Implementing Effective Home Systems: Tips from Entrepreneur Lori Templeton

This episode is also available on the Raising Faithful Families podcast and YouTube.

Implementing Effective Home Systems: Tips from Entrepreneur Lori Templeton

Katy Bordeaux: Hi friends. It's Katy with Raising Faithful Families. Today, we're going to talk to Lori Templeton. She's a mompranista, a multi-business owner, a mom of multiple children, and she's really got the systems, balance, and structure optimized to make things run efficiently in her business, in her family, and in her home. She's going to share some of her wisdom and insights with us today.

Katy Bordeaux: Do you want to create peace in your home and be the best parent you possibly can be? Are you ready to feel confident and clear in your decisions? Do you wish you could navigate conflicts and challenges calmly and effectively? Well, there's a way to overcome the roadblocks that are standing between you and the family life you've prayed for so that you can create consistent routines, find fulfillment and balance, and thrive in your life and family.

Hi friends, I'm Katy Bordeaux, host of Raising Faithful Families, founder of Covenant Collections Christian Parenting Company, and a certified parenting and family coach. In this podcast, I'll guide you on how to find balance and fulfillment without adding stress or sacrificing precious time. Create peace in your home, become the parent God has called you to be, strengthen your connection with God and with your family, navigate life using biblical wisdom and Christian values, and experience growth spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and practically as a parent and as an individual. I'm here to help your family be its best for each other so that you can be your best for the kingdom of God. It's time to create a home filled with love, faith, and true joy. Let's thrive together with God at the center every step of the way.

I pray this blesses you. Let's get started.

Katy Bordeaux: Hi, Lori, so happy to have you on. Can you share with our audience a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Lori Templeton: Yeah. So I'm Lori. I'm a wife, a mom times four, a homeschooler, an award-winning entrepreneur. We own several businesses. I'm an investor, a business mentor, and a ministry leader, and a whole Bible believing Jesus freak. So that's pretty much it for me.

Katy Bordeaux: That's perfect. When we spoke, you had a lot of amazing information about how you systemize your life and increase structure and balance to ultimately make things simpler so that we as parents are able to show up as the best version of ourselves. I loved that. I'd love to chat a bit more about that and just help our audience understand the best ways to make these types of shifts in their homes and how to essentially have a how-to guide they can start implementing right away. So can you tell us a bit about the structure and balance in your home and what that looks like for your family?

Lori Templeton: Yeah, absolutely. I think one of the biggest revelations that came for me was when I realized that I had to actually start running my family like I run a business. We miss that a lot of times. My husband and I were in this season where we were adding businesses and adding kids. We would add businesses and add kids. I was wearing the super mom badge of honor really hard, staying up all night because I thought that's what you're supposed to do. I was burning the candle at both ends, being with kids all day and then working on businesses all night. Then we hired a business consultant. I'm from a background where I did strategic planning and policy planning for organizations, and I couldn't get a handle on it for me and my business. That was crazy. We hired a consultant, and this consultant said, "I schedule every hour of my day, and this is what I do for businesses." I thought, "You are crazy. There's no way I can schedule every hour of my day. That's not going to work." I'm a mom. God kind of jerked me back there. The Holy Spirit kind of did the frying pan upside the head and was like, "Lori, you need to pay attention to this." So I sat down and said, "Okay, what needs to happen here?" They said, "You know, you're putting policies and procedures in your business. You need that in your home as well. You need to sync up your life and get everything planned out." I said, "Oh, okay, well, you're going to have to tell me how to do that, God, because I don't understand that as a mom and a business owner." Everything he was saying was coming at me as a man, and guys don't really have a lot of insight on how to run a business and a life when you're a mom, especially a mom of multiple kids and multiple businesses. It just didn't compute in my head. So I sat down and started planning everything out. As we started putting policies and procedures in our businesses, we also started putting policies and procedures in our home. That was the absolute biggest shift that I've ever seen in my life because it fixed communication in our home. It fixed any disagreements we might have about what needs to be done because we had systems. In businesses, we have what we call high-value tasks. Those are the things that make you money and keep the lights on. Those are your high-value tasks. You have procedures for those, you have them written down, and you make sure everyone knows how they operate. Then you have to translate that over to the home and look at high-value tasks in your home. Those are the things that keep your family fed, healthy, and running smoothly and keep everyone's sanity, especially with homeschooling and all the things. It keeps everyone on an even level so we're not reacting to everything. In our businesses and home, we were reacting to everything because we didn't have anything planned out. We had calendars, I had pretty little planners, but having stuff on a calendar doesn't equate to having high-value tasks lined out for your business and your home. Once we lined those out, it completely changed and shifted the dynamics of our household.

Katy Bordeaux: That makes so much sense. I think so many people will relate to that. If you had to pinpoint one system, one habit, or one routine that has had the biggest impact on your family, what would that be?

Lori Templeton: Other than implementing the high-value tasks, I would say it was prioritizing date nights, not only for my husband and me but for my kids and me. That completely shifted the peace and feel in our home. My husband and I would go weeks without going on a date, and we'd look at each other and realize we hadn't spent any time together. That was a big revelation—if we don't put it on the calendar, it won't happen. We have to put it on the calendar to make it happen. Then we started looking at how to invest in our kids intentionally. We started putting date nights with our kids on the calendar. We have a rotation with our four kids. My husband takes one child one night, I take another, and the next week we take two different kids. They all get a date night with us together at least once every six weeks. They get mom and dad together. My oldest two have hang time at night with mom or dad, or both. Implementing the fact that my husband and I have a regular weekly date night, it's non-negotiable. Even if we don't have childcare, we figure out how to make it work. It doesn't have to be big and fancy all the time. Sometimes we sit on the back patio by the pool, talk, and have a snack. Other times, we have childcare and go out for a night. Prioritizing our marriage and knowing we have to invest in each other matters so much to how we lead our family. My oldest son is our biggest advocate and will tell you that everyone needs to live the mompranista life because their kids get so much more time with their parents. It matters that you invest in your kids. It doesn't have to be extravagant. Sometimes we go to the beach and dig in the sand, ride go-carts, or walk in the woods. It matters that they get time with you so they feel loved and invested in, and you're pouring into them in a way they receive. Knowing their love language and things like that absolutely matters.

Katy Bordeaux: You are absolutely right. I love that you include the kids in that. We often have to try a few different approaches before finding the right strategy or structure that works for us or our kids. Do you have any stories of things you tried that absolutely did not work before finding the approaches that do work?

Lori Templeton: Oh, girl, I don't know if we have time for all this. But yeah, it matters that you find something that works for you and your family. That's what I teach and preach. In the online space, we're fed a lot of different stuff. "Use my system and you'll make a million dollars," and all this stuff. But those systems don't always work for the rhythms of our lives. We have to figure out what works for us. There were times I tried to put something into my family because someone else was doing it, and it just didn't work. It wasn't something my family liked or worked with our flow. What I figured out, going back to that consultant who told me to schedule every hour of my day, was that the reason I wasn't getting things done and couldn't implement and grow things was because I didn't have my life dialed into that level. I was chasing dreams against my divine design and trying to fit them into my family. It didn't work. Once I sat down and developed my sync method, where you take stock of everything in your life and write it all down, that's when I figured it out. You look at the yoke and put everything in the order it is in your life. You have to be honest with yourself. If Facebook is higher than your Bible study time or time with your spouse, you have to put that on the list. As I'm putting things in order, I'm making myself sick because I'm realizing what things actually have priority in my life. Then you look at the navigational points—how you actually want to navigate and put things in order. Where do you want God? Where do you want your husband? Where do you want your kids? Where do you want your gym membership, Rotary Club membership, business, etc.? Then look at the monetary and time costs you put into it. Once you figure that out, you can start syncing up your life. You have a certain number of hours a week to run your home, business, date your husband, date your kids, and enjoy life. If you don't get that dialed in, there's always going to be an element of trying to figure it out and not getting traction. This helped us with mergers and acquisitions because we were so clear we could look at businesses and see if we had the capacity to run them. If we didn't, we wouldn't buy them. It matters that you figure out the direction of your life and design your destiny as long as it's in line with God's will. Ephesians 2:10 says God created us to do things for Him, and He carved something into us. I love helping people discover it and rise up into it, but you have to have all these other components in place to do that effectively.

Katy Bordeaux: You're so right. When I first started time blocking, I thought it would change everything, but I wasn't allocating exactly how many hours something needed. I was messing it up and having to shift things to the next day repeatedly. Knowing how many hours you need for each task each week is a game changer.

Lori Templeton: It is a game changer because there's a breath of fresh air when you start realizing you can put a schedule and systems in place. Everyone knows everything throughout the day. People know how long mom needs to work and how long homeschooling takes. It matters so much to shift your focus and not stress about checking things off a to-do list. Instead, put the hours down and figure out what you have time for. Many people realize they might be in the wrong business because they don't want to put 40 extra hours into it. They want something that looks different. Helping people figure out how to sync up their life and put everything in place is crucial.

Katy Bordeaux: If someone wanted to optimize systems in two to three different areas in their homes or lives, which areas would have the greatest impact?

Lori Templeton: That depends on what matters for you and your family. For me, one of the biggest issues was laundry. People would leave it in the washer, and in Florida, that results in a bad smell. We have procedures in place so anyone can do it. Getting the outside area cleaned up regularly also mattered because it's my calm space. I have four kids who leave pool toys and trash everywhere. I want them to play and be kids, but I also want the area clean for my peace. You need to figure out what the high-priority tasks are in your home that help bring you sanity. It might be cleaning up the kitchen, which we call kitchen recovery. It gets done by either someone who works in our home, my husband, or my older son. It matters to communicate with God, your spouse, and your kids to bring peace and order to your home.

Katy Bordeaux: What would be your number one suggestion for finding and maximizing balance as a busy parent?

Lori Templeton: Systems and procedures are number one. Figure out those high-value tasks in your home and sync up your life. I teach the sync method and workshops, and you can find anything I do under Mompranista Life. 2020 changed a lot of in-person stuff, but this is one of the number one things that helps business owners, especially husband and wife teams. It helps them put things in place and take their life back. Everyone gets into entrepreneurship for freedom, but we end up working 24/7. We need systems and processes to achieve that freedom. It matters to dial everything in and get your life synced up. High-priority tasks need to be in place for your business and life. Whether you're running a multi-million dollar construction company or a Mary Kay consultant, you need procedures. Think about hiring an assistant and having systems written down so you don't spend 20 hours training them. It allows you to operate at a board level instead of doing the day-to-day grind. Putting these things in place helps you graduate from the grind.

Katy Bordeaux: That's really helpful. In your experience and with the people you've worked with, what are some common roadblocks people run into, and how can we be prepared to address and overcome those?

Lori Templeton: One of the biggest roadblocks is not wanting to schedule every hour of the day. It sounds crazy, but it matters for achieving your goals. Another roadblock is not knowing your breaking points. Every fighter finds their breaking point and learns to push past it. You need to find that level and push past it. If you don't have someone in your life to help you push past it, find them. You also need systems and procedures to push past your breaking point. Find people who call you up to more of who you're created to be in the Father and who are further along than you. Limiting beliefs are another roadblock. We can't understand all of God's plans for us, so we need to step out in faith. Overthinking and perfectionism can hold us back. Take action and be obedient to God. Entrepreneurship is built into us, like the Proverbs 31 woman. Know what you know because you've studied and searched it out. Have belief in yourself and God's plans for you.

Katy Bordeaux: Thank you for sharing your wisdom and insight with us today. How can my audience find you and follow you if they want to learn more from you?

Lori Templeton: You can find me across every platform under Momprenista Life. There's a fun story about how Momprenista came about, which you can find on my stuff. Look for me anywhere under Momprenista Life. Lori Templeton, you can follow me on social media, but Momprenista Life is the easiest way to find me. We have challenges, and my team and I help people scale to seven, eight, and nine figures across 26 different industries. I wanted to help moms grow and scale their businesses, so I brought my expertise to the online space to reach more moms and help them rise up into who they were created to be.

Katy Bordeaux: Thank you. That's perfect. I'll put those links in the show notes as well.

I hope this episode was valuable for you, and I pray you're walking away with new insights, perspectives, or ideas to implement as you move forward. Remember that God makes everything we truly need available to us. The life you've prayed for is just waiting for you to take the next step. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review so we can continue reaching families who need this message. Until next time, take care and stay blessed.

Thanks for listening!

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