2ND EDITION | ISSUE #161

I flopped around on the air mattress for the umpteenth time when I realized my plan had officially backfired.

Recovering my cold toes under the blanket. Fluffing pillows that weren't mine. Adjusting my earplugs. Pure agony.

I don't sleep great when I'm not home—and there was no way I was going to wake up as early as I'd planned for my CCO week blocks.

My sleep? Garbage.

My plan to use early morning wakeups for deep work on my website while staying at my sister's? Dead on arrival.

My intentions were good, though.

I've read so many examples of people leaving their typical setting to create hyperfocus for deep work. And I figured my two-hour flight plus time at my sister's would be the perfect way to get out of my usual routine and make serious progress on my website.

I wasn't entirely wrong.

My travel day Monday? Pretty productive.

Tuesday—my sister Abbey and I both worked from home and I actually finished my work early.

But Wednesday is where things went sideways.

Because there was no way I was getting up early enough to make time for my brand, plus my newsletter, and my brand management client work.

And it turns out Thursday and Friday my sister took off work.

Not to mention the fact that I was dealing with some hormonal yuck, not feeling my best, and by the time I got to the airport for my scheduled CCO time on Friday—my week had totally fallen off the rails.

My period came early. I was exhausted. And I spent the entire flight home reading instead of working because I was burned out from no sleep, hormonal imbalance issues all week, and not being in my own routine.

Despite releasing the CCO framework as a free resource last week in preparation for this, my plan—which was admittedly experimental—went completely off course.

And by Friday, I felt defeated.

Because here's the thing: the big thing I’ve been working toward, the thing that will make me feel “finished”, my website - still isn't done.

The Year of Almost-There

This messy CCO week? It's basically a perfect metaphor for my entire 2024-2025.

I've now completed 4 CCO weeks this year. Quarterly sprints where I blocked time, showed up for my brand, and made real progress.

I've spent a year rebuilding Cedar June from the ground up—repositioning my offers, developing frameworks, launching new services, working with 13 clients 1:1. I wrote all my website copy. I documented my entire methodology. Mostly solo.

How We Measure Progress When Nothing Feels Finished

When I actually sat down and looked at what I accomplished during this supposedly "failed" CCO week, I realized something.

✓ I updated the copy inside my Behind The Brand newsletter subscribe page.

✓ I finalized the framework for my Signature Site sales page.

✓ I finalized the framework on my Brand Color Kit sales page.

✓ I finalized the framework on my Studio Sesh sales page.

✓ I finished edits on my About page and homepage copy.

✓ I started to framework for my Brand Brushstrokes page.

That's... actually a lot. And it's all work I'm really proud of.

But in my head, because the website isn't launched, none of it counts.

Sound familiar?

Maybe you've been there too. You've done the strategy work. You've clarified your messaging. You've updated your offers. You've made real, meaningful progress on your brand.

But because the big visible thing isn't done yet—the website launch, the rebrand reveal, the new offer suite—you tell yourself you haven't accomplished anything.

This is the lie we tell ourselves about brand work.

That it only counts when it's visible. When it's launched. When other people can see it.

But here's what I'm learning after a year of CCO weeks that all technically "worked" but didn't get me to the finish line:

Progress isn't measured by the launch. It's measured by the work.

After doing quarterly CCO weeks all year—some that went exactly as planned and some (like this last one) that looked nothing like I expected—here's what I've learned:

1. One big chunk a day is the easiest way to plan ahead and get into hyperfocus

Not trying to do ALL THE THINGS. Just one meaningful piece of progress per day. Some days that worked. Some days it didn't. But the days it worked? Those added up.

2. Know your constraints and plan around them, not through them

The change of scenery does help focus—but not when you're also navigating someone else's routine, helping with kids, and sleeping on an air mattress that makes you question all your life choices at 3 AM.

3. A full week (or longer) is the best way to get clarity and deep work done

When CCO weeks worked best for me this year, it was 7-10 days with more control over my time and two-hour blocks first thing in the morning. That sustained focus makes a massive difference.

4. Plan your CCO weeks around your cycle if you're a cycling female

I wouldn't have planned a CCO week during travel and my period/PMS—but mine came early. Ideally, you want to be in a higher-energy phase of your cycle during your CCO week.

5. An hour or a sprint at the start of each day works too

Full days are ideal, but an hour of protected, focused time every morning can create just as much momentum. It's about consistency, not perfection.

6. The finish line keeps moving—and that's actually okay

This is the big one I'm still learning.

I thought my website would be done in Q2. Then Q3. Then Q4.

Every CCO week, I made progress. Real, meaningful progress.

But the scope kept expanding because my understanding of what my brand needed kept getting clearer.

The Branding Butterfly Effect in action: You improve one thing, and suddenly you see what else needs to level up.

That's not failure. That's growth.

Here's what I want you to take away from my slightly chaotic CCO week—and my slightly chaotic year of CCO weeks:

One big mission per day actually works—when you can execute it

My strategy for last week was solid: one focused task per day.

The plan wasn't the problem. I had clarity on what I was building toward.

The issue was execution—I couldn't actually do the work because of sleep deprivation, hormones, my sister's schedule, and a two-year-old's fingerprints on my laptop.

But here's what I learned: Having a clear strategy made it obvious where things went wrong.

Without that daily mission structure, I would've just felt vaguely unproductive all week. Instead, I could see exactly which days worked (Monday, Tuesday) and which ones didn't (Wednesday-Friday), and why.

That's the value of having a plan to track against.

Right now, you can do this:

Open a note (or the CCO framework download) and write down:

1. Your Q1 2026 big mission (one sentence—like "Launch my website" or "Finalize my offer suite")
2. Five daily tasks that would complete it

That becomes your tracking system. You'll know if you're on course or if something needs to shift.

​(Here’s a Loom walkthrough of how I organized my entire unfinished website project inside the CCO Week planner + Notion Calendar)​

The CCO framework sets this up for you automatically—but even a simple list in your notes app works.

Design your schedule around your brand, not the other way around This is lifestyle design, not just time blocking. I've learned the hard way that hoping to "find time" for my brand doesn't work. I have to design my life to protect that time. Some ways I've done this: No client calls on Mondays (that's my brand day) Quarterly CCO weeks blocked on my calendar six months in advance Blocking my calendar so people can’t scheudle additional calls or sessions with me during a CCO week You get to decide what this looks like for you. Maybe it's: One full day a week with zero meetings The first hour of every morning before anything else One Friday per month completely protected A full week every quarter (my preference) The point is: You're designing your schedule to reflect what matters. Right now, you can do this: Go into your calendar and block off: Reflection time to track back to your vision and analyze data from the year Annual planning time to map out goals, time off, and CCO weeks for 2026 February 9–11: Join the LIVE CCO week challenge These three blocks set you up for the entire year. You're not waiting to see if you have time—you're claiming it now. ​Join the waitlist here to be first to know when I share the full CCO Year framework in January.

Track progress differently: by work done, not just launches The biggest shift I've made this year is measuring my CCO weeks by what I completed, not just what I launched. Because here's the truth: most brand work is invisible until it's suddenly not. You write six pages of website copy—nobody sees it yet. You clarify your entire offer structure—it's still just in a Google Doc. You develop three signature frameworks—they're not "real" until you use them somewhere public. But all of that is actual progress. So instead of measuring CCO weeks by "Did I launch something?" I started tracking: ✓ Pages written ✓ Frameworks developed ✓ Copy finalized ✓ Offers clarified ✓ Strategy sessions completed That's implementation. That's the work that compounds over time, even when the finish line keeps moving. Right now, you can do this: Make a list of every piece of brand work you've done in the last three months that isn't "launched" yet. (Heres my AI cheat if you pay for Notion)​ I bet it's more than you think. Now ask yourself: What's one thing from that list that could be finished (or at least moved forward significantly) in a focused week? That's your Q1 CCO Week mission.