"The unintentional life is not worth leading” — Dr Scott Martin

In this Operating System of You series, we've explored how intentional systems—not random willpower—shape who you become as a leader.

In the first newsletter of this series, I told you that I would share with you something that was literally magical for me.

That magic came to life when I realized this powerful truth:

For most of us, the operating system consists of the unseen structures of our lives

The habits, rhythms, and default patterns that quietly determine who we are becoming

Most of us give little thought to these systems that run “under the hood” of our rhythms and routines

However, I told you that once I took extreme ownership of these systems, I tapped into a source of incredible power, strength, inspiration, hope, and rejuvenation.

That is the magic, power, and hope I want to revisit with you one more time as we close this series out

Over the past eight newsletters in this series, we've journeyed together through the Personal Operating System I use every single day to lead a school, coach leaders across the country, parent intentionally, write books, maintain my health, and still have energy left for what matters most.

I took you on my journey to take ownership of my own Personal Operating System…and along the way invited you to pursue the same for yourself

Let's take a moment to look back at the path we’ve traveled together throughout this series.

Week 1: The Foundation
You either design your operating system—or it designs you.

We started with the hard truth that changed everything for me: I was busy, I was productive, I was getting things done—but I wasn't becoming the person I wanted to be. The cracks were showing. My health was inconsistent. I was chasing my tail most days.

Sound familiar?

That's when I realized: Willpower wasn't enough. I needed a Personal Operating System that gave me the roadmap and habits to flourish and thrive

Week 2: Your Optimal Self
Before you can build the right system, you need to know who you're becoming.

We asked the question from which everything else flows:

"What kind of person do I want to be?"

Not what do I want to accomplish. Not what title do I want to hold.

Who do I want to be?

For me, it's being a person of purpose and meaning, appreciation and gratitude, consistency and connection, presence and depth.

I invited you to consider dreaming out who your “optimal self” would be…and to start walking in that direction

Week 3: Your Portfolio of "Wealth"
Real wealth isn't just financial—it is about flourishing

We stopped thinking about wealth as just money in the bank and started thinking about it as flourishing across four interconnected areas: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Meaningful.

We discussed the truth that flourishing happens when you're intentionally growing in healthy ways in all four areas.

We mapped out your portfolio of flourishing—and more importantly, we did an honest audit of where you're thriving and where you're running on empty.

And we reminded ourselves that flourishing isn’t about achieving perfect balance in all five areas at once—it’s about tending to each with awareness.

Week 4: No Wasted Days
Dreams stay dreams without structure.

This is where rubber met road. Where vision met execution.

We took those big, beautiful someday goals we all have for our lives that seem so “out there” and broke them down into the daily and weekly rhythms that actually make them happen.

We learned that structure doesn't steal freedom. Structure creates freedom.

When I know what Wednesday morning at 6 AM is for, I don't waste mental energy deciding. When I've already blocked time for what matters, I'm not constantly battling guilt about what's not getting done.

The rhythms we built here turn someday into today—one intentional hour at a time.

Week 5: The Physical System
Your body is the vehicle for everything else.

I'll be blunt: For years, I ignored my physical health. I powered through on coffee and adrenaline. I told myself I'd get healthy "when things slowed down."

Things never slowed down.

Finally, I realized: When my body isn't healthy, my leadership can't be either.

We built a Physical Operating System focused on concrete, measurable goals—not vague aspirations. Training plans. Nutrition strategies. Sleep rhythms. Recovery practices.

Because everything else I want to accomplish—intellectually, emotionally, relationally, strategically, purposefully—requires a body that can sustain it.

Week 6: The Intellectual System
Leaders who cultivate rich intellectual lives lead with depth and wisdom.

Educational leadership is fundamentally intellectual work. You're managing strategy, imagining futures, diagnosing complex systems, synthesizing information into coherent vision, making critical decisions that involve real live human beings in critical years of formation

This takes a significant toll on your mental load

To counter and prepare for this, we designed rituals that protect the life of the mind: daily reading blocks, journaling practices, dedicated writing time. Because intellectual vitality is what keeps you leading with vision instead of just reacting.

Leaders who stay curious stay alive.

Week 7: The Emotional System
You can't lead others well if you can't regulate yourself.

Here's the hidden cost of leadership nobody talks about: Emotional depletion doesn't just drain you—it drains everyone around you.

A leader's emotional state ripples through the entire organization. When you're out of sorts, your staff feels it. When you're grounded, they feel that too.

We created practices that build your emotional root system: morning gratitude rituals, physical movement that processes stress, evening walks that decompress the day, planning rhythms that give your brain permission to rest.

We gave ourselves the tools to navigate really difficult decisions and really hard seasons with the emotional strength, grace, kindness, and resilience true leadership requires

Week 8: Meaning-Full Leadership
Meaning is what makes all the other systems sustainable.

Viktor Frankl taught us that when you have a "why," you can bear almost any "how."

This is the system that holds all the others together. Because you can have all the energy, clarity, and emotional stability in the world—but if you don't know why any of it matters, you'll still burn out.

We learned to savor sacred moments, return to our "why" regularly, connect daily tasks to larger purpose, and build community around shared meaning.

All told, these four key areas of flourishing—Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, and Meaningful—give us the tools to lead from a place of hope, purpose, depth, and care

They make us the leaders we want to be personally and professionally

You didn't read this series casually. You read it because something inside you knows you're capable of more.

More impact. More presence. More joy. More energy. More purpose.

You know that the pace you've been keeping isn't sustainable.

You've felt the exhaustion that comes from running on fumes, making decisions from depletion, and leading from a place that's slowly emptying out.

But you also know this:

The students need you.
The teachers need you.
Your family needs you.
Your community needs you.

YOU need you

And for everyone to get the best of you, you first need to take care of you.

That's not selfish. That's sacred stewardship of the life you've been given.

Wherever you are, I want you to know: You don't have to keep running on fumes.

There's a better way. And it starts with a decision.

The decision to take ownership of your Operating System.

The decision to design the life you want instead of accepting the one that's being designed for you.

The decision to invest in yourself with the same commitment you invest in others.

This series isn't just about managing your time better or getting a bit more organized.

It's about becoming the person—and the leader—you want to be

It's about creating a life of purpose, energy, meaning, and joy that sustains you not just for another semester, but for decades to come.

Building your Operating System won't make your life easier.

But it will make your life fuller.

It won't eliminate stress, but it will transform how stress affects you.

It won't give you more hours in the day, but it will help you use the hours you have with intention and purpose.

Most importantly, it will help you become the person you most want to be—not someday, but today.

One system at a time.
One habit at a time.
One day at a time.

Are you ready?

With deep gratitude for your commitment to this journey,

Scott

Know another educator or school leader who needs to hear this message? Forward this email or share these newsletters:

The transformation we all need starts with one person deciding to take ownership. Maybe you forward this to the person who becomes their best self because you cared enough to share.

Did you know that everything I've shared in this newsletter series is also drawn out in robust detail in my resource: The Flourishing School Leader's Field Guide?

This field guide unpacks my personal operating system and walks you through creating yours, as well as provides proven strategies to rekindle passion, restore purpose, and create an ecosystem of trust and flourishing in your school community.

It’s essentially everything I cover in my executive coaching sessions in a DIY guide for ONLY $40 bucks!! 

Whether you’re feeling inspired and want to sustain your momentum—or exhausted and in need of renewal—this field guide is your companion for leading with courage, clarity, and care.