I sat down to talk with an incredible Systemize Your Life student, Jailyn Grenard. Jailyn was selected as an amazing student and person that has experienced instrumental success with systems at home at the highest level.
Personally, I crave consistency, which is how Systemize Your Life came to be.
I have learned that all of our students are in need of consistency and a basic family rhythm that everyone can get behind and Jailyn was no different. I sincerely commend Jailyn because she rose above the difficulty and found systems at home to help her.
Listen Below For The Entire Episode On The Systemize Your Life Podcast
Jailyn Grenard: Mom Of Three And Systems At Home Extraordinaire
Jailyn is regularly juggling all the things and was in desperate need of systems at home. She has three children, ages 15, 2 and 13 months. She is in school full time, working part time from home, her oldest is in competitive cheerleading and Jailyn has a marriage and a home. Basically, she is juggling all of the things all of the time, just like all of us. A few years ago, Jailyn and her husband bought and renovated a house while she was pregnant with her second child. Jailyn found herself pregnant for a third time very soon after her second child was born and had the heavy feeling that her home got neglected and was never put together the way she was hoping to because of all of the overwhelming tasks that come with mothering and nursing young children.
Jailyn also supports her teenager in competitive cheerleading. As any of you with kids in competitive sports know, that comes with a lot of responsibility. Practice is nearly everyday not to mention meets and games on the weekends. It also adds an extra element of scheduling burden when your kids have such a big age range because their needs are completely different. Naps get disrupted and consistency becomes really difficult.
Are You In Need Of Systems At Home?
Jailyn complained that her second son was a horrible sleeper and woke up most nights. In the middle of the night, she started listening to podcasts while she was up rocking her son.
Jailyn found the Brain Dump system first, which served as an instrumental first step. She felt her life was, “one big brain dump.” But then she questioned, “what do you do with your brain dump once you’ve written it all out?” She felt lost in a sea of unfinished notebooks and unanswered questions. She felt scattered and had a hard time keeping up with all of the doctors appointments and individual allergies and special needs of each of her children.
I remember when I was drowning with my internal chatter, which is why I developed the brain dump system in the first place. Then I quickly realized that writing all of the things in my head down everyday wasn’t going to solve anything. Sometimes my brain dump would make my feelings of overwhelm worse. So, I had to fix that problem. The brain dump system is one of the most downloaded episodes of all time, but then, listeners hear that you really shouldn’t even be writing lists. The brain dump theory isn’t super helpful long term, because it isn’t helpful to be chronically writing lists. Brain dumping has its place when you’re super overwhelmed and trying to prioritize, but the goal isn’t to live like that.
Jailyn has been a student for just a few short months, and was determined to find a better way. She knew she needed a better way and decided to jump into Systemize Your Life and see what happens.
Lists Be Gone!
Jailyn very seldom writes lists anymore, but did make an exception during the holiday season because she had Christmas celebrations. In addition she had to host a big birthday party and had to juggle traveling plans. Aside from that, she doesn’t write lists because she finds she doesn’t have a need. Now Jailyn writes her list within her “to-do” block in her google calendar. She does this when she’s doing her weekly planning or she occasionally uses Google Keep to keep track of everything.
The biggest surprise to Jailyn was a new feeling of calm because she didn’t have a million things running through her head. At first Jailyn said it felt a bit alarming because her nervous system was used to running on high alert. She couldn’t help but feel like she was forgetting something.
I think we all can relate, it is exhausting to entertain this frantic panic scattered feeling in our bodies and mind all the time. Systems at home helps me be prepared at all times. This helps me live outside the chaos. A home management system frees your body and mind from the rush, lateness and chronic overwhelm. That said, it does take some getting used to.
Jailyn has never taken a course, but swears the Systemize Your Life Course is her lifeline. The support and the community and coaching from me makes her feel supported, healthier and more successful in implementing all of the systems at home.
From Overwhelmed And Scattered To Delegation Queen
Jailyn still acknowledges she has hard days but knows what to do in the face of that. She doesn’t feel as nervous or anxious day-to-day. Jailyn noticed the biggest change when she traveled out of state. She was able to make easily-followable lists for her family members. Then the family was able to help with packing and the extra responsibilities that come along with travel. Jailyn couldn’t believe everything was organized, packed and ready to go! Even in the face of a mild panic attack right before the flight. Jailyn was nervous about leaving her little one for the first time. However, she was not nervous about her home systems or schedule.
Hearing about Jailyn’s successes made me jump for joy because that’s the goal. She has a complete understanding of her children. She knew her home and schedule. Jailyn had a full handle on where everything was so she was able to delegate. That’s where the magic happens. Delegation makes you sane. Living in the chaos and managing everything in your head breeds resentment and bitternes. That is not how I want to show up everyday and I know you don’t either!
Having a systematic approach to life, in your own home, is the essence of what Systemize Your Life is all about.
No Longer Needing “A Vacation From Her Vacation” Because Of Home Systems
In preparing for her vacation, Jailyn felt her full transformation and really saw what was working for her family. Jailyn is now able to devote time to things that were neglected in the past. She is now wearing systematic lenses and is able to look at her life through this systematic approach. In approaching her family’s situation through a more analytical mindset, she could develop personalized systems. Those systems lead to intuition to know what to do in every given situation.
Jailyn has everything plugged into her calendar because she has to prepare for cheerleading competitions far in advance. Previously, vacations were a real source of stress and chaos. Now she can enjoy the time and her family. Jailyn has taken the data from her own family and analyzed it. Now she knows how to pack, what her family needs, who would be in charge of what, etc. In the past, she never would have thought to systemize her vacation preparations. There simply wasn’t any space in her brain to look up and prepare.
Creating Your Own Home Management Systems
In my work, I’ve found it’s more about you having this skill and having the resources to create a system that’s lacking.
To know your children well, like really know them, that is the ultimate gift. A mother’s intuition can’t be accessed until all the extra junk isn’t swirling around in there all the time. Cue, the home management systems.
Hearing these successes makes me emotional because that’s why I do what I do. Luckily, my support staff, specifically Christine, our student support coordinator, makes everything so accessible. The community within Systemize Your Life want to do life the best they possibly can.
“Consistency is what I crave, which is why I created home systems to enable success and save my sanity.”
Finding Time For You Within Your Home Management System
Jailyn claimed that in sitting down and drafting her fundamental needs, (a new term for her) along with time blocking were quite life-changing. Having a place to do everything was such a game-changer and an anxiety-reducer because she knows those fundamental needs will get done. She highly prioritizes alone time and the implementation calls within the Systemize Your Life course because it’s all in her planner. She knows exactly what she needs to be focusing on all the time.
Nothing has changed in Jailyn’s life. She still has an overwhelming amount to do like work and school, but she has prioritized her sleep was extremely important and helpful, especially coming off of a pregnancy and having a newborn.
Jailyn feels like her brain is “75% empty,” and I applaud her for recovering that kind of bandwidth. All of her successes are everything I would hope and dream for any of my students. She has made the most of a real financial investment and I’m thankful this was her first exposure and experience in the world of online courses. I love working with coaches and I buy online courses all of the time in any area of my life I am looking to learn or improve.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you’re hoping to have the same kind of success in your own home systems and home management, I hope to see you soon as a student in Systemize Your Life
Feeling Inspired To Move From Overwhelmed to Organized?
If you’re inspired by JJailyn’s story and want to explore the Systemize Your Life program, head over to chelsijo.co/syl for more information. Whether you choose the DIY option or the comprehensive VIP experience, there’s an opportunity for you to enhance your life and create meaningful changes. Your journey awaits! Don’t forget to look into our other blog posts where I highlight systems at home like How To Create Your Own Home Management System, Building a System That Works: Three Important Factors for Effective Home Systems, or Empowering Productivity at Home: 15 Ways for Work from Home Moms to Boost Momentum.
Thank you for being a part of this conversation. Please share your successes, thoughts and questions with us in the Systemize Your Life Facebook Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
I NEED systems in my home, but where should I start? Which system would help me most?
If you’re struggling to find balance in your life and home take this FREE quiz to find out which system you need to go from overwhelmed to organized. Join us in the Systemize Your Life Facebook group for support on time blocking, home management systems and juggling all the things!
