We often arrive at our quarterly session days completely exhausted from the previous ninety days. How do we design a strategic pause in the days leading up to our session with you so we have the mental clarity required for high-level planning?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If you arrive at our session day completely exhausted, you will not have the mental energy required to solve your biggest issues. You cannot make strategic, high-level decisions when your brain is still in reactive firefighting mode.

To fix this, you must schedule a strategic pause in the days leading up to our session. I recommend that the entire leadership team blocks out the afternoon before our session as white space. This means no client meetings, no operational crises, and no email.

Use this open, unscheduled time to step back and reflect on the last ninety days. Review your individual Rocks and your scorecard metrics. Think about the deep, structural issues you want to bring to the session.

By giving your brain a minute to think before we meet, you arrive in the room calm, clear, and prepared to do deep work. You will transition from being reactive managers to proactive business builders, ensuring we maximize the value of our full day together and set the right trajectory for the next quarter.