Make strategy a personal practice

It might just be life-changing

Welcome to Every Day is a Strategy Day, where I make strategy personal, practical, and just a little provocative.

Helping people of all backgrounds become more intentional, reclaim agency, and live fuller, more meaningful lives has become my cause. It has to be powered by strategy: the practice of making choices that help you achieve something much, much better.

In this edition, I share some ideas on how to do that with the hope that they offer inspiration as you think about how to make 2026 the best possible year for yourself and for those around you, at home, in your community, and at work.

Think.

Strategy is often framed as distant and abstract — a plan, a document, a moment of analysis set apart from daily life.

I see it differently.

In my work, and in my own life, strategy shows up most powerfully in the everyday. It lives in the small moments where choices get made: how you begin your day, where you place your attention, how you respond to a surprise or a difficulty, and who you choose to be when it matters.

That challenges some deeply held assumptions:

• Strategy belongs to people, not just organisations.

• Strategy connects thinking and doing.

• Strategy supports creativity rather than constraining it.

Strategy becomes most powerful when it’s a practice.

Agency comes first. Many of us operate on autopilot - busy, stretched, reacting. With a pause, they often discover more choice than expected: about focus, energy, boundaries, and contribution.

The everyday matters more than the dramatic. Transformation grows through repeated, intentional choices in micro-moments - how you prepare, recover, engage, and reflect.

Thinking and doing belong together. At a human level, the distinction between strategy and tactics breaks down. Strategy sharpens action. Action refines strategy. Each strengthens the other.

Clarity creates freedom. When what matters is clear, our responses become calmer, more curious, and more confident.

Strategy grows through use. It strengthens through repetition. Over time, intentional choices build confidence, adaptability, and momentum.

That’s what it means to make strategy personal.

Listen.

Niko Canner interviews me: The power of strategy in everyday life

In this episode, Niko turns the tables and interviews me about why strategy belongs in daily life, not just in organisations.

We explore:

• How agency and intentionality shape performance and wellbeing.

• Why busyness often masks deeper choices.

• How people move from coping to creating.

• How aspiration, choice, and resources interact at a personal level.

• Why strategy works best as thoughtful action, not abstract thinking.

It’s a meaningful conversation that reveals my latest thinking - and practice - in making strategy personal. I’m very grateful for Niko for stepping into the host’s chair so ably.

Listen here.

Visualise.

Picture someone who treats strategy as a personal practice.

They certainly aren’t perfect.
They are intentional. Present.

They move through the day making choices rather than reacting by default. They adapt as circumstances shift. They reflect, learn, and adjust. They stay connected to what matters while remaining open to change.

They ask simple, powerful questions:

• Who do I want to be in this moment?

• What choice gives me the greatest leverage here?

• What resource would help me show up well?

Their life feels directed without being rigid and focused without being narrow. Alive without being chaotic.

That’s what everyday strategy looks like.

Read.

Two reads on how to make strategy a daily practice:

1. 6 Ways to Bring Strategy Into Your Work Every Day (Harvard Business Review). My article reframes strategy as something you practise in the flow of work. It shows how everyday choices - where you focus, how you allocate energy, and how you handle moments that matter - shape long-term outcomes far more than periodic planning ever could.

2. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. Priya reveals how everyday moments, such as meetings, dinners, and conversations, become more powerful when intentionally designed. Her work highlights how small, thoughtful choices shape connection, contribution, and impact.

Challenge yourself.

Choose one practice that helps you show up better when it matters. Here’s one as a suggestion: The daily strategic pause.

At the start of each day, ask: What is the most intentional contribution I can make today?

Then choose:

• One moment to prepare for.

• One relationship to be fully present in.

• One action that aligns with who you want to become

Keep it light. Keep it human. Keep practising.

Strategy Shift.

Next year, I’ll be writing my first book. And some new frameworks that underpin my work with clients, my writing, and my speaking.

I’ll continue working with CEOs and senior executives who want to take their performance and impact — for their organisations and for themselves — to greater heights, whether they’re in transition, at the beginning of a role, or navigating another critical juncture.

I also want to find ways to reach a bigger, broader audience with these ideas.

That’s all for this edition and for this year. Thanks for your interest, encouragement, and inspiration. It means the world to me.

Warmly,

David.

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