Work The System:

Emrich Family Case Study

Morgan Emrich
morganemrich@gmail.com
 After reading Work The System, my wife and I came up with a
theory that seems obvious in retrospect, but for some reason took
us until we were 40 years old with three kids to figure out and
implement. What preceded this theory was probably typical for
most families:

• Overworked, unhealthy, tired parents.

• Kids that battled with parents every night at bedtime.

• Unplanned stops at Taco Bell and Starbucks while driving kids around.

• Surprise Insufficient Funds Notices in bank accounts.

• General sense of being not in control of the day to day chores, tasks, and errands that
seem to make the days fly by in a blur.

Thus the “Theory Of Families as Systems”………..

 A Theory of Families as Systems:

If systems design and optimization of procedures are vital to

businesses, why wouldn’t the same principles apply to a family?

If eliminating wasted energy and resources is key to a thriving

enterprise wouldn’t it be foolish not to try and maximize, fix,
identify, and tweak every subsystem that we, as a family, have
control over in order to spend massive quantities of relaxed, happy
times with our three children before they leave the nest?*

In other words, shouldn’t we take the time to document, analyze,

and optimize all the subsystems that seem to eat up the time and
energy average American family?

Here’s just a sample of our journey so far……

*We home-school our three kids aged 4-9
Eating Healthy as a System.
Eating healthy is not a concept, not an idea. It’s a system of choosing, prioritizing, and planning meals
and purchases that align with a goal. My wife instituted a food calendar, wrote in meals, worked
backwards, created shopping lists, sourced specialty foods (grass-fed beef, farmers market veggies,
etc). To-do lists were created, shopping lists were made, and the calendar was set up using sticky
notes so it could easily be tweaked and rearranged based on actual usage. This becomes a system that
can be easily optimized. Shopping list is above on a white board and calendar is close by.
Result: Money saved on groceries, time and money saved driving to grocery store, time and energy
saved thinking about what to prepare, healthier kids and parents, no more runny noses and coughs.
Mom and dad have energy to play with kids.

Rough draft of menus

Soon to be filled in daily menus. They

get moved around often and allow for
efficient use of available food in fridge
and avoids extra trips to grocery and
unused food.
Running Errands as a System.
Too many trips in the minivan that could’ve been avoided due to a complete lack of systems when it
came to organizing what needed to be bought and when. Now we have a whiteboard by the door to
the driveway where my wife and I scribble down odds and ends that need to be purchased and where.
Whoever leaves is obligated to give it the once-over and see if they can’t combine their trip with a
needed purchase. Result: Far fewer trips to the hardware store at the last minute, less driving with kids
in car, less wear and tear on car.
Leaving the House as a System.
Being out in the world was a frustrating, expensive, tiring affair. Working backward we figure many of
the snacks that were bought, tears that were shed, and emergency potty stops could’ve been dealt
with if we treated Leaving The House as a procedure that could effect the system of Driving Around
With Kids (DAWK). While it seemed chaotic DAWK was actually very systematic. Kids always got
hungry, needed Baby Wipes, needed entertainment, got thirsty, etc. Thus, the Leaving The House
Checklist. Constantly being refined. Saved our bacon many time. Results: Less tears, money and time
saved by not grabbing fast food, healthier due to same, less driving around-wear on van.

Hangs by the door to driveway and is

treated like a pilots pre-flight checklist. No
one takes off until it’s been read aloud.
Going To Bed as a System.
 Going to bed was a drawn out, ugly affair. It’s not perfect now, but thanks to the fact that we’re
treating it like the system it really is, things are improving rapidly. At least now we have a baseline to
discuss how and what to change to make it go smoothly. Again, we worked backward. Tired
parents=lack of 8 solid hours=going to bed too late=no procedure for being in bed by a certain
time=no ritual for calming kids down. Solution: Create a predictable pattern and routine. Results: Less
tears, everyone is more well rested. Mom and Dad actually get to occasionally chat after kids are in
bed. Mostly about improving systems.

Hangs in the kitchen where it’s easy to

grab and be seen. Delineates what
happens from right after dinner all the way
to bedtime including when TV goes off,
when read aloud happens, when snacks
can be eaten, etc.
Filling the Days as a System.

aka “The Command Center”

 With three home-schooled kids, a job with an erratic schedule (university instructor). A
small home based business, and large extended families, managing the calendar and
finding time to discuss who’s doing what when got increasingly confusing. Enter, the
Command Center. Takes up an entire wall in a hallway.

All pertinent info about upcoming events, shopping trips, possible visits from friends,
long and short term goals are all in one place. Mom and Dad hardly need to talk to each
other to know what’s going on what has changed.

Results: Less wasted time, no missed appointments, kids have more fun, more friends, more play-dates, more
intentional use of our time, more long range planning possible, less time wasted on “what’s going on today”
conversations between mom and dad, relaxed parents that have a handle on what’s happening next so we don’t keep
it in our heads.
3 months in a row all
visible for long and
short range planning

Places To Go With Kids,

Goals,
Reminders,
Planning Aids,

On the Fly Notes,

Menu Plan
The Command Center in the hall.
 The Low Hanging Fruit:

Easy little subsystems that were eating a lot of time and required very little effort to
implement.
 Move the recycling bin closer to the back door rather than leave it at the end of driveway.
I’ve been walking hundreds of extra feet every day or two for two years before it occurred to
me that I could move the bin closer to me, rather than me go to it.
Result: Recycling gets taken out more, house is cleaner, less time wasted hiking to end of driveway. Since it’s
further from road now, I take it to the curb only twice a month now saving more time .
 Time and energy were wasted looking for cell phones, keys, wallets, library cards, etc.
when leaving the the house. Now, everything has hooks or a wicker baskets to unload to.
Result: Peace of mind knowing where valuable items are. No time wasted looking for stuff on the way out he
door or trying to figure out where to set stuff after coming in from outside. Cost = #2.00 for hooks and $.99
for wicker basket at Goodwill.
 Time and energy were wasted writing down ideas and keeping track of to-do’s for my
teaching gig, home-based internet business, home projects, ideas for future projects, and
family stuff. Now I carry around 3x5 index cards in my back pocket, jot ideas down, and
organize them into categories in my pocket chart in the home office. When I get the time I
process them into subsystems that can be initiated when resources allow.
Result: Peace of mind knowing I can process ideas later, and know that projects will get dealt with. No
longer carry projects in my head and can focus on my kids and wife. Projects actually get started. Systems
get optimized
 Having the home office in our little house was definitely a broken system. I had been
wanting to build a backyard office/studio for years but was intimidated by the skills required.
After reading your book, it occurred to me that a studio was really just a collection of
subsystems that had to be mastered. Those subsystems weren’t nearly as daunting. And there
are systems in place to help (friendly people at the local lumber store, library books with great
photos, YouTube tutorials on how to hang a door). Result: When I’m with my kids, I’m really
with them because I’m not sitting at a computer, and all that home office stuff got cleared out
or the house which gave my oldest daughter a room of her own for needed downtime away
from siblings.
The Home Office as System
The overall result:

More time to do what we really enjoy,

More money freed up and not wasted on fixing or living with broken subsystems
(buying tacos at drive thru because we forgot to bring a snack),

More space to move around in our home,

More energy to play with and be happy with our kids,

Better health and vitality (can’t remember the last time our kids or us were sick)

The ability to dance to Michael Jackson songs in a clean, happy, focused home…….
 I could go on and on. We’re just beginning to optimize and refine all the
systems that define our day to day lives. It’s giving us a clarity to think about 5
years out, 10 years out, not just getting through each day by the skin of our teeth.

Other systems we’ve been breaking down into subsystems and refining:

•Finances-Using Online Bill-Pay, analyzing spending patterns, sending email reminders to ourselves, using a cash based
envelope system for discretionary spending, increasing our savings. Organizing records electronically so that we were
able to give our CPA everything she needs by January 10th.

•Teaching-I used to spend insane hours prepping my courses. After analyzing the courses as systems and mastering the
constituent parts, I spend hardly any time getting ready, have standardized much of what I do, and now get rave
reviews from my bosses and students.

•Relationships:- My wife and I tend to be introverts but enjoy our friends so we’ve systemitized the process of staying
in touch and inviting people over on a regular basis. It felt forced for about 10 minutes, then we realized that that was
what our parents generation did as a matter of course. Standardizing communication and interaction with others is
another way to say culture.
•Health: We’ve been going to the local Community Center and working out. Combined with the improved diet, we’ve
each lost about 20lbs of fat and gained strength and energy to play with the kids, chase them around, and wrestle.

•Business: I inherited an online art business from my mother. I was less than enthusiastic about it because it was dying
on the vine, and mostly took time and energy. I re-examined it as a collection of systems and have been repairing each
one. With every repair, customers are happier, business improves, and the work gets easier.
 What I’ve learned and now see after reading the book and doing
this with my family:
Broken systems have multiplying effects. They don’t just effect the sub-system. The effects cascade and ripple
outward to damage the entire system. If we don’t bring healthy snacks when we leave the house, we might get Taco
Bell. The van is now littered with garbage, our kids are less healthy, we’re out $15, kids are still hungry, time is wasted
sitting in line at the drive thru, clothes are stained with salsa. All from not taking charge of a system called Leaving The
House.

The inverse is true. Smoothly running systems have cascading effects. They build on themselves. Getting the kids
to bed in a systematic way gives my wife and I time to talk about other ways to optimize our time with the kids and be
better parents. That is a positive feedback loop that calms our kids down and lets them go to bed easier. Round and
round it goes.

There is no such thing as No System. If you aren’t aware of the systems controlling your day, then they are
controlling you. Most people give up that control to cruel bosses and inhospitable workplaces, TV, fast food, and any
number of businesses that are happy to profit off of people that can’t define and manage the systems in their lives.
Someone will always be willing to sell you a complete well managed subsystem to fill in where you can’t make one.

Most of the poor business practices and awful customer service I see is a result of poor systems management,
not bad people. When I go to Powell’s Bookstore and get three different answers from three different info desk people
and none of them are able to help me get the book I want, I know that there are simply bad or non-existant systems in
place.

Almost everything can be improved through system design. My wife got hit at an intersection by our house by a
woman that ran a light. It was not my wife’s fault, but we still implemented a system of ways to get the kids quiet in the
van, how to keep them occupied, how to stay focused, where to look when driving and how to remind ourselves of all
that.
 If you can’t put it into writing, you haven’t done the hard work of defining the subsystems and workflow that
goes into it. Once you can write it down, you can fix it, improve it, add to it or delete from it. Until then, the subsystem
or system is too amorphous to tackle, yet alone talk to your spouse or business partner about. I believe a major source
of friction in many marriages that I see is a lack of ability to locate, define, and articulate the subsystems in their lives.
As a result, people get personal, defensive, and rarely solve any problems that are causing frustration.

The institutions (government and otherwise) that seem to be broken around us are wasting their energy trying
to fix entire systems in giant, expensive efforts that result in bureaucracies, over-regulation, and ill thought out
investments. There are millions of subsystem that could be cheaply and easily dealt with if they believed that were
made up of subsystem parts that need to be running for the whole system to be running well.

I quit teaching in public school after ten years because it was clear that everyone above my pay grade wasn’t the least
bit interested in fixing any of the small systems that effected the kids and teachers. It took me two years to permission
to walk my kids back from lunch in a faster, quieter method that reduced behavior problems and stopped fights
between passing groups of kids. We did, however, spend a lot of time talking about 5 year goals, and Schoolwide
Improvement Plans while all metrics for quality went down the toilet.

Thanks for writing an excellent book that kicked me in the rear, got me going, and confirmed what I knew was true.

I look forward to hearing more from your blog and am excited to see where you take this,

Sincerely,

Morgan Emrich
morganemrich@gmail.com