I have a wonderful client who runs a smaller design and marketing agency. She has a network of freelancers who pop in and out of client projects, but a lot of the business still sits on her shoulders (small business owners and solopreneurs…IYKYK).
She reached a point of saturation in her business that might sound too familiar to you — a clear vision for the growth of the agency mixed with the overwhelm of wearing too many hats.
So she naturally shopped for tools to help with her growth from a Basecamp + Pandadocs + Email + bespoke client care menagerie.
She got ClickUp as her future project management tool
And added HubSpot to be her CRM.
Helpful tools? Yes, of course! But when you’re already wearing too many hats in your business, more (new) tools can = more overwhelm.
She paid a tidy sum for a consultant to help with Hubspot…who ghosted her. The burden of learning both platforms alone? Too much. Cue the freeze state.
My highest purpose with clients and collabs is always to bring calm and clarity into chaotic, overstretched work.
There are simple things any small business or org leader can do to dissolve operational overwhelm before it takes root — so you can stay focused on your vision and the work that feeds you.
I’m dividing this article into two parts to help chunk down the checklist I use with clients. This part is more org and tool foundational.
(Disclaimer: I work with events, agencies, nonprofits, and small businesses with projects of all sizes or products and services to sell. BUT, if your system is more technical, more scientific, these tips might speak to you, but might not. I’m not all things for all people. 😁)
Ask for help
That’s Thing #1. We don’t do enough of it in today’s extractive work cultures. High fives to my client, and to any founder who spots the signs of overload and asks for help. Even if it’s just fractional support or a one-hour jam sesh with a peer who can help you see more clearly? Huge.
I ask 2 questions before any system or project build
For the client: “What has to be true in this system for it to still work and feel good in six months or a year?”
For myself: “What has to be true in this project for me to deliver my best work and feel good doing it?”
The first anchors vision, scope, and energy. The second ensures I stay resourced and relational.
In both cases, it’s important in more regeneratively-designed structures to NOT ignore the somatics of our work, and for the work we do (and the systems we do them in) to feel invigorating.
A Few Easy Antidotes
IMO these map equally well to most any project tool that brings better scaffolding and structure to your growth — but can also apply to an org’s overall structure and DNA:
You don’t need to use the whole tool, all at once
Write this down and anchor it. Most tools have a ton of features and are designed to scale with you.
You don’t have to use them all at once.
Just need a basic project setup without automations, tons of dependencies? Perfect. Not ready to use the AI Copilot or agent now embedded in the tool? Totally OK.
Try This: Always start with a sketch of the scope of maybe 3-5 structural things you do need before you jump into the tool, to dissolve feature overwhelm before it starts. Use that as your friction filter as you dive into tool adoption or organizational changes.
Too Many Layers of Complexity = Flow breakdown
Related, if you launch your “system” with too many features or bells & whistles and unleash it on your team, it can be a recipe for friction and breakdowns in your daily Flow — individually and as a team.
A new tool should support the way you and your team already do your best work.
Zooming out, the same goes for your org structure. Too many reporting lines, approval gates, or unclear areas of ownership? Same outcome. Flow gets disrupted. Simpler structures invite more natural accountability and ease. Let your systems scale with you.
No Standard Naming Conventions = Search that feels ‘Oof’
This is a more tool-specific tip, but whether it’s a project tool or your Google or Teams workspace, having an SOP about naming conventions will go a long way toward preventing operational madness. Without those, you can end up with 47 versions of the same thing, and no one can find what they need.
Try This: Pick 3-4 naming patterns your team uses often and create a short reference doc. Make sure everyone knows where that SOP lives and is on the same page. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Bonus points if you later build it directly into dropdowns or task templates.
Too many things assigned to “teams” instead of people
It’s obviously important for your team (or a subgroup working on a specific project) to have access and visibility to things. It’s not (in my experience) a great idea to make everyone the owner of every task.
Do This: Make one person accountable for a given task or set of tasks as your practice. You can always add other team members as “task watchers” or collaborators, but only assign one person responsible for delivery.
No Clear Status Updates = Work in limbo
Whether as a visual Status change in your project tool or as a consistent communication practice in your company or organization, this is vital.
Try This: Commit to regular updates and async-friendly status check-ins. The goal isn’t just to mark tasks “done,” but to keep everyone in the loop about what’s in motion, what’s stalled, and what needs support.
If your project or biz ops systems feel heavy or unclear, it doesn’t mean you are broken. It means your systems might need some zhuzhing, or an overhaul.
Let’s fix that.
If you’re stuck on overwhelm or are just seeing too much friction coming down the road soon — and you want a fresh set of eyes, I’m here for that.
Book a free Discovery Call at bearfuht.com and let’s see what’s ailing you. You’ll walk away with at least one useful solution to ease your friction, whether we work together or not.