Stop wasting time on bad decisions—write 3 Ruckus Maker Rules that decide for you

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I’m holding a tiny book in my hands. Just 36 pages. You could read it during your lunch break.

The book is called Bumpers by Nic Peterson, and it’s one of the most influential books I’ve ever read.

Here’s the thing — most people assume bigger books mean more value.

• The 500-page leadership tome.

• The comprehensive guide to strategic planning.

• The doctoral dissertation on educational reform.

But this little 36-page book? It completely revolutionized how I make decisions.

The metaphor is simple: Think about bowling with bumpers in the gutters. The ball can’t fall off track. It’s guaranteed to hit at least some pins.

Moral of the story is: One decision today can make thousands of decisions for you in the future.

Nic had this fascinating insight that most people miss …

Everyone tells us to play to our strengths. Go all in on what you’re great at. And that’s true.

But what they don’t tell you …

The fastest way to improve your overall performance isn’t just getting better at your best stuff. It’s eliminating your worst performance every single day.

Think about it like a math equation. If you removed your lowest value every day, your average automatically increases.

This same principle applies to your leadership.

That’s why I created the Ruckus Maker Rules system — a way for school leaders to establish 3-5 guardrails that keep them in their lane of excellence while automatically filtering out the stuff that drags them down.

Imagine having crystal-clear boundaries that:

• Help you say “no” without guilt

• Eliminate decision fatigue

• Keep you focused on what matters most

• Protect your time, energy, and relationships

You could create these rules two ways: