Ever felt like you’re stuck in a situation where something just isn’t working, but no matter what you do, you can’t fix it?

Maybe it’s a clunky system at work.
Maybe it’s a person in your life who always makes things harder.
Maybe it’s that one drawer in your house that just won’t close because there’s too much junk in it (ask me how I know).

In supply chain terms, we call this a constraint - the one thing that’s slowing everything else down.

In life?
We usually just call it frustrating.

So what do you do when you can’t change the process?

Sometimes, the problem isn’t the process, it’s the person in charge of it. And sometimes (brace yourself) that person is you.

For years, my husband used to ask me every single night what I wanted for dinner. And I would give him this ridiculously complicated answer based on:

Every night, this turned into an unnecessary decision-making process I was micromanaging. One day it hit me: he's an amazing chef, and whatever he makes always tastes amazing. Why was I even involved?

Now, I give input when I have the brain space or a specific craving - but most nights, he cooks what he wants and I enjoy the result.

Sometimes, firing yourself as the process owner is the best move you can make.

This one’s my favorite.

Ask yourself:

I used to try running in the mornings - but I hated it. One day I switched to walking and strength training, and suddenly it wasn’t a fight. The “process” of forcing myself to do something I disliked was gone. The outcome (feeling good) stayed the same.
Ironically, after a few months of this, I’m back into the occasional run.
Just never in the morning.

Look for places where you’re sticking with something just because you think you “have to.” Spoiler: you probably don’t.

Sometimes you just have to accept that it is what it is.

For me, this was my house when people came over. I used to stress out over every little thing: the floors had to be freshly cleaned, every surface dusted, the guest bedroom spotless. But you know what?
We almost always ended up outside. No one noticed the floors. No one cared about the spare bedroom.

Now? I tidy what matters, light a candle, and move on. The people coming over care more about how they feel when they're here, not if I dusted the baseboards.

Not every process in life or work can be changed.

But you can almost always:
✅ Step aside.
✅ Remove it.
✅ Adjust what “success” looks like.

You don’t need to be the hero of every broken process.

Your turn:
What’s a “process” in your life that you’ve either quit, reworked, or just lowered the bar on - and felt so much better because of it?
Reply and tell me, I’d love to hear it!