WTL Issue 035 | November 4, 2026 |
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Where the light lands
Lessons from the Long Haul
Morning sun slips through our northeast windows, the kind of light that only reaches into the living room at certain times of the year. It draws soft shadows across the floor. I settle into the sunny spot on the rug, between the houseplants, with the large green cutting mat in front of me. Usually it lies under fabric and the blade of my rotary cutter. This morning it is peppered with pink and orange Post-its.
Each square holds a single word: “Sharing,” “Responsibility,” “Alaska,” “Indigenous,” “Values,” “Raven,” “Tundra.” I shuffle the squares into groups, lean back, and scan the board. I shift one orange note, then another. New ideas arrive while I work, and I scribble them on blank pages before they slip away. Slowly a pattern surfaces, and the groups begin to ask for names.
That is my signal to stop for the day. My graduate school roommate used to say that she processed information while she slept. Now there is clear evidence that the brain does consolidate memories and information during quality sleep. I return to the green mat after eight hours of sleep.
The question on the mat might change. Once it was the name of my consulting company, and under a deadline, I went with my initials. Once it was whether to stay on the academic career path or do something else entirely, and policy won. Lately it’s what would make a good topic for a digital email course, which is still under consideration. The mat stays the same.
People often ask me how I pivoted into consulting. The answer is rarely straightforward, because so many feelings and thoughts pull against each other.
It takes courage to take a step.
There is hesitation.
It takes comfort with risk to chance a mistake.
There is an unknown.
Moving forward means living with those tensions, sitting in a space that is likely uncomfortable. I know that place well. I know the uncertainty, the questions, and the hesitation to offer something that might not be right.
These days I bring a question to the mat along with ideas, one borrowed from Brené Brown. She asks her team, “What does success look like?” to narrow in on what they think complete looks like for a particular task. I’ve come to use it a little differently, as a way to find the next step when the path isn’t clear yet.
Maybe you’re sitting with your own scattered squares right now, waiting for the pattern to show itself.
Field-Tested: The Success Ladder
Before you can plan toward a big goal, you have to know which goal it is. It might be a new venture, a choice between career paths, or the idea that deserves your time next. Sometimes it’s a consulting business you’re finally ready to set up. Start by finding the goal, then work backward from what success looks like.
Find the goal
Write every consideration, thought, and concern on its own Post-it (not sponsored!). Move the squares around until you can see where the ideas cluster and where questions or gaps remain. Choose the one audacious goal that rises to the top.
Plan backward from success
3 years → Start with the big picture and visualize what success looks like. In three years, what headline would you expect to see in the newspaper? What does your day look like?
12 months → What needs to be in place a year from now for that headline to be within reach? Who do you need to know, and what do you need to have built or learned?
3 months → What is your first visible milestone? What could you finish, test, or share by then?
1 month → What decisions or setup would clear the way? Which conversation or task have you been putting off?
This week → Keep going if you need to. What do you need in place two weeks from now, and what one step can you take toward this goal by the end of this week?
Share your next step with a friend or a colleague and ask them to check in with you about it. Sometimes just saying it out loud is enough to keep you accountable.
Signals & Shifts
Why planning backward helps: In a 2017 study in Psychological Science, people who planned backward from a goal saw the needed steps more clearly, felt more confident and felt less time pressure. The effect held only for complex goals with many steps, much like the work so many of us carry.
A year from now, you’ll be grateful you started today by Sketchplanations (August 30, 2026). It’s a gentle nudge to begin with the step that’s right in front of you.
Question for reflection: What is one step you can take toward your big goal this week?
I'm exploring a small-group sprint on starting a consulting practice, whether full time or alongside the work you already do. If it sparks your interest, choose the part you’d most want help with, and I’ll keep you posted as it takes shape.
| If you've thought about consulting, where would you want the most help? |
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Take good care of yourself and the work that's yours to do. Both matter more than you know.
Nikoosh
Work That Lasts arrives every other Wednesday. Forward to a colleague who might need these tools, or reply and let me know what's working in your own practice.
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