How to Build SOPs Without Losing Your Mind

Let’s clear something up right away:

SOPs  (standard operating procedures) are not a corporate punishment.
They’re not busywork.
They’re not “something you’ll do when things slow down.”

They’re the difference between a business that drowns you…and a business that duplicates you.

And yet most people avoid them like a Costco parking lot on a Saturday.

Here’s how to build SOPs without wanting to launch your laptop into the nearest body of water:

Step 1: Document ONE thing you’re already doing.

(Not everything you’ve ever done!)

Most people fail because they try to build The Ultimate Handbook of Their Entire Life in one sitting.
Don’t.
Just pick the next task you’re already doing today and document that.

Step 2: Break it down like you’re telling a tired version of yourself how to do it.

Simple. Linear. Human.
No MBA jargon.
Your future self (or team member) should be able to follow it half-awake.

Step 3: Add the “quality bar.”

Every SOP should answer:
“How do I know this is done well?”

Include a line:
“Complete when…”
This alone upgrades average work into consistent, exceptional work.

Step 4: Store it somewhere obvious.

Not on a Post-it.
Not buried in a downloads folder graveyard.

Pick a home: Google Drive, Notion, ClickUp, Asana. It doesn't matter WHERE, but you do need to use whatever you’ll actually open.

Step 5: Use it twice. Edit once. Done.

Perfection is not the goal.
Repeatability is.

Want to know what really changed the game for us over at Canada’s Virtual Assistant?

We started using Scribe.

And honestly? Worth every penny.

It literally records what you’re doing on your screen and magically turns it into a step-by-step SOP with screenshots - in seconds!

For someone building a digital business or running a VA agency… it’s the closest thing to cloning your brain.

It saves us hours.
It saves our clients hours.
It eliminates excuses.

And it makes standard operating procedures actually enjoyable to create.

Here’s the truth:

SOPs are not about control.
They’re about freedom.

Freedom from redoing work.
Freedom from confusion.
Freedom from being the bottleneck in your own business.

SOPs aren’t the dream.
But they’re what make the dream possible.

If this helped, forward it to another ambitious woman building systems for her future self.

- Megan

Lead Mentor at That Virtual Life