Yes... I did have way to much fun trying to say that title a lot! 😁

Templates & Toolkits are RIIPEE this Cyber Monday! (and probably afterwards too)... but sometimes they aren't as helpful as you might think!

In this episode I talk about why!

Episode Link: https://simplicityspecialist.captivate.fm/episode/the-tantilizing-trap-of-templated-toolkits

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A Note On Transcriptions - In the interest of simplicity, I'm using Descript* to make podcast publishing as easy as possible. This means that sometimes the transcript won't match what I'm saying and sometimes it'll be hilariously different (tag me on Twitter telling me the funniest transcription you've found).

The tantalizing trap of templates and toolkits.

Yes.

I really wanted to say that out loud.

Productivity and systems templates have a problem.

They are often marketed because that's what you're supposed to do as

the one stop shop that'll solve your productivity and system problems.

The sad thing is they very rarely do.

And they're often misused by the users thinking that

it's going to fix everything.

It is the black Friday weekend cyber Monday.

And chances are a lot of digital products are on sale with templates

that are promising you to get you more productive, more organized,

and more efficient in your business.

The sad reality of that after experience with many clients is it's

unlikely to do any of those things.

In fact, I dare to say that the templates that are on offer are

probably chopped up versions of the original creators systems that they

probably won't even use themselves.

And that is where my problem with templates start.

When you create a template or a pre done system as i've done in the past, I'd have

to chop pieces out to make it closer to what a typical business owner would need.

And that's the exact problem it's generalized.

And so it fits.

Nobody.

It's sad because of the templates or tool kits and solutions aren't necessarily

terrible and awful per se, more misguided, misunderstood and sometimes yes.

missold.

Now, I'm not saying don't buy tantalizing, templated toolkits.

I love that.

At all go for it.

But here's my.

Caveat and consideration for you.

Don't use it as is.

Don't just use it as the template exists because it's highly unlikely

to work for you because it doesn't have all of the context that you do.

Don't try to force yourself and shove yourself into the

process that another person uses.

Take a look at it from a higher view.

Let me explain.

Look at how it's put together, what constraint has it added, that might

actually be really helpful for you.

A good example of this is many notion templates constrain the view

by creating dashboards that are filtered to see only certain things.

What do you want from this system?

What things did you see that you want?

For example with these dashboards would less information suit your system better?

What.

Would it help you?

And if so, how will it help you?

Then take a peak at what you have, what already exists in the things

that you have created or bought in the past and perhaps have abandoned

due to it not quite working for you or perhaps you completely forgot about it.

Can you use the constraint that you found that you have liked in this recent

product with what you previously used?

For example, the new template you bought has things broken down and put into

different places that can support you all of these things allow you to adapt

a system so that it really does fit you.

Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and force yourself to work

into something that someone else has created, but often isn't even the same

as what they use on a day-to-day basis.

We are bombarded by hundreds of templates and toolkits

promising solutions that fit you.

However often they're solutions that are lacking the key component that fits you.

You.

Instead of starting from a template that doesn't have you in mind, start from you!

Don't want to go it alone or want help tweaking a template to fit you.

Reach out to me at simplicity-specialist.com