I was getting around 100 messages a day across email and social platforms. Instead of trying to work harder, I invested in building a system to contain them, and finally committed to Inbox Zero.

StrengthsFinder articulated parts of me I’d recognised for a while but never had language for: strategic thinking on one side, and the relentless drive to put things in motion on the other.

I’ve always resisted goals: they either feel arbitrary or make promises about things we can’t control. Yearly themes gave me another way — turning abstract intentions into something I can actually act on.