Find the task everything else is waiting on Simon Breakspear18 September 2026 During my doctoral work at Cambridge, my supervisor suggested I take half a day off to attend a project management course. For the record, that’s never a good sign. In fairness, I...
Design change that fits a real week, not your best one Simon Breakspear1 September 2026 A while back I volunteered to bring two salads to a big family gathering. I own an Ottolenghi cookbook, so I aimed high. Three hours, two extra trips to the shops and one hunt...
Most change failure isn’t an idea problem. It’s an absorption problem. Simon Breakspear20 April 2026 I used to teach Year 9 science. Metabolism is the set of processes by which a living organism transforms and regulates energy and materials to stay...
Become your school’s Chief Simplicity Officer Simon Breakspear19 March 2026 A few weeks ago I was working with leadership teams from across an entire system of 100+ schools. Every team had finally completed their 2026 improvement plans. The plans were...
Why smaller plans lead to bigger gains Simon Breakspear18 November 2025 Recently, I have been working with leadership teams drafting their 2026 improvement plans. The same pattern keeps showing up: long documents that try to capture everything, but struggle to guide...
Why you should prune before you plan Simon Breakspear25 September 2025 Today, we’re focusing on a crucial practice to adopt before diving into your strategic planning for the coming year: pruning before planning, and making this a habit. The Idea: Pruning Before...
