Sometimes it’s just a simple fix...

I've been thinking a lot lately about home systems.

For whatever reason, it’s a topic that seems to just keep coming up, both in my own life and in hearing from so many women in my community who have told me, over and over again, that their biggest goal right now is to just get a better handle on their home routines. They want better routines. Better systems. Better flow at home. 

And I get it.

Because when your home systems aren’t working, you feel it.

And behind the scenes,  it has inspired me to start working on a new project that I’m actually really excited about. (More details on this coming soon!)

But, as I was reviewing everything I've taught over the past 16 years about home systems and bringing it all together in something brand new, I realized that some of my own home systems needed some finessing.

Because while some things I do work really well, other parts of my weekly rhythm have felt, well, off.

My Fridays, in particular, have been kind-of a disaster.

And it wasn’t until I really stopped to think about it this week that I realized why, or how it was actually affecting me.

Because Fridays are supposed to be my first day off after what is always a very intense work week.

I try to only work for a few hours in the morning on Mondays, but Tuesday through Thursday my days are jam-packed. I start at 4am (and sometimes even earlier) and usually work straight through until 5:30 or 6 in the evening. I coach, teach, write, think big-picture strategy, lead my team—all the things. And because I truly love what I do, I go all-in.

But by Friday, I’m pretty much toast. Mentally fried. Introvert-exhausted. Totally out of gas.

And yet, somehow, I still expect myself to wake up Friday morning and immediately switch gears into "productive homemaker" mode. Tackle the projects. Clean the house. Make progress. Be a wife and mom again.

Except—I don't. 

I crash on the couch, feel totally guilty about it, and then spend the rest of the weekend trying to claw my way back to motivation. And the result is that very little gets done, and I feel like I've failed. Again.

But this past Friday, after all my thinking about home systems all week, I suddenly had an epiphany, which I decided to share with my husband Chuck during our morning coffee time.

"I feel like I really need some kind of intentional transition routine or ritual on Fridays to get my brain out of work mode and into home mode.”

I thought he would laugh, but to my surprise, he immediately agreed. 

"You definitely do." 

So we started brainstorming. 

And it was actually a great conversation, probably because Chuck knows me better than anyone. He knows I can't just decide to read a novel on Friday because my obsessive nature would kick in and I would end up doing nothing else all weekend. He also knows what I like, and what motivates me.

That feedback from him was so clarifying, and together, we came up with a whole Friday rhythm that actually makes me excited:

• Start the day by making a loaf of homemade sourdough bread, which I find deeply satisfying and relaxing.

• Have a celebratory Bloody Mary to mark the official start of the weekend. 

• Tidy up my closet. It sounds silly, but I love organizing my closet. It always makes me feel grounded.

• Make a weekend project plan. Don’t start it, just make the plan. Because, as Chuck pointed out, I'm super motivated by plans, even if the doing comes later.

• Sit in the sun and soak up some vitamin D while listening to a podcast.

• Do something small that feels like self-care. Maybe go get a facial or get my nails done. Maybe take a long bath. Just something nice for me.

And honestly? Just naming these things—giving myself permission to rest intentionally—was such a mental shift. 

I've always talked about the importance of rhythms and routines, and honestly I thought that I already had a pretty good weekly rhythm in place.

But intentional rest & recovery was a piece I was missing.

And now that I'm putting this into place, I already feel lighter.

Because you can have the best intentions in the world, but without a system to support them, you'll always feel like you're failing. And what I realized this week is that intentional rest matters as much as being “productive.”

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, "first say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Along those same lines, Annie Dillard more recently wrote, "how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

In other words? The life you want doesn't happen by accident. 

And home systems aren’t magic.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of taking a step back and realizing where the biggest source of friction is happening, then figuring out a simple way to fix it.

So I guess that’s my challenge for you this week too.

Identify what part of your weekly routine is causing the most stress or friction or frustration for you right now, and figure out what simple tweak you could try to fix it.

Maybe it's the shift from work mode to home mode, like it was for me. Or maybe it’s something totally different. Maybe it's getting dinner on the table during a busy season. Maybe it’s trying to get your family out the door in the morning. Maybe it’s that pile of laundry that never seems to get folded. 

But whatever sticking point seems to trip you up the most—that's the place to create a solution first. Not a big, complicated system. Just a simple, easy fix. 

Because sometimes that’s good enough.

Live with purpose, friend, and have an amazing week!

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. I’d love to hear back from you on this! Hit reply to this email and let me know what YOUR biggest friction point is right now (and how you plan to fix it, if this sparked any ideas!).

P.P.S. Unrelated, but I’m hosting a FREE workshop on Thursday called Ditch The Diet: 3 Secrets for Sustainable Weight Loss That No One is Telling You. If losing weight or improving your health is one of your goals for 2026, this workshop will definitely be super helpful, and I’d love to have you join me! Again, it’s free to join but you do have to register, which you can do HERE.

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