Kayla Fahey-Ahrndt Leadership & Career Coach

Most Leaders Don't Need Better Time Management. They Need These 5 Systems.
Are you struggling to stay organized at work despite trying every productivity tip and time management hack?
In this episode of Get Organized at Work, we're taking a different approach.
Instead of focusing on time management, we're exploring the five core systems every leader needs to operate proactively, reduce overwhelm, and stay focused on what matters most.
You'll also complete the Leadership Operating System Audit and calculate your Leadership Operating Score—a simple assessment designed to help you identify strengths, uncover gaps, and pinpoint where your current systems may be creating friction.
In this episode, you'll learn:
✅ The difference between a time management/discipline problem and a systems problem
✅ The 5 core leadership systems every professional needs
✅ How to improve project management, task management, and information organization
✅ Why leadership management is different from productivity management
✅ How proactive leaders consistently plan, review, and improve
✅ The simple formula behind proactive leadership
The 5 Core Systems Covered
📌 Information Management System
📌 Project Management System
📌 Task Management System
📌 Leadership Management System
📌 Strategic Planning System
If you've ever felt overwhelmed by competing priorities, scattered information, forgotten follow-ups, or constant firefighting, this episode will help you identify where your Leadership Operating System needs support.
🎁 Take the free Leadership Operating System Audit and download the Leadership Operating System Quick Start Guide:
Leadership Operating System Audit

Keywords
leadership development, leadership systems, productivity for leaders, time management, project management, leadership operating system, proactive leadership, organization at work, manager productivity, leadership skills, workplace organization, strategic planning, task management, OneNote productivity, leadership habits, work organization

CONNECT WITH KAYLA:
📱Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals
Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylafaheyahrndt/
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7459643636083896320
Follow the podcast on Instagram: Get Organized At Work Podcast () • Instagram photos and videos

Additional Resources:
🎯 Free Resource:Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist
📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems:https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate
🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas

Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI

📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards
🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178
🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc
🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y
🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o

When Life Interrupts Your Plans: The Real Purpose of a Productivity System
After breaking my toe and losing a goal I'd been working toward for months, I was reminded of something important: the best systems aren't designed for perfect weeks—they're designed for real life.
After unexpectedly breaking my toe and losing the opportunity to run a race I had been training for, I found myself reflecting on a question every leader eventually faces:
What happens when life interrupts your plans?
In this episode of the Get Organized at Work podcast, I'm sharing a personal story about disappointment, resilience, and the surprising role productivity systems play during life's unexpected detours.
Most productivity advice focuses on doing more, working faster, and staying disciplined. But the real purpose of a great system isn't helping you perform during perfect weeks—it's helping you recover when things don't go according to plan.
Whether you're navigating a project setback, a career challenge, a family obligation, burnout, or an unexpected life event, this episode will help you rethink what sustainable productivity really looks like.
In this episode, you'll learn:• Why setbacks feel so disruptive to our goals and identity• The difference between discipline and resilience• How leadership systems reduce overwhelm during difficult seasons• Why weekly planning and project management matter most when life gets messy• How to create a productivity system that helps you get back on track faster
Resources and next steps:
🎯 Free Resource:Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist
📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems:https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate
🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas

Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI

📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards
🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178
🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc
🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y
🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o

📱Join the Get Organized at Work community for deeper system training and support (plus my OneNote Hub and my 6 module Get Organized at Work Blueprint Course is included with your membership):https://leadership-unveiled-podcast-community.mn.co/landing?space_id=2638359

HOW TO SUPPORT KAYLA & GET ORGANIZED AT WORK PODCAST

Leave me a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Apple Podcasts Show Link
🛒Shop My Amazon Storefront

CONNECT WITH KAYLA:
📱Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals
Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylafaheyahrndt/
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7459643636083896320
Follow the podcast on Instagram: Get Organized At Work Podcast () • Instagram photos and videos

Keywords:
productivity system, leadership system, sustainable productivity, work organization, leadership development, project management, weekly planning, goal setting, resilience, overcoming setbacks, productivity for leaders, OneNote organization, leadership habits, work-life balance, time management, recovering from disappointment, leadership operating system, personal productivity, professional development, overwhelmed at work

Most leaders treat repeatable work like a project.

Then they wonder why they’re constantly reinventing the wheel.

The Process Board answers:

👉 “How do I repeat this work consistently?”

Think:
✔ Employee onboarding
✔ Meeting prep
✔ Hiring workflows
✔ Event planning
✔ Monthly reporting
✔ Team check-ins

If you’re recreating the same process from scratch every time, you’re relying on memory instead of a system.

The goal isn’t to remember every step.

The goal is to build a process that remembers for you.

Want to see exactly how I use a Process Kanban Board (plus 3 other Kanban boards every leader should have)?

🎥 Head to my Stories or Highlights to watch the full tutorial.

Keywords:
Project Management, Get Organized At Work, Workflow Management, Leadership Operating System

Fix Your Projects: The 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Needs
If your projects feel overwhelming, the problem may not be your workload—it may be your system.
In this episode of Get Organized at Work, I'm continuing the "Fix Your" series by tackling one of the biggest challenges leaders face: managing projects, priorities, and workflows without feeling scattered or reactive.
The truth is that not all work is the same. Strategic initiatives, individual projects, repeatable processes, and personal priorities each require a different approach. When everything lives on one giant to-do list, important work gets buried and leaders lose visibility.
In this episode, I'm walking through the four Kanban boards I use to organize work, reduce mental clutter, and lead more proactively:
✔ Program Management Board (managing multiple projects)✔ Single Project Management Board✔ Process Kanban Board (workflow templates and repeatable systems)✔ Personal Kanban Board (my leadership dashboard)
You'll learn:

How to organize multiple projects without feeling overwhelmed

The difference between project management and process management

Why visibility is one of the most important leadership skills

How Kanban boards help reduce decision fatigue

Practical ways to improve project organization and workflow management

How leaders can build systems instead of relying on memory

Whether you're a healthcare leader, manager, director, project manager, or team leader, this episode will help you create a clearer system for managing your work and leading with confidence.
🎥 Watch the full tutorial:Microsoft Planner: 4 Kanban Boards Every Leader Should Build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH0etm9NgkI

📖 Want the full Microsoft Planner Kanban system? Check-out my e-book: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/microsoft-planner-kanban-boards
Resources and next steps:
🎯 Free Resource:Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist
📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems:https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate
🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas


🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178
🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc
🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y
🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o
📱Join the Get Organized at Work community for deeper system training and support (plus my OneNote Hub and my 6 module Get Organized at Work Blueprint Course is included with your membership):https://leadership-unveiled-podcast-community.mn.co/landing?space_id=2638359

HOW TO SUPPORT KAYLA & GET ORGANIZED AT WORK PODCAST

Leave me a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Apple Podcasts Show Link
🛒Shop My Amazon Storefront

CONNECT WITH KAYLA:
📱Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals
Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylafaheyahrndt/
Subscribe to my LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7459643636083896320
Follow the podcast on Instagram: Get Organized At Work Podcast () • Instagram photos and videos

Keywords:
Project Management, Kanban Board, Leadership Development, Microsoft Planner, Productivity Systems, Leadership Operating System, Workflow Management, Get Organized At Work, Healthcare Leadership, Time Management, Leadership Skills, Project Organization, Leadership Dashboard

Sometimes people hear me talk about systems, organization, routines, dashboards, or leader standard work and assume it’s about becoming ultra-productive all the time.

But honestly?

The systems aren’t there so I can work more.

They’re there so I can be a whole human.

A leader.
A mom.
A runner.
A wife.
A person who wants to garden, laugh with my kids, go outside, rest, create, and actually enjoy life.

The more mental clutter I remove…
the more capacity I have for the things that matter most.

That’s what good systems do.

They create space.

Not perfection.
Not hustle.
Not rigidity.

Space. ✨

On this page I share just that - my Leadership Operating System that helps you find sustainable leadership. So you can crush your work, enjoy it, and live a full life outside of it with energy. Proactive leadership. Follow along if you want more human centered leadership strategies. 🩵

5 Signs You Need Better Organizational Systems at Work - Which One is Holding You Back?
If your workday feels reactive, chaotic, mentally cluttered, or like you’re constantly trying to “catch up,” this episode is for you.
In this rerun of one of the most impactful episodes of the Get Organized at Work podcast, Kayla Fahey-Ahrndt breaks down the hidden signs that your organizational systems at work may not actually be supporting you — even if you’re high-performing, motivated, and capable.
You’ll learn how to recognize:

cognitive overload at work

invisible work and mental clutter

why your to-do list never feels done

the real cost of reactive workflows

signs your leadership systems are breaking down

how disorganization impacts stress, energy, and productivity

practical ways to create systems that actually reduce overwhelm

Whether you’re a healthcare leader, manager, working professional, entrepreneur, or busy working mom trying to stay organized, this episode will help you identify where the friction is happening — and how to build systems that create clarity, calm, and momentum.
If you’ve ever thought:“I’m working hard… so why does everything still feel messy?”this episode will help you understand why.
🎧 Listen in for practical strategies around:

organizational systems

leadership systems

time management

task management

productivity for leaders

reducing overwhelm at work

proactive planning

workflow organization

leader standard work

creating structure that supports your brain

Resources and next steps:
🎯 Free Resource:Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist
📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems:https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate
🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas
🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178
🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc
🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y
🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o
📱Join the Get Organized at Work community for deeper system training and support (plus my OneNote Hub and my 6 module Get Organized at Work Blueprint Course is included with your membership):https://leadership-unveiled-podcast-community.mn.co/landing?space_id=2638359

Keywords: organizational systems at work, productivity systems, overwhelmed at work, leadership organization, time management for leaders, reduce overwhelm, mental clutter, workflow systems, organization for professionals, proactive leadership, leader standard work, task management systems, working mom productivity, healthcare leadership, OneNote organization

If you keep rewriting your to-do list over and over again…

it’s probably not because you’re lazy or incapable of getting things done.

And it’s probably not because you “need to try harder.”

Your brain is overloaded.

Modern work requires us to manage:
✨ tasks
✨ interruptions
✨ follow-up
✨ projects
✨ communication
✨ invisible work
✨ emotional labor
✨ leadership decisions
✨ and constant context switching

And most people are trying to hold all of that together with sticky notes and mental reminders 😅

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is this:

If your brain is carrying your entire system…
you don’t actually have a system.

You have memory management.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m breaking down:
🧠 why traditional to-do lists fail
🧠 why rewriting tasks increases overwhelm
🧠 how decision fatigue impacts your work
🧠 and the simple task system I use to reduce mental load

Because organization should create clarity — not more stress.

🎧 “Fix Your To-Do List: The Simple Task System for Busy Professionals Who Feel Overwhelmed”

Link in bio to listen✨

Fix Your Energy: Systems to Stop Burnout and Protect Your Time as a Leader
Feeling exhausted, overstimulated, and constantly behind — even when you’re trying to stay organized?
In this episode of Get Organized at Work, I’m sharing why the real productivity problem for most leaders and working professionals isn’t actually time management… it’s energy management.
We talk about:

Why traditional productivity advice often fails
The hidden energy leaks draining your focus and motivation
How meetings, constant context switching, and reactive work create burnout
The “50% meeting rule” and why protecting your calendar matters
Systems to proactively manage your mental, emotional, and physical energy
How to rebuild your energy when you feel depleted
Why organized leaders think differently about productivity
Creating workflows, routines, and boundaries that actually support your life

I’m also sharing practical leadership systems I use inside my weekly planning process, Leader Standard Work, OneNote Hub, Microsoft Planner workflows, and proactive scheduling strategies that help reduce overwhelm and decision fatigue.
If you’ve been feeling tired, reactive, overstimulated, or stuck in survival mode — this episode will help you reset and build systems that support sustainable success.
📱Join the Get Organized at Work community for deeper system training and support (plus my OneNote Hub and my 6 module Get Organized at Work Blueprint Course is included with your membership):https://leadership-unveiled-podcast-community.mn.co/landing?space_id=2638359
Resources and next steps:
🎯 Free Resource:Download the Simple Task System Template to start organizing your tasks today: https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/simpletasklist
📓Get the OneNote Hub template I use to organize my work and leadership systems:https://kayla-fahey-ahrndt.myflodesk.com/ultimateonenotetemplate
🎥If you want to watch my OneNote Hub tutorial, it's here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Co83sC_qovw?si=nQtnaV3EQiqaQKas
🎥Watch the Active Projects List walkthrough in my OneNote Hub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEDJl9M7178
🎥Watch the Daily & Weekly Dashboard tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/nWgmoIJBCPc
🎥 Watch the Leader Standard Work and Weekly Reflections Questions tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/JQ4IFTDQV9Y
🎥Watch the Goal Setting for Professionals in OneNote | Annual Goals + Self-Assessment tutorial in my OneNote Hub: https://youtu.be/wf7qvyBNK5o
📱Join the Get Organized at Work community for deeper system training and support (plus my OneNote Hub and my 6 module Get Organized at Work Blueprint Course is included with your membership):https://leadership-unveiled-podcast-community.mn.co/landing?space_id=2638359

HOW TO SUPPORT KAYLA & GET ORGANIZED AT WORK PODCAST

Leave me a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Apple Podcasts Show Link
🛒Shop My Amazon Storefront

CONNECT WITH KAYLA:
📱Join My Podcast Community and App for Professionals
🗞Get My Newsletter
Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylafaheyahrndt/
Follow the podcast on Instagram: Get Organized At Work Podcast () • Instagram photos and videos

Keywords
energy management for leaders, burnout prevention, leadership productivity, time management for professionals, organized leadership, how to stop feeling overwhelmed, systems for leaders, proactive leadership, Leader Standard Work, OneNote productivity, Microsoft Planner workflow, work-life balance, leadership podcast, productivity systems, workplace burnout, energy management vs time management