Lane 04 · 1 essay

The person doing the work.

Planning, energy and judgment for leaders. How to keep the operator in good repair while the operation grows.

A wooden sailboat hauled out in dry dock, a worker scraping the hull

Who this is for

Anyone carrying a team, a company or a career who wants to still like the work in ten years.

the metaphor
Think of your year as a hull. Ships are hauled out once a year, scraped and repaired, so they can sail the other eleven months.

Questions this lane answers

  1. Q1When did you last plan your year on purpose?Read →
  2. Q2What would you stop doing if you could see your whole calendar at once?Read →
  3. Q3What does your career add up to so far?Read →

Essays

In this lane

Narrow by industry or size
A wooden sailboat hauled out in dry dock, a worker scraping the hull
A Healthy Life in BusinessThe yearly dry dockOnce a year I end every recurring meeting and rebuild my time around what I want the next year to hold. Boats get hauled out for the same reason.4 min read
A man in a cardigan pricing an old wall clock at a family yard sale on a suburban driveway
A Healthy Life in BusinessEverything on the drivewayYou only learn how much you own when it's all out on the driveway. Once a year I put my whole calendar out there by ending every recurring meeting.4 min read
A hiker resting at the top of a ridge, looking down at the trail winding through the valley below
A Healthy Life in BusinessThe trail from the ridgeOn the climb you see the next switchback. From the ridge you can see the whole trail. Mine turned out to be one question I keep getting handed.5 min read
An old cordless phone on its charging stand, battery gauge showing, on a desk under a crowded wall calendar
A Healthy Life in BusinessYour battery, not your calendarTwo hours on the calendar can cost you very differently. What charges me is perspective, and I go looking for it on purpose.4 min read
A pit crew working the wheels of a vintage race car while the chief mechanic signals to the driver
A Healthy Life in BusinessThe pit crewWithout a crew you're on the side of the road, lifting the car yourself. Keep people close who'll tell you your tires are bald.4 min read
An empty ballpark in winter, snow on the stands, a lone groundskeeper crossing the field with a shovel
A Healthy Life in BusinessThe off-seasonAthletes use the off-season to rest and prepare. Mine is where I check whether work has started leaking into the rest of my life.4 min read

A running series

Healthy in Life

Being healthy in life, in business, in family, in relationships, in community.

Planning a year on purpose? Send me the question you're stuck on.

Email Brandon