The Mile Club - Friday, September 12th

Friday Edge: 3 Signals Worth Your Weekend Headspace

Author

Cameron McLeod
September 12, 2025

🏁 Starting Line

“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” — Ann Landers

🎯 Tactical Edge
Meeting-Free Time Blocks

Companies are experimenting with meeting-free days/blocks to reclaim deep-work time. Fast Company’s recent piece details teams that ran a full no-meeting week to boost focus and momentum. Another Fast Company article cites research showing large shares of meetings are viewed as wasteful, reinforcing why teams are trying structured “no-meeting” periods.

Why It Matters

Meetings fragment attention and push real work to the margins; concentrated focus blocks compound output over time. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index notes half of meetings cluster during peak productivity hours — exactly when uninterrupted work would have the most leverage. Instituting even one recurring focus block changes the default from “reactive” to “proactive.”

Mile Advantage

Pilot a 3–4 hour “no-meeting Friday” block for the next two weeks; pick one priority per person and publish it in a shared doc at the start of the block. Define a narrow exception policy (e.g., customer emergencies), and track outcomes (tasks shipped, cycle time, satisfaction). If it works, formalize it on the team calendar and revisit every quarter.

💻 Tech in Motion
Gemini in Slides (AI-Generated Decks)

Google Workspace now exposes Gemini features in Slides that can generate slides from a prompt, summarize decks, and suggest layouts/templates. The official Workspace pages and recent product updates outline how to invoke Gemini from within Slides to move from outline → draft deck much faster.

Why It Matters

Presentation prep routinely burns hours on formatting and structure, not thinking. Offloading the first pass to AI shifts time toward message quality, narrative, and design review — the work humans are best at. Early adopters will widen a time-to-ship gap versus teams still starting from a blank slide.

Mile Advantage

Trial Gemini on a low-stakes deck (team update, internal brief). Feed it a short outline and let it draft slides; measure time saved vs. your usual process. Keep a human review checklist (accuracy, evidence, brand style) before sharing externally.

🏃‍♂️ Macro Mile
Oil Surplus = Volatility Risk

The IEA says global oil supply is set to outpace demand into late 2025 as OPEC+ increases output, building surplus inventories. Reuters reports this has already pressured prices, with additional day-to-day moves tied to oversupply concerns and softer demand

Why It Matters

Cheaper oil lowers shipping and manufacturing costs, but surpluses can create fragile markets where a single geopolitical shock whipsaws prices. If your planning assumes stable fuel costs, you’re exposed to surprises on both the downside (margin shifts) and upside (sudden spikes).

Mile Advantage

Run two scenarios in your model: (A) sustained lower fuel costs and (B) a sharp rebound. Align hedging or purchasing cadence to match. Watch OPEC+ announcements and weekly inventory reports as early signals before major price moves.

🔭 Next Up
Bundling Is Winning (NYT Case)

The New York Times just guided above-consensus subscription revenue due to bundling strength (news + games + The Athletic + Wirecutter). Reuters notes the Times added 230k net digital-only subs in Q2 and now counts ~6.0M bundle/multi-product subscribers out of 11.3M digital-only.

Why It Matters

Bundling raises perceived value and can improve retention/ARPU in subscription businesses. As “subscription fatigue” spreads, customers prefer one price for a package versus juggling many single subscriptions. Media’s success here tends to spill into software and pro-tools.

Mile Advantage

Explore a lightweight bundle for Sunday Mile (e.g., Mile Club + quarterly deep-dives + tools/library access). Pilot a founding bundle offer for early adopters, then assess churn/engagement deltas vs. standard plans. Track competitor bundles as leading indicators of customer expectations.

🏅 Mile Marker

Friday isn’t a finish line — it’s leverage. How you close today sets the pace for next week.

📚 Sources
⚠️ Disclaimer

Sunday Mile provides information for educational and informational purposes only. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not constitute financial, legal, or professional advice. We are not liable for any actions taken based on the content of this newsletter. Sources are credited and linked to their original publishers.