I wrote the original version of this post in September 2008, flat on my back with some kind of virus, while Hurricane Ike was hitting Houston where my parents lived. They lost power for weeks. Many internet marketers in the Houston area went dark — their sites were up, but the pages were sparse and their email lists went quiet.
And yet, that moment of forced absence taught me one of the most important lessons in internet business: the best businesses keep working even when you can't.
Why Systems Matter More Than Hustle
While I was laid up, my website kept getting visitors. People kept opting into my email list. The automated sequences I'd loaded months earlier kept delivering helpful, evergreen content. Digital product sales continued processing and delivering automatically. AdSense clicks and affiliate commissions kept coming in.
None of that happened because I was working. It happened because I'd built systems.
If you've read The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, you know the concept. But you don't need to build a lifestyle business to benefit from this principle. Even if you're running a side hustle while working a full-time job, systems thinking is the difference between a business that scales and one that burns you out.
How to Take Yourself Out of the Daily Equation
Here's the practical advice I gave in 2008, updated for 2026:
- Automate your email marketing. Build evergreen email sequences that nurture new subscribers without your daily involvement. Tools like ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, and Mailchimp make this straightforward. Set it up once, refine it periodically, and let it run.
- Automate payment and delivery. If you're selling digital products, your payment processing and delivery should be completely hands-off. Platforms like Gumroad, Teachable, and WooCommerce handle this out of the box.
- Create digital products instead of trading time. If your income depends entirely on consulting or services, you're one illness away from zero revenue. Package your expertise into courses, templates, ebooks, or tools that generate income whether you're working or not.
- Outsource what doesn't require you. If your business depends on you generating content every single day, find trusted people to help. AI tools have made content creation faster, but human editors and strategists are still essential for quality and voice.
- Build on platforms you control. Host your own website. Own your email list. Don't build your entire business on someone else's platform where a policy change or hack could shut you down overnight.
The Bigger Picture
Taking yourself out of the daily equation isn't about being lazy. It's about building something bigger than what you can do alone. Systems let you grow beyond your personal capacity. They let you weather storms — literal and figurative. They even let you sell your business someday if you choose to.
And maybe most importantly, they let you step away from the computer and spend time with the people who matter. That lesson from 2008 is one I keep relearning, because building systems is a discipline, not a one-time project.
Hey Mark, I agree with you about the whole automation thing. When the **** hits the fan and it eventually will, it is always good to have things already planned out so that you know what is going to happen.
Luckily for me I don’t have kids!!! Haha and I don’t think I ever will. I have a snake but he just sits there and doesn’t really care if I hold him or pay attention, hehe. But I will admit that there are somedays where I just NEED to get off the computer and go do something. While I do enjoy spending time on the computer I get tired sometimes and need a break.
Plus I need to keep my tan as well 😉
Hi Mark,
very good info. I like the automation concept because it allows me to go on to new ventures as I tend to get bored quickly. In addition, I still work in the real world (hate it!) and I just can’t be working my virtual businesses during the day.
I am a new RSS subscriber. …Found you through Garry Conn. May I ask why you link the title of your post at the bottom of the post itself?
I have seen others do this too. Is it a good SEO technique?
thanks!
AL
@Jarret — I completely understand what you mean about needing to get off the computer. But don’t be too quick to make the decision about kids. They can be a real joy (and add to you definite major purpose).
@Allyn — Thanks for stopping by. I recognize you from the write up that Conn did on your very cool site. I was not sure about the link that you were talking about. Are you talking about the related posts links at the bottom of the page?
@Mark
Hey Mark, Welcome back to the land of the living. 🙂
@Allyn
Would you be referring to the way his post looks in a feed reader perhaps? I saw the post title at the bottom as well, but not on the post itself.
Wasnt that the pipe dream of technolgy back in the days huh. Get a computer and put your life on auto pilot. Too bad more people arent hip to it. Nothing better than going out and doing your thing and coming back logging in and seeing money sitting there from something you did a while back. Do the work once and get paid “forever”
Good to hear your product is selling dude.!!!
Mark,
It only appears that way in the RSS reader. I realize now that it is just there so when I am done reading the post in the reader, I can come to the actual site easily to comment.
I assumed it was a part of the actual post.
thanks, and looking foward to your updates,
AL