saved me from so many unproductive spirals—if I know I can’t turn it off, I just have to get on with my work (or, you know, actually rest).

But I’ll admit, “Locked Mode” isn’t just an anti-distraction tool. Sometimes, it’s a little too effective. There have been times when I desperately needed to log in to an account or check an urgent email, only to realize… oops, Freedom has me totally locked out! I’ve literally sat there, staring at my screen, thinking, “Well, I guess this can wait.” It’s a little bit hilarious and a little bit frustrating, but overall it forces me to plan ahead—and honestly, it keeps me honest about the boundaries I set for myself.

If you struggle with distractions, I can’t recommend this kind of tool enough. Sometimes the best system is one that removes temptation completely—so you don’t have to rely on pure discipline to get stuff done. Just don’t forget to whitelist your email if you might need it in an emergency… lesson learned!

Actual Tip

If you’re struggling, try the “one tab rule”: Only keep one browser tab open at a time for an hour. You’ll hate it at first. You’ll thank me later.

4. Learning That Lasts (Not Just Cramming)

I could write a whole book about this, but here’s the short version: If you want to remember stuff, you have to revisit it. Not once, not twice, but over time.

Sometimes I use Anki for flashcards. Sometimes I just flip through old notes or try to explain a concept to a friend (or my friend’s cat, who is a very patient listener).

I’ve also found that teaching—even if it’s just talking out loud to myself—solidifies what I’ve learned way more than just reading or highlighting.

Mini-ritual: Every Sunday, I pick one thing I learned that week and try to summarize it in my own words. Sometimes it’s messy. Sometimes it’s brilliant. It always helps.

The best test? If you can teach it, you probably know it. If you’re looking for great books to read, check out my book list.

My Digital Bookshelf: How I Keep Track of What I Read

One of my favorite parts of my system is my digital “bookshelf.” This is a peek inside my Notion workspace—my Media Vault—where I collect and organize some of my most highlighted books.

I do almost all my reading on my Kindle or tablet, and I’m always highlighting passages as I go. Life’s too short to try to remember everything, so I let tech do the remembering for me. I use a service called Readwise to automatically sync my highlights straight into Notion. No copy-paste, no manual typing—just open my Notion vault and everything’s waiting for me.

Whenever I want to revisit my favorite insights, it’s all right here. I can search, filter, or even link book notes directly to projects or blog post drafts. (Super handy when I need inspiration or want to reference something I’ve read without flipping through a dozen old books.)

Honestly, this little workflow has made it so much easier to actually use what I read, instead of letting it disappear into the “I’ll remember that later” void.

If you’re a fellow bookworm or just want a better way to organize your learning, give this workflow a try. It’s a game-changer.

5. Automation: Letting Systems Do the Boring Stuff

I used to think automation was for “super-productive” people with fancy apps and smart homes. Turns out, it’s for anyone who wants to stop thinking about the boring, repetitive stuff.

Don’t let this flowchart scare you off!

I know this automation looks kind of wild (I had to zoom out just to fit the whole thing in one screenshot). This one’s actually my mega-workflow for keyword research—it grabs data, organizes it, and even stores everything neatly into Notion. It saves me a ton of time when I’m doing big blog posts like this.

But here’s the thing: most of my automations are nowhere near this complicated. In fact, a lot of them are just one or two simple steps—like automatically sending files to the right folder, or setting a recurring reminder. You definitely don’t need to start with something like this! Even the tiniest automation can make your day smoother. Start small, and only add complexity if (and when) you actually need it.

What I automate:

• Bill payments and reminders
• Calendar events for health check-ins
• Recurring grocery lists
• Automatic backups for important files
• “Habit” reminders (drink water, stretch, breathe)
• Plus, a bunch of boring stuff that the robots now do instead of me.

Confession: Sometimes my automations break. Sometimes I forget to check them. That’s okay. I’d rather have a system that saves me time 80% of the time than none at all.

The Human Stuff: It’s Not Just About Apps

This is the part most “system guides” skip. The inner work. The “why am I even doing this?” part.

For me, everything changed when I stopped trying to impress other people—or even my past self—and started asking, “What do I need right now?”

Sometimes that means doing less. Sometimes it means letting go of old goals. Sometimes it means building in rest, even when it feels lazy.

And yes, sometimes it means crying in the shower and then making a checklist because… well, both are valid.

I’ve learned to see systems as a way to be kind to myself, not a stick to beat myself with. If I fall off, I try to notice what threw me off. Was I tired? Was I overwhelmed? Was my system too complicated? Then I tweak, simplify, or just rest.

Building YOUR System (Not Mine)

If you’re still reading, here’s what I’d say to a friend over coffee:

1. Start with what’s bugging you.

Is it forgetting tasks? Feeling scatterbrained? Not having time for yourself? Pick one pain point.

2. Pick the simplest tool that works.

Don’t get caught up in the tech. A cheap notebook works wonders.

3. Set a reminder to check in with yourself.

Weekly is good. Ask: What’s working? What’s not? Be honest—no judgment.

4. Expect failure.

Seriously. You’ll forget. You’ll get off track. That’s not a sign you’re broken—it’s a sign you’re human.

5. Adjust as you go.

Your energy, your needs, your life… they’ll all change. Your system should too.

Extra: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Share your struggles with a friend. Sometimes just voicing what’s not working helps you see the next step.

Bonus: My Messiest Habit (That Still Helps)

Every so often, I do a “brain dump” where I write down literally everything that’s on my mind. Worries, hopes, to-dos, random dreams, stuff I’m annoyed about. I don’t censor it. I just get it all out.

Then, I look it over. Sometimes I laugh at how silly some of it is. Sometimes I see a pattern. Sometimes I just feel lighter.

Try it. You might be surprised.

If you want, you can even make it a ritual—Friday night brain dump, Sunday morning review. Or just whenever you’re feeling overloaded.

Some Days Will Suck (But That’s Okay)

Look, I wish I could sign off with “Do these five things and you’ll be a productivity god.” But life’s not like that. Some days you’ll crush it. Some days you’ll flop. That’s normal.

What matters is that you keep showing up for yourself. Systems are there to help—never to make you feel worse when you fall behind.

I’m still figuring this out, too. My system is always evolving. Some weeks it’s tight, some weeks it’s duct-taped together.

But that’s life, right? Messy, beautiful, unfinished.

FAQs: What People Actually Ask Me

Q: How do you deal with days when you can’t do anything?

A: I stop beating myself up. I do what little I can—sometimes that’s just getting dressed. I remind myself: surviving is enough.

Q: What if my system falls apart?

A: It will, at some point! When it does, just start again. Don’t waste energy on guilt. Systems are meant to support you, not shackle you.

Q: Do you ever feel like you’re “behind”?

A: All the time. But I try to focus on progress, not perfection. Some days, just making it through is a win.

Q: What’s your favorite tool?

A: Right now, it’s Notion. But honestly, pen and paper are just as good when I need a reset.

Closing Thoughts (And a Little Honesty)

If you want to chat, ask questions, or just vent about your own struggles, hit me up. We’re all in this together.

Here’s to finding a system that fits your life—even if it’s a little rough around the edges.

— Isak

P.S. If you want nitty-gritty details on my setup, or you’re curious about how I juggle productivity, health, and (attempted) sanity, let me know. I’ll be sharing more stories, tools, and “lessons learned the hard way” soon. In the meantime, you can check out my YouTube Channel where I share my personal struggles and the systems that helps me recover.