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Erin, welcome to unlearning work, where we empower you to redesign your job by rethinking work habits, behaviors and strategies. I'm your host. Erin Merideth, a work behavior enthusiast and leadership strategist, join me as I explore various work related topics and provide practical insights and real life examples. We'll examine the nature of work from the ground up and deliver bite size episodes with actionable advice twice a month.
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Welcome back to unlearning work, the podcast where we trade hustle culture for human centered habits and build systems that actually fit you. I'm Erin Merideth, behavioral researcher, certified coach and founder of unlearning work. Let's talk about that moment, the one right before you buy a new planner, download a fresh organizing app or pick up a productivity framework you saw online. You're chasing something. Maybe it's control, wanting to feel on top of your deadlines, instead of buried under them. Maybe it's clarity, the dream of opening your planner and instantly knowing what matters most today, maybe it's a fresh start, the belief that this one new tool will finally be the thing that makes life feel less chaotic. Planners and organizers promise all of that, the sleek covers, the color coded templates, the proven systems, they offer order in a world that feels messy and in that moment of buying or downloading, you feel hopeful, energized, even like you're taking charge. But here's the problem, most of these tools were designed for a specific kind of brain, and if that's not your brain, you might find yourself in the same cycle. So many of us do, starting strong, slipping after a week or two, abandoning the system entirely, then blaming yourself for not sticking with it. So today, we're going to unpack why this happens, what it's costing you, and how to finally build a productivity system that fits the way you actually work, so you can stop starting over and start building momentum that lasts.
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Why do people make this mistake? Well, from our first job or even our first day at school, we've been told there's one right way to plan and get things done. The people teaching these systems, they usually thrive in high structure, detail, heavy setups, so they pass along what works for them, and we assume it's a universal answer. That's why so many of us have tried calendar blocking every hour of our day, color coded to do lists with more categories and actual tasks, goal setting frameworks that require hours of setup before you take action. What does this look like for people? For some people, these systems work like magic. For others, they're a fast track to frustration and burnout. It could be you buy a beautiful planner, fill in every page, color code your life, and then a busy week hits. You stop updating it, and now it sits in a drawer, making you feel guilty every time you see it, or you try a detailed goal setting method, mapping out every single task, only to find yourself too drained to actually start the work, or you adopt a project management app, because everyone at work swears by it, but instead of helping you end up spending more time organizing the tool than completing your tasks.
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There is a cost of copying the wrong system when you force yourself into a productivity setup that doesn't fit, you pay three big costs. First, you're constantly starting over your desk or desktop is littered with half filled planners, abandoned apps and outdated templates. Every restart feels like a fresh start until it doesn't two you think the problem is you you blame yourself for not having enough discipline, when the real issue is that you've been trying to wear shoes that don't fit. Three, you waste your time on the wrong things. You pour your best energy into maintaining the system, color coding, rearranging, tweaking, while the actual work gets whatever scraps are left. One client of mine spent two hours every Monday morning getting organized in her tool before starting her week when we simplified her system to match her natural style, she reclaimed those hours and finally had energy for her high priority work. This is the turning point when you stop trying to fit your brain into someone else's box and start building a system around how you actually think plan and follow through. When the system fits, follow through becomes easier. You're not burning willpower just to get started. Planning feels natural. You actually want to do it, because it works with your energy, and you get more done in less time. The system clears the path instead of adding obstacles. For example, one client swapped rigid daily time blocking for flexible weekly focus themes. Another created one reusable checklist for every recurring project, no more reinventing the wheel. Suddenly, their systems felt lighter and their work moved faster. Before
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I became a behavioral scientist, and before my husband got sick, I used.
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To be really hard on myself about productivity. I had this drawer, my planner graveyard, every single one of them was supposed to be the thing that finally kept me on track. I had the sleek leather one that made me feel like a CEO just holding it, the minimalist white one, which I bought after binge watching Plan With Me videos, the chunky spiral bound one with stickers, because obviously the stickers were going to fix my follow through problem. Every time I'd buy a new one, I'd spend hours setting it up, color coding, mapping my perfect week, and for a little while it would work, but then I'd skip a day, then too, and within a few weeks, I was buried under a pile of papers. And when that happened, I was brutal with myself. I told myself I was scattered, undisciplined, maybe even lazy. I didn't know yet that the problem wasn't me. It was the system I was trying to force my brain into a way of working. That's
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when I started noticing something in my clients and in myself, the people who struggle to stick to a system weren't broken, they weren't lazy, they weren't undisciplined, they were just mismatched. The truth is, most productivity systems are built for one specific kind of brain. If that's not your brain, those tools are like trying to run a marathon in someone else's shoes. They might get you across the finish line, but it's going to be painful, slow and unsustainable
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over years of research, coaching and working in high pressure environments, I found that most people fall into one of four work style archetypes. Each one approaches planning, motivation and follow through in a completely different way. And when you know yours, you can design a system that automatically plays your strengths instead of fighting your natural tendencies.
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So here they are, in no particular order. The first up is inspired starter who's fueled by novelty and momentum. So you come alive at the start of something new, a fresh idea, a big vision, a creative challenge, you're all in. But when the novelty fades, so does your motivation? An inspired starter might dive into a brand new marketing campaign with tons of ideas, creating graphics, writing copy and brainstorming launch events, only to lose steam once it shifts into the slower phase of follow up and measurement. So what works here? Well, systems that give you variety visible progress and quick wins, weekly focus themes, instead of rigid daily schedules, short sprints with clear finish lines.
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Up next, the system strategist who thrives on order and repeatable structure, you feel your best when you know exactly what's coming next. Predictable rhythms and repeatable systems aren't boring to you. They're freeing surprises and vague plans, not your friend. A system strategist might excel at running a recurring client onboarding process, every step mapped out, every document ready to go. But if they're thrown into a last minute, unstructured project with no clear deliverables, they feel stress and off balance. So what works for them is a stable, repeatable, weekly rhythm, automating recurring tasks, keeping tools and workflows consistent so you're not constantly reinventing the wheel.
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Next we have the just in time performer who activates under pressure. Deadlines are your best friend. You may not start right away, but when the pressure is on, you deliver often with your sharpest, most creative work without urgency, you can drift into busy work. A just in time performer might put off prepping for a presentation until the day before, but then, with the adrenaline flowing, they create something engaging, polished and impactful. Without that looming deadline, they might spend days researching without producing much. So what works for them is short, clear timelines, artificial deadlines to create urgency, external accountability, like a meeting on the calendar, a commitment to a colleague to spark focus.
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Finally, we have the thoughtful planner who prefers clarity before action. You feel grounded when you've mapped out the steps before you start. You like to anticipate challenges and plan accordingly. Jumping in without a roadmap. That's where mistakes happen. So a thoughtful planner might spend a week creating a detailed launch plan for new product, outlining every step, every milestone and every contingency. But if they're told to just start and figure it out as you go, they'll feel anxious and hesitant. So what works for them is step by step, plans, detailed checklists, reusable templates that give you a clear starting point without needing to overthink.
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So when you know which archetype you are, you stop trying to copy someone else's productivity style and start building one that's aligned with how you naturally think, plan and follow through. And the best part, once you have that alignment, follow through becomes easier. Planning feels natural, and you start making consistent, consistent progress without having to try hard.
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Starter every single day.
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So your next step is breaking free from the copycat cycle. Finding your productivity fit isn't about buying another planner or downloading the latest app. It's about building a system that works with your brain, your energy and your life, not against them. Now that you've heard the four archetypes and you're starting to see where you fit. Here's how you can take that insight and put it into action right away. Step one, start with clarity. The first step is knowing your work style archetype. Think of it as your personal operating system. Without knowing it, you're guessing. And guessing is exactly what's been keeping you stuck in the cycle of trying and abandoning systems. So how do you do this? When you take the free work style assessment, there's a link in the show notes. When you get your result, don't just glance at the label. Dig into why you work the way you do. Notice what energizes you, what drains you, and how you naturally build momentum.
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Step two, learn the foundations with free six lessons. So when you take the assessment, you'll also get free access to the first six lessons of my work your way. Course. In those lessons, I walk you through how to work with your brand's natural motivation patterns, how to design systems that are light enough to maintain but strong enough to keep you moving, how to avoid the traps that make people abandon their plans. These lessons give you a no pressure way to start experimenting with strategies that actually fit your style.
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Step three, upgrade to your custom playbook, which is a full course if you're ready to go deeper, the full work your way. Course gives you my complete framework for building your personal productivity system from the ground up. And here's the part my students love the most. It comes with a set of downloadable Monday kick start and Friday finish worksheets, they aren't just pretty pages. They take the heavy lifting out of starting and ending your week. So in the Monday kick start worksheet, in minutes, you'll set clear priorities, align them with your natural energy peaks, and map a simple action plan, no more Monday morning overwhelm. In the Friday finish worksheet, guides you through wrapping up loose ends, tracking wins and clearing your head so you can truly unplug for the weekend without that nagging feeling that you've forgotten something. Think of them as plug and play tools. You just open them, fill them out, and your week is already structured without burning an hour trying to figure out where to start.
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Step four, audit what you're using right now, whether you stick with the free lessons or dive into the full course, your next move is to take a hard look at your current system. Ask yourself, Does this make my work easier or harder? Do I feel energized or drained after using it? Am I spending more time maintaining it than doing the actual work? If your answers reveal friction, that's your cue to adjust
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step five, make one small brain friendly shift resist the urge to overhaul everything at once. That's the fastest way to trigger resistance instead change one thing based on your archetype. For the inspired starter, use weekly focus themes instead of rigid daily schedules. For the system strategist, automate recurring tasks so you can stay in flow. For the just in time performer, add artificial deadlines to spark urgency and for the thoughtful planner, build reusable templates to reduce startup stress. Small, targeted tweaks stick far better than big, sweeping changes.
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Six build in weekly feedback loops. Great systems aren't static. At the end of each week, pause and ask what worked well, what felt heavy or unnecessary, what's one thing I can simplify or automate next week. This reflection keeps your system light, adaptive and aligned with your real life.
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Step seven, stop measuring your success against someone else's perfect looking system. The best system for you is the one you actually use consistently, even if it wouldn't Wow anyone on Instagram. And the best measurement you can use for yourself is measuring against yourself in the past, whether it be a week, a month or a year ago. Just ask yourself, Is this better than I was a week ago, two months ago, six months ago, a year ago? Do you decide what the time is? So here's
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your challenge for the week. Take the work style assessment. Dive into the free six lessons if you're ready for the full framework and the downloadable Monday, kickstart, Friday, finish worksheets, join the full course, then pick one thing in your current system that doesn't fit and change it. Remember, productivity isn't about doing more. It's about making it easier to do what matters most in a way that works for you. You
