Thread the Needle Productivity: Building Systems for Real Life (Puppies Included)
This morning at 5:47 AM, I found myself standing in my sweats in the backyard, watching our now 10-week-old Australian Labradoodle named Truffle do his business. The forced early wake-ups have been an adjustment but he is so chill at this time of the day, so it actually helps me get things going on the right footing.
Our game of fetch is a work in progress.
This is one of the unexpected shifts in what were my "optimal productivity systems" for getting shit done.
I'm always telling my clients to build better systems focused on 2-3 core "table setters" rather than trying to be perfect in executing every routine. But there's a difference between building flexible systems in theory and stress-testing them with a puppy who doesn't care about your carefully planned schedule.
The Pre-Truffle Fantasy
Before Truffle arrived, my mornings had a rhythm. Up at 6:30, hit the weights in our garage gym, make breakfast, then straight into either deep thinking blocks or meetings.
The hubs and I operate fairly independently during the day - he has his schedule, I have mine for Go Long. Maybe coordination if someone had to be home to sign for packages (read: wine shipments).
We'd planned thoughtfully for this puppy. Our neighbor is a trainer, and I'd fallen in love with one of her dogs last summer. But I waited until after my hip replacement surgery recovery.
I thought we were prepared. We had the yard work done, gates installed, rugs rolled up.
I was wrong about what "prepared" actually meant.
Reality Hits at 5:45am
Now we're up between 5:45-6:00am for puppy bathroom breaks. We're taking Truffle outside hourly for potty training. My husband and I coordinate our morning workouts—one takes puppy duty while the other lifts, then we switch.
Instead of operating independently, we now plan "Truffle coverage" for my big meeting days and/or when the hubs needs to be in the office.
Here's what I'm learning about external accountability: it can help you see opportunities for prioritization and productivity that you couldn't see when managing everything solo. When life forces you to reorganize your entire day around someone else's needs, you discover what's actually essential versus what you just thought was important.
Those hourly potty breaks? They're forcing me to restructure how I approach deep work entirely. I can't disappear into three-hour focus sessions anymore. I have to break projects into smaller chunks that can handle interruption.
Some of my best problem-solving happens during those "work in progress" games of fetch with Truffle.
We're constantly playing defense because Truffle likes to eat everything, including our cords, so we've resorted to strategically placing gym equipment to protect him and protect our electronics.
A couple of times, Truffle wasn't cooperating about getting inside before a meeting started, so creativity was employed (more treats—not the best parenting strategy, but sometimes you do what works).
The Joy Investment Decision
Here's what I want you to understand: make room for the things that are going to bring you joy, even if they make your routines more difficult to maintain.
We can always get creative about threading the needle. We've learned that puppy training books are more like guidelines than rules.
It won't always be easy, but life is about appreciating joy. If you don't create space for that, it impacts your mental health. And that impacts everything else.
I am not as productive now as I was a month ago. But I have to trust my process that this will return as things get more settled with Truffle.
And watching him do his ridiculous puppy crawl automatically makes me smile, no matter how stressed I was five minutes earlier. Every time he does his stretching routine, I'm reminded that I don't stretch enough and probably take myself too seriously.
Truffle getting in his version of foam rolling.
The Learning Curve of Any Life Change
When you're making any change—whether it's learning AI at work, dealing with new schedules because your kids are now in different schools, or bringing home a puppy—it's a process about learning. It’s doing the work consistently on a regular basis. You're going to go slower until you become more proficient at the new skill.
Some changes are more challenging because there's an emotional component. Give yourself grace that you're not perfect. Get the help you need from your community because that's where true strength comes from.
Life is about taking risks to achieve something better. Whether that's starting a new habit to build a healthier life, launching your side hustle, or developing your thought leadership, you need to take a chance.
Three Ways to Build Systems That Bend Instead of Break
1. Add coordination checkpoints to your planning. You can't be everywhere all at once. Whether it's vacation coverage at work or managing a sick day when you have important meetings, coordination can make a significant impact. Start sharing schedules and creating "coverage plans" with the people in your orbit.
2. Break your work into puppy-sized chunks. If your deep work requires three uninterrupted hours to be useful, you're depending on conditions you can't control. Practice making progress in 45-minute blocks that can handle interruption.
3. Plan for the learning curve. Whether it's a new puppy, family change, or making time for that writing habit/side hustle idea, expect to be less efficient initially. Build buffers into your schedule and expectations. The temporary step backward isn't regression—it's your brain finding new neural pathways.
The Bottom Line: Life Is Supposed to Include Joy
Sometimes the best productivity hack is remembering that life is supposed to include joy, mess, and the occasional puppy who makes you laugh during your most stressful moments.
The goal isn't to eliminate disruption—it's to build systems flexible enough to handle it while still moving you toward what matters most.
Productivity at its best.
What's Next?
If you've been putting off something that would bring you joy because it doesn't fit neatly into your current systems, maybe it's time to get creative about threading the needle. Hit reply and tell me what you've been postponing—let's figure out how to make room for it.
PS — Truffle is currently napping right alongside me as I finish this post, doing his adorable puppy twitching thing that suggests he's probably chasing something in his dreams. The irony isn't lost on me that my most productive writing session this week happened while he was unconscious. But I'll take the win where I can get it.
