Have you ever been rushing along through your work and noticed that something isn’t quite working right? Your first thought is probably, “I don’t have time for this right now, I’ll fix it later.“ And that is normal. That task was not on your to-do list. You’ve already got too much going on. Later feels like the responsible thing to do, but it quietly adds pressure.

Why “Later” Feels Like the Right Choice

As business owners, we usually default to “later” because it doesn’t feel like the most productive use of time at that moment. We are already in the middle of a task. Everything we are working on feels like it's more urgent. There is a feeling that working on our business is not as important as client work. There may also be the feeling that updating our systems will be time-consuming. So when we choose “later,” we are not avoiding the task per se; we are just more concerned about what else is going on.

The Hidden Costs of Waiting

If we don’t take the time to work on our business or continue to push off updates that we know we would like to make, it’s costing us more than we think.

Time cost: Repeating the same tasks over and over. Re-explaining processes. Fixing small mistakes that keep happening.

Energy cost: The mental load of carrying “I still need to do that” in your brain. Decision fatigue. Feeling behind when you're busy.

Growth cost: When you are exerting all that time and energy, it can make you feel busier than you really are. Then you hesitate to take on more clients. Avoid creating new offers, because your current ones do not run smoothly. You find yourself in reaction mode instead of running your business in CEO mode.

What “Fixing It” Actually Looks Like

How do we move from waiting and continuing the cycle to taking action? First, lower the bar of what this has to look like. It is not about building perfect systems. It’s about taking a small step forward: documenting one process, automating one step, or simplifying a workflow.

Examples:

• Writing a rough onboarding checklist

• Creating one email template

• Setting up a basic workflow. Even if it’s not final

You do not have to fix everything right now. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just one thing that would make your business run more smoothly. Taking the pressure off a bit.

One Small Fix That Made a Big Difference

For me, this looked like setting up a quick workflow instead of continuing to “figure it out later.”

I had started attending more networking events, and I noticed that my old way of tracking and following up with new connections just wasn’t working anymore. I would leave events with good conversations and intentions, but no clear system to support consistent follow-up.

Instead of overthinking it, I created a very simple Airtable setup with just a few basic fields: name, business name, and where we met. I added a simple form and linked it to the end of each networking event on my calendar. That way, when the event ended, I could immediately open the form and add new contacts while everything was still fresh.

It wasn’t a perfect system, and it wasn’t meant to be. But it worked. I also added a weekly calendar reminder to check in and follow up, which took the mental load off remembering. I’ve since updated that workflow, but that initial small step made a big difference. It helped me move forward instead of staying stuck in “I’ll fix it later.”

The CEO Reframe

Supporting your systems is one of the most practical ways you can support yourself as the CEO. When you say “I’ll fix it later,” that often means asking future you to carry more than she needs to. By creating space to support your systems, you are allowing yourself room to breathe.

If you’ve been putting something off because it feels too big, try choosing the next best step instead.

Ask yourself: What’s the smallest way I could make this easier right now?

Do that, and let it be enough.

You've got this!

If you’re not sure what the “next best step” is in your business, that’s often the hardest part.
Sometimes, having a second set of eyes can make everything feel lighter and clearer.

That’s exactly what we focus on during my Workflow & Automation Strategy Call.

If you’re looking for more hands-on support, check out my Services page for an option that may better suit the needs of you and your business. I’d love to help.