The Career Clinic Podcast
Host: Ronnie Dickerson Stewart
Welcome to Day Four of The Career Clinic January Intensive.
In this episode, we bring the work of the week together and zoom in on the most practical question of all:
How are you actually setting up your weeks?
Rather than starting each week in reaction mode, this conversation introduces a simple, repeatable rhythm for designing your time with intention. You'll learn how to create a Weekly Operating System that helps you prepare instead of scramble, protect what matters most, and show up grounded and resourced — even in high-pressure seasons.
At the center of this episode is a practice I use personally and with my clients: the Mission Control Meeting.
✔️ Why preparation matters more than productivity
✔️ How to stop letting your calendar "take you away"
✔️ What a Weekly Operating System actually looks like in practice
✔️ How to design your week around alignment, not urgency
✔️ Why consistency beats perfection when building sustainable rhythms
A Mission Control Meeting is a 30–45 minute weekly check-in you run for yourself (or with your team) to prepare for the week before it gets away from you.
This meeting isn't about creating a longer to-do list. It's about designing your week around three essentials — what I call the Three B's.
1. Big Rocks
Your big rocks are the 3–5 things that deserve your best time, energy, and attention this week. These might include deep work, meaningful conversations, rest, health, or time with people you love.
If it's not on your calendar, it's not real.
2. Boundaries
Boundaries are the decisions you make to protect what matters — regardless of what others are doing. They might include meeting limits, communication cutoffs, protected focus time, or guardrails around people or situations that drain your energy.
You can't control whether others respect your boundaries, but you can control whether you hold them.
3. Buoyancy
Buoyancy is what keeps you out of the red zone and grounded in the blue zone — where creativity, clarity, and connection live. This might include movement, laughter, rest, music, nature, or intentional pauses.
Don't wait until you're drowning to look for a life raft. Be your own.
Set aside 30–45 minutes once a week (same day, same time if possible) and ask yourself:
What are my big rocks this week?
What boundaries do I need to protect them?
What will help me stay buoyant and grounded?
Block the time. Make it recurring. Keep it simple. This one practice can save you hours of spinning and overwhelm.
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Executive coaching, leadership development, and career design for individuals and organizations.
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Tomorrow is Ask OhHeyCoach Friday, where I'll answer the questions you've been WAITING to ask a coach.
Final Thought ✨
A weekly pause to prepare can change how you experience every other hour of your week. Block the time. Run your Mission Control. Design your week on purpose.
I'll see you tomorrow. 🤎
