Hey there,

Have you ever noticed how some of the most interesting ideas come from unexpected places?

A surprising thing happened this week that made me rethink my approach to business systems. After being all-in on ClickUp for months, I found myself building out a Notion workspace during a VIP Day with a client. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend—one I’ve actually known since 2018 and even built a “Notion for Academics” brand around back in the day.

This experience highlighted something important: how easily we fall into tech monocultures.

Think about it. Microsoft wants you in their ecosystem. ClickUp promises to be your all-in-one workspace. Notion says you can ditch everything else.

The appeal is obvious—less context-switching, fewer subscriptions, simpler workflows.

But here’s the problem: monocultures kill creativity.

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When Everything Looks the Same, You Stop Seeing Possibilities

In agriculture, monocultures (where you grow only one crop) are efficient but vulnerable—one disease can wipe everything out.

Your tech stack works the same way.

When you only see one company’s approach to solving problems, you think inside their box. You stop questioning whether there might be a better way because you’re too invested in making this way work.

When I posted a quick Notion CRM video on Instagram recently, the comments surprised me:

and

It was a wake-up call that different tools solve different problems in unique ways. ClickUp is fantastic for project management, while Notion excels at knowledge organization and creating visual workspaces that just feel different.

The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds

I’m not suggesting you need fifteen different tools (please don’t do that to yourself!). But there’s real power in thoughtfully combining complementary systems tailored to your specific needs.

Here’s what works for different clients I support:

For busy working professionals (doctors, lawyers, executives):

• Notion for personal knowledge management and project tracking
• Google Workspace for collaboration with colleagues
• A simple CRM tool like HubSpot Free for networking contacts
• Specialized tools for their industry (legal research platforms, medical reference systems)

For academics and researchers:

• Notion for literature notes, teaching materials, and research planning
• Airtable to track grants, publications, and student projects
• Reference managers like Zotero integrated with writing tools
• Specialized research tools for data collection and analysis

For small business owners and service providers:

• ClickUp or Notion for operations, SOPs, and project management
• Airtable as a business hub (client information, product inventory, sales tracking)
• A dedicated scheduling tool like Acuity or Calendly
• Industry-specific platforms (course hosting, client portals, etc.)

The key isn’t having the “perfect” tool—it’s creating the right mix that supports your unique brain and workflow, then making these systems talk to each other through integrations like Zapier, Make.com, or native connections.

Questions to Ask Yourself

If you’re feeling stuck or uninspired with your current systems, ask yourself:

1. Am I using this tool because it’s actually the best option, or just because it’s convenient?
2. What processes feel clunky or forced in my current setup?
3. What’s one area where my business needs more specialized functionality?

🧠 Tech Corner: Google’s NotebookLM Can Now Find Its Own Sources

Google’s NotebookLM just added a clever “Discover” feature that lets the AI note-taking tool find web sources automatically. Instead of manually uploading documents, you simply describe what you want to learn about, and it gathers relevant sources for you.

What makes this powerful:

• Searches hundreds of sources in seconds
• Presents up to ten recommendations with relevance summaries
• Saves sources within NotebookLM for citations and notes

They’ve even added an “I’m Feeling Curious” button that generates sources on random topics—like Wikipedia’s random article feature but with AI curation.

Learn more here: Google NotebookLM Discover Feature​

📆 VIP Day Highlight: Custom Notion Build Success Story

Last week I spent a full VIP Day with a psychologist who was juggling clinical work, family, and content creation—all while drowning in sticky notes and half-built systems.

By the end of our session, she had a completely restructured Notion setup tailored to how she actually works and lives:

🧠 We started with a real-world workflow deep dive. We mapped a system prioritizing clarity, energy conservation, and privacy—something she could trust when life got intense.

🗂️ Then we built her new Notion architecture:

• Two separate team spaces for personal and shared content
• Six connected databases for tasks, projects, notes, files, contacts, and journaling
• Custom Daily Journal with energy tracking and habit checkboxes
• Team log system for her assistant to provide updates without chase-downs

The result? A clean, scalable system that matches her work style, protects privacy, supports her team, and centralizes everything from client notes to family birthday plans.

Interested in a similar transformation? Apply to Book a VIP Day and let’s build a system that works for your brain and your business.

What you missed last week:

• Our first “Get It Done” Co-Working Hour on Monday—50 focused minutes of distraction-free work with quick check-ins and celebration
• Shawn Blanc’s guest workshop on “The 4-Focus Method”—a practical framework for healthy productivity in work and life

Coming up this week:

• Monday at 9:30 AM ET: Get It Done” Co-Working Hour
• Wednesday at 12PM ET: Office Hours for all your systems questions
• New tutorial: “Building a Simple CRM in Airtable”

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📅 Need personalized support?

If your tech stack feels fragmented or overwhelming, a Strategy Session might be exactly what you need. In 60 focused minutes, we’ll map your systems, identify disconnects, and create an action plan tailored to your needs.

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Wishing you a week of systems that support (not stifle) your creativity,

Dr. Monica

P.S. Have you checked out The Systems Audit yet? It’s my step-by-step diagnostic tool that helps you identify exactly what’s slowing your business down—and what to fix first. → Get The Systems Audit here​

​ Dr. Monica Rysavy Systematic You ​Founder & CEO ☎️ (302) 599-0030 📬 monica@systematicyou.com 📍 Wilmington, Delaware