B2 Calendar Overview¶

A six-week cycle system for predictable delivery and real rest

Why this calendar exists¶

Teams need enough time to do meaningful work without losing momentum—or burning out. The B2 calendar divides the year into uniform six-week cycles: five weeks on, one week off. That rhythm keeps planning honest, makes capacity comparable, and builds in real downtime.

How this compares to familiar calendars¶

B2 borrows the best parts of calendars people already understand:

School terms — concentrated teaching blocks with breaks. Similar “focus then rest,” though terms vary in length and aren’t uniform.
University semesters — fixed teaching windows and clear assessment points resemble B2’s W1–W5 build and demo cadence, followed by a reset.
Legal calendars (court terms) — defined terms and recesses that structure throughput across the year.
Sports seasons — pre-season, regular season, post-season, off-season: cadence with recovery baked in.

What’s distinctive about B2 is the consistent six-week unit, 40 work weeks (8×5), a rest week every cycle, and a work-free Cycle X (CX) at year-end.

The shape of the year¶

8 cycles with 5 work weeks each¶

Cycles C1–C8 are the core of the year.
Each cycle has Weeks 1–5 (work) and Week 6 (Rest).
The useful number to plan against is 40 work weeks (8×5).

Anchor¶

The year is anchored so that Cycle 8, Week 1 starts on the first Monday of November.
This keeps cycles stable year-to-year and lined up with quarters.

The bridge: Cycle X (CX)¶

After C8 completes, the year ends with Cycle X (CX):
5 weeks long (or 6 in Vault years).
No work is scheduled in CX. It’s pure downtime.
Vault is the extra week inside CX that appears in some years. It’s part of CX and follows the same rule: no work.

The rhythm inside a cycle (6 weeks)¶

Week	Focus	Typical activities
W1	Kickoff & Alignment	Set goals, shape scope, sequence dependencies, confirm demo dates.
W2–W3	Build & Iterate	Execution, internal reviews, unblockers.
W4	Integration & Demos	Cross-team demos, stakeholder reviews, integration tests.
W5	Polish & Release	Stabilization, docs, QA, handoffs, release trains.
W6	Rest	No requirements. Time off lives here.

All meaningful work happens in W1–W5.
W6 and CX (including Vault) are not for work.

How cycles line up with the civil calendar¶

Quarters: roughly, Q1 ≈ C1–C2, Q2 ≈ C3–C4, Q3 ≈ C5–C6, Q4 ≈ C7–C8.
Halves: H1 ≈ C1–C4, H2 ≈ C5–C8.
Personal ~90-day blocks: two cycles back-to-back make a neat ~13-week window (useful for things like health/fitness pushes).

Benefits at every level¶

Individuals¶

Manageable horizons: planning in 5-week blocks is easier than year-long goals.
Reduced burnout: Week 6 is true rest with no requirements.
Steady improvement: repeated plan → build → demo → polish → rest loops compound quickly.
Health & fitness: “train 5 weeks, rest 1 week” maps naturally; two cycles ≈ ~13 weeks for a focused push.

Teams¶

Shared cadence: everyone plans together in W1, ships in W4–W5, rests in W6—fewer context switches.
Time-off discipline: time off lives in Week 6s. W1–W5 stay better staffed.
Dependency clarity: when all teams plan at the same time, cross-team touchpoints are easier to schedule.
Comparable cycles: equal-length cycles make retros, velocity, and capacity straightforward.

Organizations¶

Alignment without tight coupling: teams move in parallel cycles but choose their own scope.
Cross-org coordination: plan company-wide things at cycle beginnings or endings so teams get uninterrupted flow mid-cycle.
Staffing strategy: you might design Cycle 5 (as an example) to anticipate lower availability in some regions/seasons.
People processes match the rhythm:
Joiners start in Week 1 wherever possible.
Moves (between projects/teams) happen at cycle boundaries.
Provides stability and avoids mid-flow disruption.

Across organizations¶

When partners adopt the same cadence, collaboration and customer care are smoother: predictable demos, aligned planning windows, and fewer surprises.

Scheduling guidance (the short version)¶

Work happens in W1–W5 only.
Week 6: rest, PTO, personal development at your discretion; no requirements.
CX (including Vault): downtime only—no work.
Cross-organization activities (kickoffs, reviews, summits) are best at cycle starts or ends.
Keep W2–W4 largely free for teams to achieve flow.

Handling real-world stuff¶

Public holidays: they land inside W1–W5 as they will; keep the cadence, plan capacity accordingly.
53-week years: the calendar simply shows a Vault week inside CX. The rule stays the same: no work in CX.

Adopting the system¶

Start at the next C1 (or jump in mid-cycle and treat it as a partial).
Publish a simple team calendar highlighting W1, W4 demos, and W5 releases.
Commit culturally to W6 rest and no work in CX.
Review after two cycles and tune the rituals—not the cadence.