A Story About Checklists, Crocheting, Wine, Travel, Cooking… and the Systems That Actually Make Us Better
Some people collect hobbies. Others collect things.
Me, well, I collect systems.
Or at least, I try to.
For most of my life, I’ve been a checklist girlie through and through. Give me a list, a pen, and a quiet corner, and I will happily write down every task, idea, reminder, and “don’t forget to thaw the chicken” thought that pops into my brain.
Checklists make me feel organized.
They make me feel productive.
They make me feel like I’m winning at life. Especially when I can complete a task and throw today’s list away, #accomplished!!
But here’s the truth I’ve learned, slowly, stubbornly, and with more neon Post-Its than any one woman should legally possess: a checklist is not a system.
And that distinction has changed everything, from my self-imposed crafting disasters to my wine education to my travel adventures to my cooking catastrophes to how I teach the PESO Model®.
This is the story of how I learned it.
The Post-It Era (A Love Story… Sort Of)
For years, my life was held together by tiny squares of sticky paper. My desk looked like a rainbow had exploded. My laptop and monitors were framed in reminders. My notebook was filled with half-formed thoughts and abandoned intentions. (I even tried the sticky notes app on my computer…. don’t get me started on that one.)
Some of my friends set alarms on their phones. I tried that. Not for me.
The problem?
If I didn’t do the task the moment the alarm went off, I forgot it existed. The alarm became background noise, like a toddler asking “why?” for the 47th time.
So, I stuck with Post-Its. Until one Friday afternoon, when I realized I had accumulated so many that I could no longer see one side of my desk. Not a system. Not even close.
Enter 2026: my year of progress and growth.
Gone are the Post-It notes.
I bought a dry-erase board. Color-coded pens. I wrote out my immediate to-dos, erased them when done, and felt like a productivity goddess.
Then, a friend sent me an amazing gift, a combo dry-erase board and desk organizer, with pretty colored pens. It is glorious!
But even then, something clicked:
Checklists help you remember.
Systems help you change.
And I needed a change.
The Fitness System That Finally Worked
2026 is also my year of getting healthier, eating better, sleeping better, lifting heavy things, and improving my mobility. I’ve tried before, but nothing stuck. Why? Because I had tasks, not a system.
So, I built one:
- A fitness journal
- Peloton programs (weights, cardio, mobility, barre)
- A wellness journal (Post-Its on steroids ☺)
- And most importantly, an accountability partner who checks in weekly
And guess what? It’s working. I’m sleeping better (thank you, Hatch, and no TV), eating better, and moving more consistently than ever.
Not because I wrote “work out” on a list.
Because I built an ecosystem that supports the outcome I want.
Which brings me to my latest learning endeavor, Masterclass.
How Thomas Keller Became My Unexpected Life Coach
Twice a week, like clockwork, my friends and I log into our virtual Masterclass session, cameras on, snacks ready, and spirits high. For the last few months, we’ve been deep inside Thomas Keller’s cooking series. And when I say deep, I mean three full levels, each with about 20ish classes, each class with techniques so precise they make my crocheting tension-ring saga look casual.
Naturally, I approached this the way any self-respecting checklist girlie would:
- Downloaded every recipe
- Bought the cookbooks
- Bought new cookware (because obviously my existing pans were the problem)
- Bought new utensils (because if Thomas Keller says I need a fish spatula, I need a fish spatula – and my kids convinced me to rid my kitchen of plastics)
- Organized everything, because, well… systems are my love language
Then I cooked. And cooked. And cooked some more.
Some dishes were triumphs, like the roast chicken that made me feel like I should have my own Food Network show.
Others… well, let’s just say there was a beurre blanc incident that will never be spoken of again.
But here’s what surprised me most: I wasn’t just learning to cook. I was re-learning how to learn.
Every class reinforced the same principles I’ve been writing about for months:
1. Unconscious Incompetence: “How hard could it be?”
This was me watching Keller truss a chicken in 12 seconds flat and thinking, I can totally do that. Spoiler: I could not. Not even close.
2. Conscious Incompetence: The Frustration Barrier
The moment I realized my knife skills were…well, not skills. More like knife dreams. This is the crocheting chain-stitch disaster all over again.
3. Conscious Competence: Deliberate Practice
Rewatching the same 30-second clip of Keller whisking the butter until I could mimic the wrist movement. Practicing until my veggie cuts were uniform. Repeating steps until they felt less foreign.
4. Unconscious Competence: The Flow
The first time I cooked one of his recipes without pausing the video. The moment I realized I was moving confidently, instinctively, almost effortlessly.
- Learning something new: “What even is a confit?”
- Learning more: “Why does browning matter?”
- Applying it: “Let’s try this on salmon.”
- Fixing mistakes: “Oh… that pan was too hot.”
- Adapting: “Next time, I’ll adjust the heat earlier.”
Masterclass wasn’t just entertainment. It was a system, a structured, layered, thoughtfully sequenced learning experience that mirrored every principle I’ve been preaching.
And the best part?
I wasn’t doing it alone.
Learning in community, laughing at our failures, celebrating our wins, texting each other photos of our “nailed it” moments, or in some cases, our disasters, made the process richer, stickier, and far more joyful.
Just like PESO.
Just like wine.
Just like crocheting.
Just like everything worth learning.
The Systems That Make Us Who We Are
If there’s one theme that has quietly threaded itself through every story I’ve told, every kitchen catastrophe, every crocheting meltdown, every wine revelation, every travel misadventure, it’s this:
Success is never an accident.
It’s always a system.
And when I look back, I realize I’ve been building systems my entire life, long before I had the language for it.
The Toddler Years: Survival Requires a System
Raising triplets wasn’t a parenting journey. It was a logistical operation. Color-coded cups (Yellow – or “Lellow,” Green, and Pink), synchronized nap schedules, “picnic lunches” that doubled as crowd control, every day was a masterclass in systems thinking.
Without a system, chaos reigned.
With a system, we survived.
Shower Prep: The Morning Micro-System
Even now, my mornings run on a system. Workout first! Towels placed just so. Products lined up in order of use. Clothes prepped the night before.
It’s not rigidity, it’s efficiency. It’s removing friction so the day starts smoothly.
A checklist reminds you to shower.
A system ensures you start the day ready.
Cooking: From Chaos to Confidence
Cooking for toddlers? Survival.
Cooking for teenagers? Volume.
Cooking now? A system of:
- Meal planning
- TikTok or Masterclass inspiration
- AI-generated shopping lists
- Sunday prep
- And a pantry that looks like I’m preparing for a culinary apocalypse
Cooking stopped being stressful when it stopped being random.
Travel: Systems for the Unknown
Traveling to China with three Mandarin phrases? Chaos.
Traveling to France with a refreshed vocabulary and a plan? Confidence.
Every trip taught me the same thing:
Preparation is a system.
Adaptation is a system.
Confidence is the outcome.
Wine: A System for Understanding Taste
Wine went from “cute label” to “I can actually taste the notes” because I built a system:
- Classes
- Notes
- Tastings
- Comparisons
- Pairing Mistakes
- Adjustments
Wine didn’t get easier.
My system got better.
Crocheting: The System I Didn’t Know I Needed
My failure wasn’t about yarn.
It was about not having a system:
- Wrong tools
- Wrong pattern
- Wrong expectations
- No guidance
Once I added structure, classes, better materials, and expert help, the learning curve softened.
The Universal Truth: Systems Create Success
From toddlers to Thomas Keller…
From crocheting to cooking…
From wine to travel…
From morning routines to marketing frameworks…
Every success story in my life has had one thing in common:
A system made it possible.
A system made it repeatable.
A system made it sustainable.
And that’s the heart of everything I’m building in 2026.
The Pivot: Why PESO Collapses When Treated Like a Checklist
When I joined Spin Sucks, I saw the same pattern in how people approached the PESO Model:
Paid? Check.
Earned? Check.
Shared? Check.
Owned? Check-ish.
It reminded me of my crocheting disasters, me enthusiastically grabbing yarn, thinking, “How hard could it be?” Only to discover that enthusiasm is not a strategy.
PESO collapses when you treat it like a checklist.
Because PESO isn’t a list.
PESO is an operating system.
It’s tension rings and the right hook size.
It’s understanding why your stitches are uneven.
It’s knowing when to ask for help.
It’s the difference between unraveling your work for the 30th time and finally seeing the pattern take shape.
A checklist can’t get you there.
A system can.
The Manifesto: How Visibility Engineers Work
At Spin Sucks, we don’t teach the PESO Model as a set of tasks.
We teach it as an operating system.
Because we stop measuring activity.
We measure results.
A checklist asks, “Did you publish a blog?”
An operating system asks, “Did that blog deepen trust?”
A checklist asks, “Did you pitch the media?”
An operating system asks, “Did that earned placement strengthen your owned content?”
A checklist asks, “Did you post on social?”
An operating system asks, “Did that post move someone closer to trusting you?”
Checklists track motion.
Systems create momentum.
The Takeaway: Visibility Engineers Keep the Stitches Tight
Whether I’m crocheting, cooking, learning French, or trying not to buy wine based solely on the cuteness of the label, the lesson is always the same: success comes from systems, not steps.
Visibility Engineers don’t just check boxes.
They keep the stitches tight.
They tie every tactic to an outcome.
They build engines that run, repeat, and scale.
Because in the end, PESO isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing what works, on purpose, with purpose, through a system that supports the results you want.
And that’s the story I’ll keep building on in 2026.
© 2026 Spin Sucks. All rights reserved. The PESO Model® is a registered trademark of Spin Sucks.