FYI: I've decided it makes basically zero sense sending newsletters on a Thursday, so Tuesday is the new day.

From *powerless* to "I GOT this" is closer than you think 🙃

One of my friends is the person I IMMEDIATELY think about when freelancers tell me they "don't need a system."

She's a jewelry maker. ADD. Fights every idea of control. Just wants to "flow."

And I get it... when you want creative freedom, structure seems like NO FUN.

But last week she texted me: "Help! haha"

She's gearing up for the biggest market she's ever done – an 11-day Christmas market in downtown Toronto, one of the largest craft shows in North America. 😱

She also happens to hand-make every piece of jewelry herself, and worrying about not having enough was literally driving her insane.

Then a wholesaler placed a big order. ☠️

Suddenly "flowing" felt a lot more like drowning 😩

I suggested that she come up with production goals and track her progress towards them, so she could actually see how many pieces she had left to make.

Her response?

"So no I don't have time to make what I need to make. That is reality!"

Powerless.

That's very clearly how she felt in that moment...

But it's what happened after that feels really significant:

Together, we calculated forecasts based on previous data, tallied her production goals, & turned it into a simple tracking spreadsheet.

A few days later on a walk, she said: "I looked at how many I needed to make and divided it by how many days I have left... and I can do that."

Not "maybe I can."

Not "I hope I can."

I can do fking that.

Now she's loving the positive feedback loop: Make something. Track progress. Feel in control. Repeat.

So much so that she's sending me videos of it happening in real-time. 😝

Systems set you free.

And that freedom clearly isn't limited to ClickUp.

Sometimes the right system is a spreadsheet. Sometimes it's a checklist. Sometimes it's finally tracking something you've been avoiding because you're afraid of what the numbers might tell you.

This isn't about adding something else to do when you already feel overwhelmed.

It's about replacing powerlessness with data-driven clarity

Your mind will always try to convince you that there isn't enough time. That you're behind. That it's impossible.

But nothing cuts through that sneaky little spiral faster than data.

When my friend looked at her spreadsheet and saw "15 pieces per day," her nervous system finally relaxed.

She still had a f-load of stuff to make, but at least the crippling uncertainty disappeared.

It takes so much effort to undo the belief that we have to KEEP WORKING OR ELSE.

But having a plan – a plan rooted in actual data, not anxiety – makes it possible.

So this week... just notice 👀

Notice where you feel that same powerlessness my friend felt.

Notice where your brain is telling you "there's no way" without actually checking if that's true.

Notice if there's something you've been avoiding tracking because it feels like one more thing... when it might actually be the thing that sets you free.

You don't need to build anything right now. You don't need to fix anything.

Just notice.

And when you're ready, you know where to find me.

​

xo,

Robyn

Robyn Henke

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