Never Repeat Yourself Again
(Subscriber Bonus: AI prompt and SOP Template below)
There’s a task in your business only you know how to do right. You’ve explained it out loud more times than you’ve written it down.
Every time, you mean to document it. Every time, the blank page results in your procrastination. In this edition we're going to tackle that very common challenge!
Where We're Going
Hopefully, you'll notice that our newsletters are tightening up. The pace of AI -- both the noise and the improved efficiencies -- made me stop and reflect. I wanted to be sure I'm bringing value to subscribers versus adding to the pile.
So we’ve updated this email. Shorter. Sharper. Every issue, every two weeks:
- One real problem that shows up in our lives as entrepreneurs
- One AI prompt, for those who want it
- One practical template so your team can run more of the business without you
The content may have evolved, but the objective is the same. Valuable reminders that:
Process creates freedom and the answer is in the tools.
Why We're Called Docs & Socks?
UCLA basketball coach John Wooden (the winningest coach in men's Division One basketball history) started every season the same way.
Not with strategy. Not with plays. Instead, he taught grown men how to put on their socks.
Smooth out the wrinkles.
Pull them tight at the heel.
Check for folds.
His reasoning was simple: A wrinkle becomes a blister. A blister benches a starter. A benched starter can’t run the play you spent all season teaching.
In the business world, documenting a process is your sock.
Nobody claps for it. It’s the unglamorous fundamentals that that result in the win.
The Bottleneck
When we were building our remodel company, I was the bottleneck for a lot of things, including our closing and warranty process. Ugh.
Not because I wanted to be. But because the steps lived in my head, and my head suprisingly, doesn’t scale.
When a project would close, happy customers needed their final warranty packet and it needed to be tracked. Warranty is the part nobody sees until something breaks. The job’s done. The money’s collected. Onward -- until a homeowner calls about an offset cabinet door eighteen months later.
If the steps to handle a process of yours live in one person’s memory, you don’t have a process. You have a future fire drill.
At the time, I kept saying that I would write it down “when things slowed down.” Of course, things never slowed down. The undocumented blank page sat there for months, stressing me out.
The Solution
What changed? It's probably not impressive, but I lowered the bar. I stopped trying to write the perfect SOP and started with an ugly first draft I could fix later.
The draft was the unlock. Once I saw something on paper, I could get it across the finish line. Editing is easy. Starting is the hard part. If blank page syndrome or process procrastination hits home for you or someone on your team, I have a great tool for you!
Process Success: AI Prompt & Steps
(No AI? Skip to Template below)
AI PROMPT: Pick one task you keep re‑explaining.
I was an English major in college and finally learned that in order to get started, I just HAD to get anything on paper and then ideas would flow from there.
Here is a prompt that beats the blank page. Of course, use your company's security and legal policies, and your own discernment when using AI.
If you're new to AI ... open the AI of your choice (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, etc.). Paste this in and answer its questions. Then revise the draft.
- Assume the role of an operations consultant.
- My business is [add industry or "About Us" from your website.] I want to document a repeatable task so someone else can do it without me.
- Use the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) 3-Step Process Documenter approach, capturing 20% of the major steps that will get us 80% of the results. Only build out 1-2 outline levels. Keep it high level. Ideally return a one-page checklist that I can revise and share with others.
- The task is: [describe the task in one sentence, e.g. “closing out a completed job and starting the warranty period”].
- Interview me one question at a time to pull out every step, decision point, and “gotcha” I take for granted.
When you have enough information generate a simple step‑by‑step SOP a new hire could follow after I've given them training. Keep the language plain.
The one‑question‑at‑a‑time instruction is the trick. It pulls the steps out of your head the same way I’d do it sitting across from you.
Free Template: One-Page SOP
The prompt gets you a draft. If you aren't yet using AI (we can talk about that later...) I have also attached a template that you can manually fill out and turns it into something your team will use.
The same format I use with my Process Success consulting clients. This document captures
- Purpose
- Owner
- Trigger
- Steps
- “Done right looks like” check at the bottom
This should take 15 to 30 minutes tops. Start to finish. You can access it here.
Download the One-Page SOP Template
Next Steps
Do something with this email! Document one task. Just one. The one you explained again last week. You don’t need more discipline. You just need a draft.
If you found value in this content, please forward this to one leader who’s still the operating system of their business and hopefully it can help them out as well. They can subscribe to Docs & Socks here.
Lisa
When a template isn't enough, we can help. Visit lisagonzalez.com for more free tools, or to explore coaching and workshops for you and your team.
