I’ve just published the July issue of the Personal Strategy Compass newsletter, and it centers on a physical metaphor that hit me during my recent Q3 Personal Quarterly Offsite (PQO).
I caught myself spending far too much analytical energy on a minor home
The April issue of Personal Strategy Compass is out, and this one took longer to find its frame than most.
The image that finally unlocked it was Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love tour. Not the Born in the USA stadium spectacle that preceded it. The moment after, when he stripped the stage down to almost
The March issue of my Personal Strategy Compass newsletter is out.
This month’s piece explores something I’ve been noticing about strategic planning. The hardest part is usually not the work of planning itself. It’s the residue that planning drags along with it.
Ideas, priorities, and intentions tend to accumulate. We carry them forward month after
I ran an experiment at the beginning of February.
I closed my planning system and didn’t look at any of it for 48 hours. No peeking. No referencing. I just paid attention to what actually pulled at my thinking when nothing was prompting me.
Then, on Monday morning, before I opened anything, I wrote down
I launched Personal Strategy Compass as a premium newsletter a year ago. The decision made sense on paper: quality content, established expertise, proven frameworks. But something never quite felt settled.
Not wrong, exactly. Just… misaligned.
Then I drew an Oblique Strategies card during my own quarterly planning: “Honor thy error as a hidden intention.”
If
For ambitious professionals, saying “no” is a celebrated strategic act. We use the “Strategic No” to reclaim our time, prune our commitments, and simplify our lives. It’s a powerful feeling of control and liberation.
But what about the day after?
What happens when the relief of a clear calendar fades and you’re left with a
Are you a high-achieving professional feeling the quiet hum of overwhelm? Do you suspect you’re ahead of your organization, sensing a career pivot on the horizon, but find yourself trapped by commitments that no longer ignite your passion? If so, you’re not alone. And I have a powerful
If you are a high-achieving professional, you live with a fundamental tension. You know that deep, strategic thinking is the engine of your success, yet your calendar is a fortress that rarely permits the quiet time required for it. Important decisions loom, but the sheer complexity of your options leads to the all-too-familiar state of
It’s mid-June, and for many legal professionals, there’s a subtle but powerful shift in the air. We’re at the halfway point of the year. The initial burst of January motivation has long since faded, and we’re deep enough into the year to see whether our original plans are holding up against reality. Too often, we
You’ve blocked out your Personal Quarterly Offsite (PQO). Great start. But let’s be honest: carving out those few hours for strategic thinking is only half the battle, especially for busy legal professionals.
The real challenge? First, protecting that sacred PQO time from the inevitable barrage of external and internal distractions. Second, ensuring the brilliant insights
