Lead With Your Heart, Free Your Time with Jenny Blake
In this episode of Good Enough for Now, we hear from author and podcaster Jenny Blake about creating better systems in life and business to enable free time for creating the life you imagine. Jenny discusses tips from her award-winning book, Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business.
Tune in to be inspired about how to create more flow and less friction in your daily life, and how to use burnout and frustration as an opportunity to redesign how you structure your time to build the life you want.
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three reasons why you should listen to this episode:
Find a heart-centered approach to run your business and your life
Discover ways to design a framework to free your time and reboot your momentum
Learn how to build systems that reduce stress and frenzy when the inevitable roadblock appears
Highlights
Jenny talks about why we should reflect and refine our systems. She speaks about how it’s particularly important to do this during the moments when we feel stressed and overwhelmed so that when those moments arise, we can trust that the rest of the world won’t also collapse beneath our feet. Creating redundancy around systems is how we refine them further.
Jenny Blake:… It is always a good opportunity in the low moments to say, how could I create even more redundancy in my systems, in my life, in my process so that when I feel low energy I can take a step back and nothing's going to fall apart and I won't be completely gumming up the works. Even on the home front, can somehow keep moving. So it's a good opportunity when you're actually the most tired and the most down.
How am I going to keep things running, but just at the minimum level of involvement? And that question is a really good prompt for systems thinking because a lot of my best systems come from frustration.
Jenny elaborates on the value of creating systems so that you feel confident there is cushioning around your schedule thereby providing you with more flexibility and less cramming.
Jenny Blake: So that's where I do think we can all get a little more creative about, okay, great, how can I create some systems so that one, I build in enough buffer and enough breaks in general so that even if you do catch a cold or something, you have a buffer in the calendar, you're actually not having to move a million things. That there's already a sense of spaciousness in the day-to-day. Exactly for this purpose, for creating that margin and sense of flexibility
Jenny speaks about allowing time for rest rather than pushing through. She talks about how whenever we force a task when what we really need is to rest, very little productivity is actually made.
Jenny Blake: And so I try to remember if I rest enough, and it's usually two or three times longer than I think I need to, my energy will come back and I have to sort of let the process play itself out because when I try and force it and I try to force productivity or force momentum, it's just ridiculous how little happens for so much effort.
On the topic of generating momentum, Jenny explains what she does when she feels stuck on a project. She takes all the pressure off of herself and draws inspiration from others.
Jenny Blake: Sometimes when I'm the most stuck, you asked about generating momentum, I'll just offer it up. And I learned this from Tosha Silver, her book Outrageous Openness. But I'll just say, “I'm really stuck here on how to open this newsletter. Please universe, give me some ideas”. And so, I at least open the channel to help me. I wanna deliver value to this community. These are my paying subscribers, you know, my private community. Like I want to send them something good. That's the thing, I don't wanna just phone it in. And so then I'll open it up. What would they find helpful? And at least if I can ask the question, then some answers might start to come in in the next 24 hours and then that's when the little threads of inspiration I can finally pull from and make something happen.
Jenny speaks about her feelings about freedom and what freedom can look like. She speaks about paying attention to where there is friction in your life versus where there is freedom and flow. Wherever you feel friction is an invitation to inquire about transforming that into freedom instead.
Jenny Blake: So the way that I even talk about free time is of course, yes it can refer to leisure time, what we do when we're not working. But I like to think of it as a verb. How do we get better and better at the skill of freeing our time? Or put another way of setting our time free. I love to think of it like we're just letting our time out of a cage and letting it free. And so it's not about time management and manipulation and productivity and efficiency, it's like freedom. That's what I'm going for. Just how do we set our time free and that's a skill that we can get better at. And so noticing where are you in friction? Where are you in flow? That can be a good starting point because wherever you are in friction, friction, meaning there's drag, you feel dread, you're procrastinating… there's an opportunity to say, how could I shift this?
Jenny elaborates on discovering what it is we rub against so that we may reorient to flow, and what it looks like when we are in a flow state.
Jenny Blake: Or how could I do this differently? And if we can at least notice those friction areas and then ask the questions, “What could this look like? What would it look like if this was easeful and joyful?” That's what moves us closer to flow. We're in flow with our life, with our energy, with our strengths and our values. When things are in flow, they just happen and they happen naturally.
Jenny talks about what she learned from her husband who is notorious for going with the flow. She learned there is a balance between rigidity and flux.
Jenny Blake: And so I learned a lot from him in the early days of what it looks like to be in flow and that with a little less planning and a little less rigidity, you actually can go with your energy more in life, in work, in the business. And so I think it's about having just enough structure but also peeling layers away. And it's just a theme I constantly come back to is how to simplify.
Jenny shares how she values time, happiness, and freedom within a business model versus revenue and production. She aims to prioritize these values even at the expense of missing business opportunities to maintain her health and happiness.
Jenny Blake: I value time and energy, let's say as much as money. I wouldn't even try to rank them. But I think a lot of business advice is about making more money and maximizing how much money you make. And there is so much less about - are you enjoying that path to that revenue and do you have enough time? Are you healthy? Do you have energy for your projects outside of work for your family? And so, for me, I never want to prioritize money at the expense of my health. And so that's been a perpetual quest of just how do I optimize for all of these equally, even if it means turning some clients away.
Jenny speaks about creating systems to overcome unnecessary repetitive work. These systems can apply to work and home. She speaks about creating fail-safe systems that become habit.
Jenny Blake: …are you getting the same question over and over at home or work? And then how could you solve for that? How do you create these little systems even around the house? It's like if there's a place for the keys, people don't really have to ask you where the keys are because there's a home for them, you know? Or, they know where to find their own keys. And so I find that that's really the reward of a good system is that it's harder not to use it. Once you've created something that actually works, it's harder not to use it.
Jenny talks about the distinction between organization and systems, and how in order for systems to work, we must engage with them. She encourages us to ask ourselves how thankful our future self will be when we take initiative to interact with the systems we create.
Jenny Blake: I love that distinction of the sort of physical place that things go or even if it's virtual, but then the system is how we interact with that space. So we have a rule of thumb like if a product runs out, you write it on the list that's on a magnet pad on the fridge, or you add it to our cart so we don't forget and you don't have to order it right then, but at least you gotta remember that this thing just ran out and we're gonna need more and don't wanna be caught in alerts in the future. So like I think the system is those little rules of thumb about how you interact in order to free time for your future self. I think some people will say, “oh I'm not good at systems.” If you don't worry about that piece of it. It's really a question of, what would your future self most appreciate and how can you make their life easier?
Jenny speaks about her studies in spirituality and how it connects to how she orients to business. Rather than taking a linear calculated approach to business, Jenny leans on trust and flow to carry her work forward.
Jenny Blake: I was much more interested in the spiritual underpinnings of how we navigate change than how to write a LinkedIn profile, the nuts and bolts of it. And I was very interested in studying the intersection between faith and work… I do think that I tend to take a more spiritual approach to business as well. That almost sometimes surrendering like I'm so on the spectrum of being really metrics possessed and setting clear goals and going after very specific objectives. I'm like so far on the other side of the spectrum of just kind of seeing what's unfolding and surrendering to the process and trusting and the flow of clients and work.
Jenny speaks about operating a heart-based business and what that does not look like.
Jenny Blake: … when I say heart-based business, for me it's a value system that I'm gonna do what's in the highest good for all involved, which means that I the owner, I'm not gonna free up my time and then be a tyrant to my team and make them work overtime, or work on Saturday, or nights during a launch. I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna end the launch on an appropriate day and time, or I'm not gonna ask them to cover some crazy windows. So I'm not the type of business owner that's gonna say, well we're gonna launch, I need you to all make an exception and stay up all night.
Jenny talks about creating a framework that gives you more freedom and enjoyment. Any time you’re not content with the way something is going, she suggests readjusting and redesigning it to a system that supports your values.
Jenny Blake: So what's the point if you're not present and we're not enjoying it. Pause, step back, recalibrate. And that's where the free time framework comes in. So realign with your values, your strengths, your energy. Then intentionally design your ideal impact, ideal outcomes of any given project or revenue stream. And then be intentional about designing a process that can work. And then assign is the challenge to all of us to double how much we delegate and really get better at assigning as much as we can that other people can help with. And that can even include assigning things to technology, to software. It doesn't always have to be to a person.
What Good Enough For Now means to Jenny:
Oh, I just, I love this phrase. So much of what I've ever done or created follows this mantra. And every now and then, I'm very picky. I'm a picky perfectionist mostly when it comes to my three books, I really cross every ‘t’, dot every ‘i’, I leave no stone unturned, I'm obsessive, but with the rest in order to just keep moving, I love this phrase good enough for now. And I think it's the way to do anything out loud is nothing is perfect. And I often say I feel awkward after every single podcast interview that I do, cause it's been over seven years of conducting them. Every time I hang up the proverbial phone, even though it's online now, I feel so awkward. But I hit publish anyway. And that's what allows me to have a longer arc on the creative process because if I was waiting for any one thing or moment to be perfect, I would be waiting forever. Nothing would happen and we wouldn't be here today.
ABOUT
Jenny Blake is an author and podcaster who runs a media and licensing company. She loves helping people move from friction to flow through smarter systems, powered by Delightfully Tiny Teams. She recently released her award-winning third book, Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business (Ideapress, 2022). Jenny is also the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One (Portfolio, 2016), winner of the Axiom award for Best Business Book in the Careers category, and co-creator of Googles’s global drop-in coaching program, Career Guru. She hosts two podcasts with over 1 million downloads combined: Free Time with Jenny Blake for Heart-Based Business owners, and Pivot with Jenny Blake for navigating change.
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Stephanie Kruse (00:05):
Welcome to Good Enough for now a podcast aimed at dismantling perfectionism. One conversation at a time. I'm Stephanie Kruse and along with my guests on the show, we share stories of false starts, unexpected U-turns, and moments of reinvention that happen as we move through life. Thanks for joining me. My hope is that our conversations will help you stay grounded, feel a little less alone, and a little bit more together.
(00:41):
Today I'm talking to Jenny Blake. She was such a fantastic guest. We had such a good time talking about her book Free Time. Among the other two books she's written as well. We talk a lot about how to get yourself unstuck if you're feeling stuck or maybe slightly burnt out and creating that energy and momentum for yourself through a framework that she works with in her business and her life. But also just knowing how to connect in and be present. I think you guys are gonna really like this conversation. Jenny Blake is an author and podcaster who runs a media and licensing company. She loves helping people move from friction to flow through smarter systems, powered by delightfully tiny teams. She recently released her award-winning third book Free Time, lose the Busy Work Left Your Business. Jenny is also the author of Pivot. The only Move that Matters is your next one winner of the Axiom Award for best business book in the careers category and co-creator of Google's global drop in coaching program, career Guru. She hosts two podcasts with over 1 million downloads, combined Free Time with Jenny Blake for heart based business owners, and Pivot with Jenny Blake for navigating change. Jenny, thank you so much for joining me today on Good Enough For Now.
Jenny Blake (01:58):
Yay. Thank you for having me. I absolutely love the name of your show. What a great reminder for all of us.
Stephanie Kruse (02:04):
I think saying it over and over again helps me every single day. I too <laugh>.
Jenny Blake (02:08):
Yes, just done is better than perfect. Good enough for now. Absolutely.
Stephanie Kruse (02:13):
So tell me where you are in your life right now.
Jenny Blake (02:18):
I love that you asked this and I almost asked you before we hit record, like should I tell you how I really am like where I'm really at? But in the spirit of the show, in a big picture sense, there's so much to be thankful for and today is one of those days where I was texting with a friend saying, I feel like I have a two week sprint worth of meetings on the calendar before I give myself a little break and yet there's no gas in the tank. And she was saying, me too. I feel the exact same way. And I was delivering a virtual keynote earlier today and it was just one of those where I got out of bed and I go, how am I gonna get through this day? I don't know. Talk about good enough for now. Like just get through what's on the calendar and then you can collapse. And so where I'm at in my life, where I happen to be today on this very day is like good enough is good enough. And also on days like this, I try to give myself the one or two things that I absolutely need to do so I'm not greatly disappointing anyone. And then that's it. And then I have permission to drop the rest and just go into maintenance mode until my energy will naturally return <laugh>. So that's where I'm at.
Stephanie Kruse (03:29):
I think that is so true. There is always that right before the end of the marathon, right? Or the race where you're like, yes, I can see the finish line if I can just move one foot in front of the other until I get there. And I think everyone can relate to that feeling for sure. And sometimes it is a whole day, a whole week or it could just be the next 60 minutes for me also <laugh>. Right. But what you also brought up was the idea of giving yourself permission. And I have been reading FreeTime and I have to say it's probably one of the books I've read recently where as I'm reading it, whether I'm like walking my dog and like furiously doing voice notes to myself for things to remember or texting in my phone or writing down something I thought of when I woke up about it. It has stuck with me. And I think one of the things you introduced there is giving yourself permission. You know, you start off the book kind of talking about burnout and stress, business stress being a system. And so talk me through a little bit about, you know, when you haven't had permission to let some things go and how that felt and sort of what led you to really start to understand it as a system.
Jenny Blake (04:49):
Sure. Well I'm so glad that you're enjoying the book. You're right. The book starts with Burn It All Down mode. And it starts not in a dissimilar mood and mode where I actually start the book talking about texting instantly the same friend that I was texting today saying, <laugh>, it's Tuesday and we're recording this on a Tuesday. I can't move off the couch and all I wanna do is eat Ben and Jerry's and I feel that I'm glued to this couch. When that happens, it's just such a clear sign that our body is practically demanding a pause. I mean I, it's like I can't find the motivation if I tried. And so the fact that there's a day like that happening now I'm just getting over a cold. I try to remind myself a couple things like you mentioned this line business stress is a systems problem.
(05:38):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so it is always a good opportunity in the low moments to say, how could I create even more redundancy in my systems, in my life, in my process so that when I feel low energy I can take a step back and nothing's gonna fall apart and I won't be completely gumming up up the works, I'm not gonna be the bottleneck or things even on the home front can somehow keep moving. So it's a good opportunity when you're actually the most tired and the most down. Maybe you're not as creative as usual, but you're certainly creative in the sense of how am I gonna get through this? How am I going to,
Stephanie Kruse (06:14):
Yes,
Jenny Blake (06:15):
Keep things running, but just at the most minimum level of involvement. And that question is a really good prompt for systems thinking because a lot of my best systems come from frustration. When I'm frustrated I'm repeating myself, I'm doing more work than I need to or more work than I have the energy for. And if I can stop being mad at myself, you know, sometimes the default place is just what's wrong with you. Like so many people have such harder jobs like get off the couch, do your job, stop complaining. When I get past that I can just say, clearly you're juggling a lot. Or we hosted a party for my husband, a bunch of his friends. It's like, I'm sure I picked something up from them. That's not totally my fault. It was just we had a lot of people in our house for a get together and this is the conclusion I must have needed the break. So that's where I do think we can all get a little more creative about, okay, great, how can I create some systems so that one, I build in enough buffer and enough breaks in general so that even if you do catch a cold or something, you have buffer in the calendar, you're actually not having to move a million things that there's already a sense of spaciousness in the day-to-day. Exactly for this purpose, for creating that margin and sense of flexibility.
Stephanie Kruse (07:31):
And everybody loves a good canceled plan. You know,
(07:37):
Personally, my husband and I were supposed to be going to a dinner. Nothing that has to happen this week, nothing that has to happen tomorrow. It's something that was a casual sort of, we should all have dinner together. You know, passing comment as we do when we're socializing. Right. And thanks to them, they followed up, made this plan, and this week has just turned into one of those bears. It's greedy for our time. It has scheduled my husband late the next two nights before we would meet. By the time we arrive at this dinner, neither one of us will have connected with one another, will have much energy left in the tank. You know, and there's something else we're foregoing and it's like, so what if it moves by a month? You know, it's okay. So I love that you talk about, you know, once we get past that it's like, wait a minute, wait a minute. Why can create buffers?
Jenny Blake (08:30):
And you never know when the other couple might be feeling similar relief. Sometimes I think, oh we have so much guilt that if we cancel or we reschedule or something, but what if they then go, oh my goodness, that's exactly what we needed too was a night in.
Stephanie Kruse (08:44):
Yeah. Having the buffer to be able to sort of consciously make that decision makes so much difference. When I've been reading about systems and you just put it so wonderfully, the creating redundancies for yourself, I realize too, some of that is not only getting yourself out of burn it all down mode, but how have you also found a way to kind of create forward momentum of being in a stuck kind of place?
Jenny Blake (09:15):
I know it's so hard when you're in that mode. I mean, one thing is trusting that I won't feel stuck forever stuck and tired. There's a line I love from Martha Beck. She references an infinity loop and she says, "rest until you feel like playing, and play until you feel like resting," And play and work in her world are the same. Cuz hopefully you love what you're doing, otherwise stop doing it all together. And so I try to remember if I rest enough and it's usually two or three times longer than I think I need to, my energy will come back and I just have to sort of let the process play itself out because when I try and force it and I try to force productivity or force momentum, it's just ridiculous how little happens for so much effort. I mean just the other day I needed to send a newsletter to my private community.
(10:07):
I send it once a month and on Saturday it felt like climbing Mount Everest, this newsletter, like I couldn't look at my laptop, I couldn't fathom just creating this newsletter. By Sunday I was psychologically almost ready and I just, it was crazy, it was just wild to see how much resistance I had. And then by Monday my energy was like back just enough that it was no big deal and I got it out. Sometimes when I'm the most stuck, you asked about generating momentum, I'll just offer it up. And I learned this from Tosha Silver, her book Outrageous Openness. But I'll just say, I'm really stuck here on how to open this newsletter. Please universe, give me some ideas. And so I just at least open the channel of help me, I wanna deliver value to this community. These are my paying subscribers, you know, my private community. Like I want to send them something good. That's the thing, I don't wanna just phone it in. And so then I'll open it up. What would they find helpful? And at least if I can ask the question, then some answers might start to come in in the next 24 hours and then that's when the little threads of inspiration I can finally pull them and make something happen.
Stephanie Kruse (11:18):
I love that. I do think sometimes you just have to kinda put it out there. Yes. <laugh> and let it come to you <laugh>.
Jenny Blake (11:24):
Yeah.
Stephanie Kruse (11:26):
So many times we often feel that you know, well we've got all these tools we can just figure it out. You know, why do I need help? I should be able to do this. And it's the the should's. The should's start at that moment. I think you had a phrase for it, what the shiny shoulds
Jenny Blake (11:41):
<laugh>. Yes, yes. <laugh> stop feeling the sea of shiny shoulds and they're shiny because those are the ones that are not obvious to say no to. I think we all have a clear idea when the no is a no and it's clear, but then when something's shiny it has a lot of sheds around. It feels like everyone else is doing it. And there are all kinds of those in life and work floating around.
Stephanie Kruse (12:06):
There are always, one of the things that you talk about as well is, you know, you use this phrase, my career eyes were bigger than my stomach. Hmm. And how sometimes we look at large goals or what other people or businesses are doing and we look at our own business or our own lives and we say, oh my gosh, I should be doing these 25 things because look at this success that I'm seeing someone else have that I'd like to have for my business or my family or my life. Insert your own goal there. But that creates that friction, and you start to really piece this out between reducing friction and increasing something called flow. Can you talk a little bit about what that means and how that applies to free time in your life and in your work?
Jenny Blake (12:57):
This is really the primary diagnostic of the book and of generating free time. So the way that I even talk about free time is of course, yes it can refer to leisure time, what we do when we're not working. But I like to think of it as a verb. How do we get better and better at the skill of freeing our time. Or put another way of setting our time free. I love to think of it like we're just letting our time out of a cage and just letting it free. And so it's not about time management and manipulation and productivity and efficiency, it's like freedom. That's what I'm going for. Just how do we set our time free and that's a skill that we can get better at. And so noticing where are you in friction? Where are you in flow? That can be a good starting point because wherever you are in friction, friction meaning there's drag, you feel dread, you're procrastinating kind of what I described a friction of working on that newsletter, there's an opportunity to say, how could I shift this?
(13:54):
Or how could I do this differently? And if we can at least notice those friction areas and then ask it as a question, what could this look like? What would it look like if this was easeful and joyful? That's what moves us closer to flow. We're in flow with our life, with our energy, with our strengths and our values. When things are in flow, they just happen and they happen naturally. And even your example of making plans, when I first met my husband, he would not make any plans and it kind of drove me crazy cuz I was such a planner <laugh>. But then I realized there's really something to be said for how he lives, which is completely flowing. And one benefit of him always making last minute plans is that he knows what his energy is in the moment because the plans are only happening in the moment.
(14:41):
He would never get to a scenario where he had a lunch planned two weeks in advance and he shows up that day and he's the last thing he wants to do. And so I learned a lot from him in the, the early days of what it looks like to be in flow and that with little less planning and a little less rigidity, you actually can go with your energy more in life, in work, in the business. And so I think it's about having just enough structure but also peeling layers away. And it's just a theme I constantly come back to is how to simplify. Cuz you mentioned we come up with this list of 15 things again usually that we see everyone else doing. Or if I were a good business owner, I would be doing fill in the blank. And I'm a big fan of questioning all of that.
(15:28):
I have a podcast and people say, well you should be on YouTube. And it's like they can say that in a passing comment, but just their quick little comment, "oh you should be on YouTube" means so many things would have to change in my process and it would introduce so much friction for me with my shows. If I felt that I needed to be on video, video ready and recording on video for each time I was gonna do I do 12 episodes a month, I would actually just stop altogether. So there are certain shoulds that they would introduce so much friction that you would just stop doing the thing. You'd lose all motivation. And I think it's really important to be mindful of those because otherwise we pile on so much padding to the core kernel of the thing that we actually enjoy that it's no longer enjoyable. It's too heavy. We're like walking around in a big snowsuit in the summer
Stephanie Kruse (16:17):
<laugh>. Yeah. Oh my gosh, I love that image. <laugh> <laugh>. 100%. And I think, you know, it's interesting because for me in listening to you describe friction versus flow both live here, which is so lovely to have the privilege to hear you talk about and also in reading what you've written about it. For me, I think about, you know, I was working from home before, that was a thing, I was a consultant but I was really in a structure of the corporate wealth because my clients were all corporations that needed an extra hand but didn't want a full-time employee. It worked great for them, it worked great for my flexibility, but I really didn't spend any time thinking about, well what's the structure that actually makes sense for me here? Where is the friction? You know, it was just, oh here's a project, I'll complete it, I'll satisfy my client and move on to the next one.
(17:08):
And when I then started to pivot into places where maybe it was a more creative project like this one for the podcast or my own personal writing, I got really stuck because I think I didn't realize that so much of that was about the systems that either were there for me that I benefited from then and also it was hamstrung by two. Right. There's two sides to that. But also that I could create them in ways that work for me well now. That this idea of the entrepreneur is be dragged and working, you know, 25 hours a day, they have to make every decision. Like that's just not real. And I think think that when you describe how you get into the framework of free time, it's like popcorn in my brain. Mm-hmm <affirmative> about how you can structure your own business and knowing your value. So how did you arrive to this? Tell me how you created your systems in this framework for yourself.
Jenny Blake (18:10):
Well in addition to wanting to solve for, yeah, just that overwork overwhelm feeling. That's kind of a perpetual question because I value time and energy, let's say as much as money. I wouldn't even try to rank them. But I think a lot of business advice is about making more money and maximizing how much money you make. And there was so much less about, but are you enjoying that path to that revenue and do you have enough time? Are you healthy? Do you have energy for your projects outside of work for your family? And so, I don't know, for me, I never want to prioritize money at the expense of my health. And so that's been a perpetual quest of just how do I optimize for all of these equally, even if it means turning some clients away. And then another big motivator, what kind of sparked writing the book, was bringing on a new team member and just realizing over the years that my business is fragile when it lives in my mind.
(19:11):
And to the extent that I can get every single element about how to run the business out of my head into a centralized, I call it externalized mind. Tiago Forte calls it a second brain Annie. Um, there's a book, she calls it the Extended Mind. So we all have similar concepts cuz it's what it is. We're really creating an intelligence center outside of any one person. And that creates a lot of relief as well. So as I was onboarding someone, I remember starting a Google doc writing down this is how we work, these are some of my operating principles. And that doc quickly turned into multiple pages and then I kept adding to it. I kept thinking of things that would inform how someone on my team should make decisions, communicate with clients and customers. And just even process-wise, like don't ever send me attachments.
(20:00):
I hate with a passion Microsoft Word and Excel and receiving attachments. Hate it. Hate it. You know, don't send me those because if we go back and forth with sending attachments every time we've now generated 12 versions of a file when they're only needed to be one. Now, you know, people are much more used to cloud-based operating, but that's a principle we use cloud-based products that we can access from any device. I use Notion to power the externalized business mind. And that way it's all searchable. Its in one place. Even defining things like how I like to communicate. i.e. not on Slack, I hate Slack. I always tell my team members, Slack makes me jumpy. Nothing is so urgent that I need to have a push notification sent to me. So just even getting clear on how we communicate about the work so that it's always the goal of having more focus and less of that fractured, frenetic attention.
Stephanie Kruse (20:55):
Yeah. I think that using technology, and really staying in control of technology, right, not letting technology control us, is a way to build that external mind. And I love what you said about that where you know, if it stays in your brain, it doesn't go anywhere. It just like creates more mental load. But really the benefit of ideas is for them to be spread. So we can do that enabled by technology and I have friends who still, you know, keep a paper calendar and are very afraid of spreadsheets and I'm always sort of saying to them like, try something new. It could save you time or it might just make it easier. And that's a tricky hump sometimes for people to get over. What have you found that works when people are sort of tech shy?
Jenny Blake (21:45):
When you mention that? I think a lot of things I've solved for my household, which is funny because again, like so many business books especially about systems are written by men and they never address what happens at home because I don't know, maybe he's either a single bachelor or there's a ferry at home taking care of everything.
(22:05):
So for example, we use one password and I'm gonna use it in my business, but now I use it at home. So it used to be that maybe I would get peppered with questions all the time, what's the password for this? What's the login? But I don't want a thousand questions whether for about my business or about anything at home. So a tool, like one password he knows he can log in and get what he needs there before he even has to ask me. And the same goes for my team. So there are tools like that that even if someone wants to maintain a paper planner, let's say, but is there visibility the other people who might have questions or are you getting the same question over and over at home or work? And then how could you solve for that? How do you create these little systems even around the house? It's like if there's a place for the keys, people don't really have to ask you where the keys are because there's a home for them, you know? Or they know where to find their own keys. And so I find that that's really the reward of a good system is that it's harder not to use it. Once you've created something that actually works, it's harder not to use it.
Stephanie Kruse (23:07):
Yeah. And I think too it's very different to say system instead of organization, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>, because we can be organized, we can put files in a tree that makes sense, right? On the cloud I'm talking about, right? Yeah. Like on your computer, your file system might work or in a drawer in the real world too. Or you can have a way of organizing the pantry. But if the system isn't there for the pantry to stay organized, it doesn't matter where the beans go, it doesn't matter where the flour is supposed to be, you'll never find it.
Jenny Blake (23:39):
Right. I love that distinction of just there's the sort of physical place that things go or even if it's virtual, but then the system is how we interact with that space. So we have a rule of thumb, like if a product runs out, you write it on the list that's on a magnet pad on the fridge, or you add it to our cart so we don't forget and you don't have to order it right then, but at least you gotta remember that this thing just ran out and we're gonna need more and don't wanna be caught in alerts in the future. So like I think yeah, the system is those little rules of thumb about how you interact in order to free time for your future self. I mean I think some people will say, oh I'm not good at systems, I'm not good at systems. If you don't worry about that piece of it. It's really a question of like what would your future self most appreciate and how can you make their life easier? You know, you don't want future Stephanie or future Jenny to not have the right size light bulb the next time it breaks. So it's like a gift to that person that you have already ordered the light bulbs that they're gonna need the next time.
Stephanie Kruse (24:43):
Right. It's like the reverse domino effect. It's like keep some of those dominoes upright and not let the future dominoes fall. You know, brain science talk about like reframing, right? Or asking questions instead of judgments. And I think that you do such a good job of kind of keeping an openness. And I wonder a little bit if that's partly because you didn't only go through this business cycle and figure out how to free up your time. You also went back and started studying spirituality. But I'm wondering what that connectedness has to do with the way that you look at this work and and what you're writing and sharing.
Jenny Blake (25:29):
Yeah, that's an interesting question. I ended up going for a semester and a half to Union Theological Seminary and this was in 2018. So my book Pivot had come out a couple years prior. I was just so much more interested in the spiritual underpinnings of how we navigate change than like how to write a LinkedIn profile, that kind of the nuts and bolts of it. And I was very interested in studying the intersection between faith and work. And so to connect the dots, it's interesting how you're asking about it. I do think that I tend to take a more spiritual approach to business as well that almost sometimes surrendering like I'm just so on the spectrum of being really metrics possessed and setting clear goals and going after very specific objectives. I'm like so far on the other side of the spectrum of just kind of seeing what's unfolding and surrendering to the process and trusting and the flow of clients and work.
(26:30):
And again, really trying to observe my own energy and kind of trusting that even my business and I and my household and even extended family that we are supported. And that is a more spiritual take on it than I read in typical business books. It's not that it doesn't exist at all. Mm-hmm <affirmative>, but that's something that interests me. And then another reason I was going to union, I was studying interreligious engagement. So I was very curious about the growing group of spiritual, not religious, at least here in the US, how it's growing every year and what does that mean, what does that look like? So very interesting questions. It was so rewarding to dig into these like very big existential thoughtful questions. And of course, religion overlapped so much with society as well, society, politics, history.
Stephanie Kruse (27:17):
Oh, absolutely.
Jenny Blake (27:18):
So it was just a very yeah, rich learning ground.
Stephanie Kruse (27:22):
Getting to that idea of like a heart-based business approach too. So much of connection spiritually and, I mean that in the sense it's not necessarily religious, but like in the sense of, you know, faith as you described, or hope or trust or really for me, I feel like a lot of what you're talking about comes down to being present. And after reading about friction versus flow and then actually starting to model what that can feel like, you know, you describe it as align design and assign. I wonder if you can, you know, kind of take me through how free time works in that align design assign model and what being present in that you think really helps or makes a difference.
Jenny Blake (28:10):
Well, you mentioned the moniker heart based business and that's how I think about running a business in a way where again, you're not only optimizing for money and more or more at the expense of others. So, when I say heart-based business, for me it's a value system that I'm gonna do what's in the highest good for all involved, which means that I the owner, I'm not gonna free up my time and then be a tyrant to my team and make them work overtime and work on Saturday nights during the launch. I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna end the launch on an appropriate day and time, or I'm not gonna ask them to cover some crazy windows. So I'm not the type of business owner that's gonna say, well we're gonna launch, I need you to all make an exception and stay up all night.
(28:53):
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, no, I'm not gonna do it. So I think that's really important. Is highest good for all involved and always keeping that in mind and trying to make decisions. Even if it means like sometimes people tell me what their rate is and I pay them more. Well some people would say no, you're supposed to negotiate and always ask for, try to get more for less <laugh>, but I don't agree, I won't wanna give more. And I want people to have a really joyful association of working with me that it's abundant, they're excited to work with me. So that's the heart base piece. Absolutely. With presence to that end, I just believe, what's the point? There's no point in being miserable and making ourselves a martyr in the business. I mean, of course, sometimes we can't help. We have to like work through challenges and tough times with it, but nobody we're serving as the business owners with clients, customers, community, nobody wants us to be miserable.
(29:47):
So what's the point if you're not present and we're not enjoying it, pause, step back, recalibrate. And that's where the free time framework comes in. So realign with your values, your strengths, your energy. Then intentionally design your ideal impact, ideal outcomes of any given project or revenue stream. And then be intentional about designing a process that can work. But going back from that friction to flow piece. And then assign is the challenge to all of us to double how much we delegate and really get better at assigning as much as we can that other people can help with. And that can even include assigning things to technology, to software. It doesn't always have to be to a person.
Stephanie Kruse (30:28):
Oh my gosh, I could talk about this forever, <laugh>, but we're almost outta time and I cannot wait to implement more of this in my own business as I go forward. Just having a few weeks with your work and talking to you today has already made a difference and so I can't wait to report back.
Jenny Blake (30:46):
Yes. I would love to hear what steps you take.
Stephanie Kruse (30:50):
Yeah. So I always end on this question. When you think about the phrase it's good enough for now, what does that invoke for you?
Jenny Blake (31:01):
Oh, I just, I love this phrase. It really, so much of what I've ever done or created follows this mantra. And every now and then, I'm very picky. I'm a picky perfectionist mostly when it comes to my three books, I really cross every t, dot every I, I leave no stone turn, I'm obsessive, but with the rest in order to just keep moving, I love this phrase good enough for now. And I think it's the way to do anything out loud is nothing is perfect. And I often say I feel awkward after every single podcast interview that I do, cause it's been over seven years of conducting them. Every time I hang up the proverbial phone, even though it's online now, I feel so awkward. But I hit published anyway. And that's what allows me to just have a longer arc on the creative process because if I was waiting for any one thing or moment to be perfect, I would just be waiting forever. Nothing would happen if we wouldn't be here today.
Stephanie Kruse (32:05):
Well said. Absolutely. I've been there <laugh>. So Jenny, where can listeners find you and learn more about your work?
Jenny Blake (32:14):
There's a bunch of free tools related to what we talked about in the FreeTime toolkit. Just go to it's freetime.com/toolkit. You can get all of that and search for Jenny Blake wherever you're listening to this podcast. And you'll find my two shows Pivot with Jenny Blake and free time with Jenny Blake.
Stephanie Kruse (32:33):
Very good. Thank you again so much. It's been such a great conversation.
Jenny Blake (32:37):
Thank you so much, Stephanie. It's such a treat to hear what jumps out at you and I mean we all continue setting our time free. In 2023.
Stephanie Kruse (32:46):
Absolutely.
(32:51):
Thank you so much for joining me. Please share the show with your friends by word of mouth, send them a text and baby leave a rating and review. It really helps people find good enough. For now, don't forget to also follow on your favorite podcast player like Apple or Spotify so you can get new shows automatically each time they're released. You'll find show notes at good enough for now, pod.com and you can connect on Instagram at good enough for now pod. See you next time.
