System Debt: One Hidden Cause of Stressful Workdays You Can Pay Off

When the systems you set up in a hurry start making your days harder, it might be time to pause, pay off some system debt, and craft a simpler way to work. Here’s how to spot the signs and make small, satisfying fixes before burnout hits.

Starting new roles or projects often leads to issues that need fixing later. When working quickly to learn a role or launch a new business or project, good enough is often acceptable if it advances you to the next stage. Teams developing new products and services refer to the term technical debt to describe the cost of opting for quick and easy off-the-shelf solutions (usually bits of software or design templates) because creating things 'properly' from scratch would be too expensive during the initial stages. However, this debt must eventually be paid off. Sooner or later, the work needs to be done properly, typically once you're beyond the prototype stage and already operational.

Consider this: a similar debt could be hidden in your own work systems, whether you're working independently or as part of a team. We often choose quick fixes, especially in areas like communication, workload organisation, and expectations, just to keep things moving. But once we're up and running, we rarely find the time to revisit and improve these flawed parts of the system, even though doing so could significantly benefit us.

In Day Crafting, I call this system debt * The system is everything from productivity processes and flows to the working environment, schedules and even other people.

Are you suffering from system debt? Imagine this in a TV infomercial voice:

If you're overwhelmed by unmanageable emails or message volumes, with unread emails, unreturned calls, and missed messages piling up, creating a backlog that becomes harder to handle over time, or if your workload is over capacity with tasks accumulating faster than you can manage, this is a clear sign of system debt. If you're tired, busy, unmotivated, low on energy, and so on...

... you understand the point. System debt can lead to burnout, reduced productivity, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed.

Transforming Overwhelm: A Practical System Debt Consolidation Plan

So, what's the solution? Instead of resorting to drastic measures like declaring system bankruptcy (yes, some people do slay the inbox dragon and delete everything when their unread inbox hits 10,000+), we can consider a more practical approach: something like a system debt consolidation plan. Day Crafting, with its small yet consistent steps, is a great tool for this.

Here's how the system debt consolidation plan works. It could be a weekly or monthly review of your work or productivity systems (explored more in the Productivity Workbook). Next, start implementing specific fixes and system improvements. This might involve updating your communication tools, streamlining your work processes, or setting clearer expectations with others. Finally, review your progress and repeat the cycle. The key is to prevent the debt from piling up again.

Depending on your system, you might be surprised by the results of small, quick fixes such as simplifying tasks, defragmenting your schedule, and setting more precise rules about what you agree to. For example, you could limit the number of meetings you attend each day or use a task management tool to prioritise your work. Alternatively, you may want to be more radical and become harder to find by creating some friction between people demanding your attention and your schedule, or even scaling back on technologies like email, push notifications, and 24/7 connectivity. For instance, email, as a way to organise work, agendas, and information requests, has always been part of the system debt category. There are many better options. You might find the workbook a helpful resource.

I'm working on this very problem with several Day Crafting Apprentices in 1:1 sessions. If you're interested in working on this project and would like some help, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

* page 29 of Day Crafting: The Productivity Workbook.