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Every page and article on Tom Grundy in one place, organized by topic.

Abraham Maslow

Dishing the dirt on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs : Last week I was reading about Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Albert Einstein

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well" : So said the frizzy-haired brainbox Albert

Ambition

How to be ambitious without burning out : Show up fully when you’re at work, then disappear fully when you’re
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : I’ve mentioned this barnstorming Anthony De Mello book
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : I once heard movie star Jim Carrey share a warning story about the perils of seeking fame and success in the glitzy world of

Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : A few months ago, I ran a Subtraction Method workshop for NYT bestseller Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s online
Maverick's career advice : On Sunday night, Lauren and I settled on the sofa with a glass of whisky and fired up the rip-roaring movie Top Gun:
How to use the Subtraction Method to get good at stuff : Yesterday evening, I ran a Subtraction Method training for neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Ness Labs
Red Rambler Theory : On Wednesday morning, I took Baby Grundy for an early morning stroll round the local park while Lauren got some well-earnt shut
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : This is one of the life scripts I heard neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff wax lyrical about on a podcast
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Something to chew on if you have the nagging feeling you’re not reaching your

Anthony De Mello

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : I have lots of “anti-job” books on my shelves at Chateau
What is clear thinking? : The enlightened Jesuit priest Anthony De Mello gives us a clue in his barnstorming book Stop Fixing
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : I’ve mentioned this barnstorming Anthony De Mello book
My 7 favourite books so far this year : *** The Good Enough Job (Simone Stolzoff). Each chapter takes a common myth about work (e.g. our work equals our worth, we are what we do, status equals

Anxiety

Thoughts on the blink : Over the weekend, Lauren and I took a trip with Baby Grundy to the market town of Ross on
One sentence which eased my social anxiety : About a year ago I had a huge “a ha”

Apollo 13

Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Here’s a powerful lesson for anyone who works their socks off day in, day out and wonders if there’s a lighter way to approach their job without sacrificing

Attention

A reckless tip for diligent professionals drowning at their desk : A couple of weeks ago, I sent an email claiming that the most important workplace skill in 2026 isn’t your leadership wizardry, technical know-how or
Your invisible job : I’d bet my last bag of Earl Grey tea that the most important part of your job isn’t listed anywhere on your job
How to use the "ITSA Principle" to make time for what matters : There’s a small hack Lauren and I use with Baby Grundy which has made life easier when we’re on the move or tootling around

Authenticity

Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : A couple of days ago, Michelle Obama paid a visit to my old East London stomping
Office Roleplay : The problems start at work when we forget we’re playing a
Why I ignore every uplifting & motivational post on Dimstagram : I’ve taken part twice in Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power
If it looks like a potato, peels like a potato and bakes like a potato, it's probably a potato : One of my favourite BBC shows is the arty farty Fake or
Bitcoin Queen's outrageous Ponzi Scheme serves up reality check for corporate 9to5ers : Every Saturday morning, while the moon is still in the sky and the birds haven't yet started chirping, an unmarked white van pulls up to the gates at Fort
Why I’ve stopped networking at work : I don’t do networking coffees with my colleagues at
“How honest are you with your line manager?” : On Wednesday evening, I ran my CTI Cheat Code Zoom

Boundaries

15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : As there's only 24 hours until my workshop Reclaim Your Evening kicks off, it seems like a good time to put forward a few reasons for why you might be
The problem with boundaries : There’s an old and famous parable which goes something like

Brad Pitt

The Brad Pitt School of Clear Thinking : A movie I thoroughly enjoyed was the Brad Pitt sports flick

Buddha of Banking

The Buddha of Banking is summoned by a warrior's plea : Last night, as Toddler Grundy snoozed in her crib and the vines swayed gently in the evening sun, Lauren and I settled onto Chateau Grundy's sofa to watch
What the Buddha of Banking banks on when the banking takes a back seat : A question rolls in from a newsletter
What’s working for me at work right now : Over the last few months, many have asked me about my shifting experience of corporate
How to sit at your desk like Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree : If you’d like to be more cool, calm and collected in the office and you haven’t taken a leaf out of The Buddha’s book, you’re flat-out missing a
A coach who banks : Last month, during my week-long promo for my new coaching program The Music Inside You, I wrote the
Putting the "Buddha" in "the Buddha of Banking" : A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my new nickname, “The Buddha of

Burnout

How to be ambitious without burning out : Show up fully when you’re at work, then disappear fully when you’re
Are you burning out? (temperature check inside) : For most of my 20’s, I had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right at
How to feel less squashed & squeezed by your job : Something to ponder if you’re feeling hemmed in at
The 5 stages of de-stressing at work : But after 13+ years of taking grenades in the trenches at my banking job, then finding a way to turn down my stress to an all-time low, I’d like to think
The smokejumpers' secret to escaping burnout : This tragic story might be one of the clearest and most important lessons I’ve ever found about work/life balance, stress and burnout at
The mid-career gridlock trap : An intriguing question rolls in from a
The Burnout-Avoider’s Dilemma : Let me tell you about the
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Something to chew on if you have the nagging feeling you’re not reaching your
I should've spotted these years ago... : Ever had a moment where you look back on something and think “how did I not see
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : On Sunday morning I carted myself off to the local

Career Advice

What the guidebook doesn't tell you : I live a 10 minute walk from one of my best

Career Change

The full time job you should quit right now : The “maybe I’ll leave my job someday”
How to shift lanes mid-career : Yesterday I shared a reader’s question about why mid-career hits gridlock so
The mid-career gridlock trap : An intriguing question rolls in from a
How to use the “Tom Sawyer Effect” to turn boring, mundane work into a source of joy and delight : There’s a scene in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where Tom’s punished by his Aunt Polly for getting his clothes dirty in a

Career Design

Why professionals stay stuck : Tom Grundy on why professionals stay stuck: they mistake a loud thought for a true one. One focused conversation can be enough to finally get unstuck.
The poker career I never had : Back in the bright and blustery days of 2008, I found myself smack in the middle of a critical career
My entire philosophy about working life stuffed into one daily email : This philosophy underpins pretty much everything I write about, everything I base my coaching on and even my own working life today in the merry world of
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit
Maverick's career advice : On Sunday night, Lauren and I settled on the sofa with a glass of whisky and fired up the rip-roaring movie Top Gun:
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : I’ve mentioned this barnstorming Anthony De Mello book
7 Career Questions from the last 100 years : Most career advice is a big old pile of
How to shift lanes mid-career : Yesterday I shared a reader’s question about why mid-career hits gridlock so
The mid-career gridlock trap : An intriguing question rolls in from a
40 ways to know what you really want : To celebrate, here are 40 ways to know when a desire is genuinely yours (as opposed to something you’ve talked yourself into or merely think you
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : I once heard movie star Jim Carrey share a warning story about the perils of seeking fame and success in the glitzy world of
To anyone who feels they’re heading in the wrong direction but can’t figure out why : Something to think about for people ticking all the usual boxes but still feeling
Bitcoin Queen's outrageous Ponzi Scheme serves up reality check for corporate 9to5ers : Every Saturday morning, while the moon is still in the sky and the birds haven't yet started chirping, an unmarked white van pulls up to the gates at Fort
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well" : So said the frizzy-haired brainbox Albert
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : On Friday, I carted myself off to the cinema to watch the new Frankenstein
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : “I was educated once. It took me years to get over it” , Mark
What game are you playing at work? : In April, I sent out an email with the subject
You have permission to give yourself permission : There’s a famous parable by the Czech writer Franz Kafka called Before the
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : A question rolls in from a reader called
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : There are three books which completely shifted my perspective on what's possible in

Career Minimalism

How to be ambitious without burning out : Show up fully when you’re at work, then disappear fully when you’re
15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : As there's only 24 hours until my workshop Reclaim Your Evening kicks off, it seems like a good time to put forward a few reasons for why you might be
How to feel less squashed & squeezed by your job : Something to ponder if you’re feeling hemmed in at
It's only work : It’s always dangerous writing an email like this
Patience over speed : Riffing on my email yesterday about slowing down to the speed of
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : I’ve mentioned this barnstorming Anthony De Mello book
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Someone I highly recommend all high-performing corporate professionals read and study is the great Indian sage Jiddu
RIP to the Dilbert creator : Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strips, died
The score is not the music : For over a decade I made one hell of an almighty mistake at
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : A question rolls in from a reader called
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : On Sunday morning I carted myself off to the local

Career Path

7 Career Questions from the last 100 years : Most career advice is a big old pile of
Slash careers : The other day I stumbled on a Forbes article about slash

Casa Grundy

Why I ignore every uplifting & motivational post on Dimstagram : I’ve taken part twice in Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power

Clarity

Why professionals stay stuck : Tom Grundy on why professionals stay stuck: they mistake a loud thought for a true one. One focused conversation can be enough to finally get unstuck.
Thinking for yourself : In the 1950’s, a psychologist called Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments to test how prone people are to following the
What is clear thinking? : The enlightened Jesuit priest Anthony De Mello gives us a clue in his barnstorming book Stop Fixing
The Brad Pitt School of Clear Thinking : A movie I thoroughly enjoyed was the Brad Pitt sports flick
How to sharpen your intellect : Yesterday morning, as Lauren cycled off to the local spa for some well-earnt R&R, I swept Baby Grundy into Fort Grundy’s master bedroom, fired up a podcast
Why clever people stay stuck : Last Saturday evening, Lauren and I sank into the dimly-lit settee in Fort Grundy’s antechamber to fire up the movie
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well" : So said the frizzy-haired brainbox Albert

Coaching

Flushing the mystery out of coaching : One of the side effects of my year-long Executive Coaching Apprenticeship is that I’ve had lots of conversations recently with my colleagues about what
A coach who banks : Last month, during my week-long promo for my new coaching program The Music Inside You, I wrote the
Presence over Powerpoints : Last Wednesday, I pitched up to a team offsite at work to run a mindset & clarity session about how to be more on the front foot, figure out what really

Conditioning

What is clear thinking? : The enlightened Jesuit priest Anthony De Mello gives us a clue in his barnstorming book Stop Fixing
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : One of the reasons I love writing these daily
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : This is one of the life scripts I heard neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff wax lyrical about on a podcast
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Something to chew on if you have the nagging feeling you’re not reaching your

Conflict

My top 3 insights from 2025 (part 3) : One of my 2025 highlights was joining American "supercoach" Michael Neill’s 6 month

Corporate Culture

A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : *** Treat fulfilment as a destination. Tell yourself it’s just around the corner once you finally hit that number, get that promotion, snag that pay rise or
Wayne Dyer’s “Parallel Path” secret to beating the office naysayers : When “The Father of Motivation” Wayne Dyer released his first book Your Erroneous Zones, he found himself in a bit of a
A reckless tip for diligent professionals drowning at their desk : A couple of weeks ago, I sent an email claiming that the most important workplace skill in 2026 isn’t your leadership wizardry, technical know-how or
Your invisible job : I’d bet my last bag of Earl Grey tea that the most important part of your job isn’t listed anywhere on your job
7 ways smart professionals sabotage their own success : Spare a thought for the clever clogs in companies all across the
How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Yesterday I shared some highlights from Deloitte’s 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
Office Roleplay : The problems start at work when we forget we’re playing a
What the US Special Forces, elite athletes and top scientists know about performance that corporates botch daily : The other day, I stumbled on an article about the “Green
Thinking for yourself : In the 1950’s, a psychologist called Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments to test how prone people are to following the
Elon Musk endorses The Subtraction Method? : I was scrolling on LinkedIn yesterday when I came across an interesting document called “Elon Musk’s Company Building
Why haven’t hard-working professionals been told these facts? : In September 2008, I joined the merry world of banking as a fresh and hungry
The spreadsheets won't save you : Lauren and I are packing all our possessions into big, brown
It's only work : It’s always dangerous writing an email like this
Zen and the art of ignoring all your emails : The irony isn’t lost on me. But if your inbox is always running the show and you’d like to get on top of it, this is one email you’ll want to pay close
Patience over speed : Riffing on my email yesterday about slowing down to the speed of
You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress : In yesterday’s email, I opened up two slots for a Calm On Demand coaching
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Here’s the answer, according to Ernest
RIP to the Dilbert creator : Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strips, died
My prediction: the next big corporate trend : I’ve watched the corporate world do one heck of a U-turn during my 15+ years in
If it looks like a potato, peels like a potato and bakes like a potato, it's probably a potato : One of my favourite BBC shows is the arty farty Fake or
The Andon Cord Principle : Up popped a seasonal image on my daily Facebook scroll
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at
Bitcoin Queen's outrageous Ponzi Scheme serves up reality check for corporate 9to5ers : Every Saturday morning, while the moon is still in the sky and the birds haven't yet started chirping, an unmarked white van pulls up to the gates at Fort
Why perks and policies don't change company culture : My godfather Simon is in town for a few
The edge at work most people miss : A couple of nights ago, I met up with a buddy for some beers and Thai
Stoic supremacy at work : The corporate workplace is a ruthless battlefield where status determines who wins and who
Why it's smart to milk your weak spots for all they're worth : The last few weeks have been a blur of sleeping, burping, pooping and
The problem with boundaries : There’s an old and famous parable which goes something like
Which of these 9 office worker "types" are you? : A ground-breaking new office-based personality test has been released by that bastion of balanced and non-sensationalised

Corporate Treadmill

The full time job you should quit right now : The “maybe I’ll leave my job someday”
A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : *** Treat fulfilment as a destination. Tell yourself it’s just around the corner once you finally hit that number, get that promotion, snag that pay rise or
The mid-career gridlock trap : An intriguing question rolls in from a
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Someone I highly recommend all high-performing corporate professionals read and study is the great Indian sage Jiddu
To anyone who feels they’re heading in the wrong direction but can’t figure out why : Something to think about for people ticking all the usual boxes but still feeling
The Burnout-Avoider’s Dilemma : Let me tell you about the
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : A question rolls in from a reader called
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : On Sunday morning I carted myself off to the local

Creativity

Creator vs Critic : There’s a skill which nearly everyone on the planet has spent decades practising, polishing and getting surprisingly good
The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Did you know that author Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : One of the reasons I love writing these daily
Thinking is horizontal, writing is vertical : My training for the Hackney Half Marathon has finally picked up
Inspired problem-solving method from an 18th Century maths whiz : To the limoncello & spaghetti-lined streets of Milan and the home of Maria Agnesi, a mathematician with various unrivalled claims to

Decision Making

Why professionals stay stuck : Tom Grundy on why professionals stay stuck: they mistake a loud thought for a true one. One focused conversation can be enough to finally get unstuck.
The full time job you should quit right now : The “maybe I’ll leave my job someday”
The Harry Kane School of High Stakes Decision Making : Given England’s World Cup heroics against Mexico a few hours ago, here’s a question for
The Buddha of Banking is summoned by a warrior's plea : Last night, as Toddler Grundy snoozed in her crib and the vines swayed gently in the evening sun, Lauren and I settled onto Chateau Grundy's sofa to watch
The poker career I never had : Back in the bright and blustery days of 2008, I found myself smack in the middle of a critical career
How to shift lanes mid-career : Yesterday I shared a reader’s question about why mid-career hits gridlock so
The mid-career gridlock trap : An intriguing question rolls in from a
40 ways to know what you really want : To celebrate, here are 40 ways to know when a desire is genuinely yours (as opposed to something you’ve talked yourself into or merely think you
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : This is one of the life scripts I heard neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff wax lyrical about on a podcast

Deloitte

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Yesterday I shared some highlights from Deloitte’s 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z

Don't Quit Your Job

Toddler Grundy's Self-Help Obsession : Tom Grundy on his toddler's kitchen self help drawer, his upcoming book Don't Quit Your Job, and the Career Clarity Coaching Call slots open this July.
The full time job you should quit right now : The “maybe I’ll leave my job someday”
The latest on my 2026 plans : But in January, I made a few 2026 plans for this newsletter and my coaching. Plans I then announced in a daily email as a way to hold my feet to the
7 things I’m looking forward to right now : I’ve been doomscrolling more than I care to admit
How I feel about my new book, Don't Quit Your Job : I’m delighted to announce that my new book, Don’t Quit Your Job, is now

Donald Trump

Like Donald Trump gatecrashing a Chelsea team photo : I woke up yesterday to find my phone full of

Effort

What happens when we stop trying so hard? : A short story which might catch the attention of anyone who's worried they're not doing

Elon Musk

Elon Musk endorses The Subtraction Method? : I was scrolling on LinkedIn yesterday when I came across an interesting document called “Elon Musk’s Company Building

Emails

Zen and the art of ignoring all your emails : The irony isn’t lost on me. But if your inbox is always running the show and you’d like to get on top of it, this is one email you’ll want to pay close

Emma Radacanu

How the Subtraction Method could revive Emma Radacanu’s tennis career : On Friday, I came across an interview on BBC Sport with the British tennis superstar Emma

Flow

What happens when we stop trying so hard? : A short story which might catch the attention of anyone who's worried they're not doing

FOMO

What FOMO, Imposter Syndrome and the Sunday Scaries have in common : Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art is a must-read if you’re trying to overcome the inner battles that most artists and writers grapple

Fort Grundy

Farewell, Fort Grundy : Lauren, Baby Grundy and I are waving goodbye to Fort Grundy
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit
7 things I’m looking forward to right now : I’ve been doomscrolling more than I care to admit

Fulfilment

A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : *** Treat fulfilment as a destination. Tell yourself it’s just around the corner once you finally hit that number, get that promotion, snag that pay rise or
The Buddha of Banking is summoned by a warrior's plea : Last night, as Toddler Grundy snoozed in her crib and the vines swayed gently in the evening sun, Lauren and I settled onto Chateau Grundy's sofa to watch
Dishing the dirt on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs : Last week I was reading about Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Following fulfilment : Recently, the comedian and podcast host “ceciatl” posted this on
The Myth of Success : One of the biggest lies that’s drummed into us from the age we’re knee-high to a grasshopper is that success is what leads to
The oldest trick in the book : As today is April Fool’s Day here in the
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : I once heard movie star Jim Carrey share a warning story about the perils of seeking fame and success in the glitzy world of
To anyone who feels they’re heading in the wrong direction but can’t figure out why : Something to think about for people ticking all the usual boxes but still feeling
Why clever people stay stuck : Last Saturday evening, Lauren and I sank into the dimly-lit settee in Fort Grundy’s antechamber to fire up the movie
Grumpy anti-hero reveals the secret to stopping the endless chase : Today’s email contains one of the most revealing lessons about human nature I’ve ever spotted in the
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : “I was educated once. It took me years to get over it” , Mark
When the maths just doesn't add up : There’s a few lines in Michael Neill’s book The Inside-Out Revolution where Michael lays out a formula for
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : A question rolls in from a reader called

Future of Work

Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : A couple of days ago, Michelle Obama paid a visit to my old East London stomping
How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Yesterday I shared some highlights from Deloitte’s 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
7 Career Questions from the last 100 years : Most career advice is a big old pile of
My prediction: the next big corporate trend : I’ve watched the corporate world do one heck of a U-turn during my 15+ years in
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at
Slash careers : The other day I stumbled on a Forbes article about slash

GenZs

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Yesterday I shared some highlights from Deloitte’s 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at

Goal Setting

The problem with planning your career : The best way to kill momentum is by making a

Graham Greene

The greene light to be yourself : In 1949, New Statesman ran a quirky

Happiness

The oldest trick in the book : As today is April Fool’s Day here in the
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : On Friday, I carted myself off to the cinema to watch the new Frankenstein
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : “I was educated once. It took me years to get over it” , Mark
Rank these 9 happy facts about happiness by how happy they make you : 1. Finland is crushing the happiness game. The country has been crowned the happiest in the world for the last SEVEN years. Must be all the saunas and

Harry Kane

The Harry Kane School of High Stakes Decision Making : Given England’s World Cup heroics against Mexico a few hours ago, here’s a question for

How To Work Your Way

My newsletter incites a workplace rebellion? : A few weeks ago, I asked readers to send me some words to describe my daily
Let it rip : A few weeks ago, I dropped author and podcaster Paul Millerd a message on
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit
Maverick's career advice : On Sunday night, Lauren and I settled on the sofa with a glass of whisky and fired up the rip-roaring movie Top Gun:
7 things I’m looking forward to right now : I’ve been doomscrolling more than I care to admit

Identity

Office Roleplay : The problems start at work when we forget we’re playing a
If it looks like a potato, peels like a potato and bakes like a potato, it's probably a potato : One of my favourite BBC shows is the arty farty Fake or
A coach who banks : Last month, during my week-long promo for my new coaching program The Music Inside You, I wrote the
Remembering Frankenstein : To my surprise, I’ve found myself writing a lot about Frankenstein over the last few
At the drop of a hat : When I run a Mindset & Clarity session for a new team at work, I always start the session the same
The greene light to be yourself : In 1949, New Statesman ran a quirky
“How honest are you with your line manager?” : On Wednesday evening, I ran my CTI Cheat Code Zoom

Imposter Syndrome

What FOMO, Imposter Syndrome and the Sunday Scaries have in common : Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art is a must-read if you’re trying to overcome the inner battles that most artists and writers grapple

Information Overload

Your invisible job : I’d bet my last bag of Earl Grey tea that the most important part of your job isn’t listed anywhere on your job

Intellect

How to sharpen your intellect : Yesterday morning, as Lauren cycled off to the local spa for some well-earnt R&R, I swept Baby Grundy into Fort Grundy’s master bedroom, fired up a podcast

Intrapreneurship

Wayne Dyer’s “Parallel Path” secret to beating the office naysayers : When “The Father of Motivation” Wayne Dyer released his first book Your Erroneous Zones, he found himself in a bit of a
What the Buddha of Banking banks on when the banking takes a back seat : A question rolls in from a newsletter
The latest on my 2026 plans : But in January, I made a few 2026 plans for this newsletter and my coaching. Plans I then announced in a daily email as a way to hold my feet to the
RIP to the Dilbert creator : Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strips, died
What’s working for me at work right now : Over the last few months, many have asked me about my shifting experience of corporate
A coach who banks : Last month, during my week-long promo for my new coaching program The Music Inside You, I wrote the
Presence over Powerpoints : Last Wednesday, I pitched up to a team offsite at work to run a mindset & clarity session about how to be more on the front foot, figure out what really
How to use your day job to fuel your side hustle : Over the last few days I’ve been re-reading Scott Adams’s How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win
Slash careers : The other day I stumbled on a Forbes article about slash

Introverts

Why I’ve stopped networking at work : I don’t do networking coffees with my colleagues at
Why it's smart to milk your weak spots for all they're worth : The last few weeks have been a blur of sleeping, burping, pooping and

Jack Canfield

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : I have lots of “anti-job” books on my shelves at Chateau

Jack Pransky

My 7 favourite books so far this year : *** The Good Enough Job (Simone Stolzoff). Each chapter takes a common myth about work (e.g. our work equals our worth, we are what we do, status equals

James Altucher

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : I have lots of “anti-job” books on my shelves at Chateau

Jenny Wood

How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit

John Bejakovic

My 7 favourite books so far this year : *** The Good Enough Job (Simone Stolzoff). Each chapter takes a common myth about work (e.g. our work equals our worth, we are what we do, status equals

Jurgen Klopp

The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : On Friday, I carted myself off to the cinema to watch the new Frankenstein

Lao Tzu

What is The Subtraction Method? : I've been asked the same question on a couple of coaching calls

Life Scripts

Whose rules are these : If you're not making the progress you want, you might be using the wrong
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit
Is there a right way to live? : Yesterday evening, I hopped on the Lizzy Line after work to meet my sister in London’s West
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : One of the reasons I love writing these daily
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Something to chew on if you have the nagging feeling you’re not reaching your

Mary Shelley

The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Did you know that author Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote

Mavis Karn

The Secret : In 1998, the American counsellor, educator and teacher Mavis Karn wrote a now legendary letter called “The Secret” to a group of juvenile inmates she’d been

Memory

Why nostalgia isn't what it used to be : Lauren and I have just moved from the mean streets of North East London to the UK's City of Steel,

Michael Neill

How to tell what's going on inside your colleague's head : That subject line might sound like a strange magic
How to use the "ITSA Principle" to make time for what matters : There’s a small hack Lauren and I use with Baby Grundy which has made life easier when we’re on the move or tootling around
My top 3 insights from 2025 (part 3) : One of my 2025 highlights was joining American "supercoach" Michael Neill’s 6 month
What happens when we stop trying so hard? : A short story which might catch the attention of anyone who's worried they're not doing
Breaking the Second Arrow : On Thursday, I ran a training session for a hearty group of 25 banking colleagues on the topic of
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : On Friday, I carted myself off to the cinema to watch the new Frankenstein
The teachers life has dealt me : I've been thinking about the people who've shaped the way I see
When the maths just doesn't add up : There’s a few lines in Michael Neill’s book The Inside-Out Revolution where Michael lays out a formula for
Is there a right way to live? : Yesterday evening, I hopped on the Lizzy Line after work to meet my sister in London’s West
Red Rambler Theory : On Wednesday morning, I took Baby Grundy for an early morning stroll round the local park while Lauren got some well-earnt shut
Presence over Powerpoints : Last Wednesday, I pitched up to a team offsite at work to run a mindset & clarity session about how to be more on the front foot, figure out what really
Mayday! Mayday! : It’s Monday morning and instead of pounding the mean City of London streets on my way into the office, I’m happily sat in Fort Grundy, coffee in hand and
Slash careers : The other day I stumbled on a Forbes article about slash

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : A couple of days ago, Michelle Obama paid a visit to my old East London stomping

Millennials

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Yesterday I shared some highlights from Deloitte’s 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at

Mindset

A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : *** Treat fulfilment as a destination. Tell yourself it’s just around the corner once you finally hit that number, get that promotion, snag that pay rise or
Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Here’s a powerful lesson for anyone who works their socks off day in, day out and wonders if there’s a lighter way to approach their job without sacrificing
7 ways smart professionals sabotage their own success : Spare a thought for the clever clogs in companies all across the
The crimes we commit against our minds : These aren’t run of the mill crimes like pinching a few paperclips from the office or nicking a can of baked beans from
There's a pill for that : Since I mentioned the book Range a couple of days
Why nostalgia isn't what it used to be : Lauren and I have just moved from the mean streets of North East London to the UK's City of Steel,
Why haven’t hard-working professionals been told these facts? : In September 2008, I joined the merry world of banking as a fresh and hungry
It's only work : It’s always dangerous writing an email like this
The Brad Pitt School of Clear Thinking : A movie I thoroughly enjoyed was the Brad Pitt sports flick
Patience over speed : Riffing on my email yesterday about slowing down to the speed of
How to sharpen your intellect : Yesterday morning, as Lauren cycled off to the local spa for some well-earnt R&R, I swept Baby Grundy into Fort Grundy’s master bedroom, fired up a podcast
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Someone I highly recommend all high-performing corporate professionals read and study is the great Indian sage Jiddu
How to use the “Tom Sawyer Effect” to turn boring, mundane work into a source of joy and delight : There’s a scene in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where Tom’s punished by his Aunt Polly for getting his clothes dirty in a
How to stop stressing about household chores AND getting wound up at work : Just the other day, an insight clicked for me that I've never put into words
You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Let me tell you about a chap I’ve made up called
My thoughts on Couples Therapy : I've got into a bit of a morning routine
The problem with boundaries : There’s an old and famous parable which goes something like

Momentum

Why this newsletter nearly didn't happen : I had a handful of good ideas for this newsletter. But only a

Morgan Housel

Thinking is horizontal, writing is vertical : My training for the Hackney Half Marathon has finally picked up

Nancy Kline

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : I have lots of “anti-job” books on my shelves at Chateau
How to tell what's going on inside your colleague's head : That subject line might sound like a strange magic

Networking

Why I’ve stopped networking at work : I don’t do networking coffees with my colleagues at

Oliver Burkeman

The problem with Oliver Burkeman’s book "4,000 Weeks" : One of the more recent time management books you'll find in the bookshops of any self-respecting airport terminal is Oliver Burkeman’s 4,000

Optimisation

The problem with optimising your life : I’ve always been one of life’s great
The optimised fast lane to rest and relaxation : I’ve just downed my third wheatgrass smoothie and according to my Pomodoro timer, my ice bath will be ready in 9 minutes, 13

Ostrich Effect

The Corporate Ostrich : Here’s something to chew on if there’s a task you keep putting off at

Overthinking

7 ways smart professionals sabotage their own success : Spare a thought for the clever clogs in companies all across the
The crimes we commit against our minds : These aren’t run of the mill crimes like pinching a few paperclips from the office or nicking a can of baked beans from
How to cage your monkey mind : Here’s a question I got asked during a Mindset & Clarity workshop I ran for my banking colleagues a few months
The spreadsheets won't save you : Lauren and I are packing all our possessions into big, brown
The Corporate Ostrich : Here’s something to chew on if there’s a task you keep putting off at
Snow Write and the 7 Dwarves : Disney’s 2025 remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was a blockbuster box office
How to sharpen your intellect : Yesterday morning, as Lauren cycled off to the local spa for some well-earnt R&R, I swept Baby Grundy into Fort Grundy’s master bedroom, fired up a podcast
Thoughts on the blink : Over the weekend, Lauren and I took a trip with Baby Grundy to the market town of Ross on
Like Donald Trump gatecrashing a Chelsea team photo : I woke up yesterday to find my phone full of
Why you're not overthinking enough : People seem to be making decisions without spending weeks agonising over every possible outcome. They're trusting their gut without using a spreadsheet. And
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : This is the first time I’ve written a daily email with a snoozing baby strapped to my chest and my laptop perched on top of a wicker laundry
21 reasons not to overthink it : This could be just the ticket for anyone who feels stuck, who worries about making the wrong move or who’s always chewing the grey matter but rarely gets
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : On Sunday morning I carted myself off to the local
Welcome aboard this Grundy Air flight : Today’s destination is more clarity, less stress and a happier

Parenting

6 things Baby Grundy has taught me : Baby Grundy turns 18 months in a few
The problem with optimising your life : I’ve always been one of life’s great
At the drop of a hat : When I run a Mindset & Clarity session for a new team at work, I always start the session the same
For anyone juggling parenthood with a career : On the 16th January, I sent out an email with the subject

Patience

Patience over speed : Riffing on my email yesterday about slowing down to the speed of
Slowing down to the speed of life : What’s your writing routine like? I can’t believe how you write so many
The Andon Cord Principle : Up popped a seasonal image on my daily Facebook scroll
The optimised fast lane to rest and relaxation : I’ve just downed my third wheatgrass smoothie and according to my Pomodoro timer, my ice bath will be ready in 9 minutes, 13

Paul Graham

Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : “I was educated once. It took me years to get over it” , Mark

Paul McCartney

The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Did you know that author Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote

Paul Millerd

Let it rip : A few weeks ago, I dropped author and podcaster Paul Millerd a message on
Maverick's career advice : On Sunday night, Lauren and I settled on the sofa with a glass of whisky and fired up the rip-roaring movie Top Gun:
The teachers life has dealt me : I've been thinking about the people who've shaped the way I see
What game are you playing at work? : In April, I sent out an email with the subject
Red Rambler Theory : On Wednesday morning, I took Baby Grundy for an early morning stroll round the local park while Lauren got some well-earnt shut
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : A question rolls in from a reader called
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : This is one of the life scripts I heard neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff wax lyrical about on a podcast

Perception

What David's ample nose reveals about feeling good at work : “Such beauty” says Piero Soderini, gazing at the towering marble statue in front of him. “Yet I feel the nose draws the eye too

Perfectionism

Hermione Granger and the Prisoner of Perfectionism : So much of a fan, in fact, that a couple of years ago I was gently encouraged to participate in an eight-part Potter movie marathon in the weeks leading up
The Perfectionist's Ultimate, Foolproof Guide to Success : Are you one of these people who thinks that “good enough” is never good

Performance

The Harry Kane School of High Stakes Decision Making : Given England’s World Cup heroics against Mexico a few hours ago, here’s a question for
Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Here’s a powerful lesson for anyone who works their socks off day in, day out and wonders if there’s a lighter way to approach their job without sacrificing
What the US Special Forces, elite athletes and top scientists know about performance that corporates botch daily : The other day, I stumbled on an article about the “Green
Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : A few months ago, I ran a Subtraction Method workshop for NYT bestseller Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s online
How the Subtraction Method could revive Emma Radacanu’s tennis career : On Friday, I came across an interview on BBC Sport with the British tennis superstar Emma
My 2025 Performance Review : EMPLOYEE: Tom Grundy (aka The Buddha of
How to use the Subtraction Method to get good at stuff : Yesterday evening, I ran a Subtraction Method training for neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Ness Labs

Performance Stress

The edge at work most people miss : A couple of nights ago, I met up with a buddy for some beers and Thai

Permission

You have permission to give yourself permission : There’s a famous parable by the Czech writer Franz Kafka called Before the

Personal Development

Toddler Grundy's Self-Help Obsession : Tom Grundy on his toddler's kitchen self help drawer, his upcoming book Don't Quit Your Job, and the Career Clarity Coaching Call slots open this July.
The Wisdom of Shitterton : If you leave west London via the M3, drive past the medieval town of Winchester, take a left at Peppa Pig World and pootle on for 37 miles, you arrive at

Personality Test

Which of these 9 office worker "types" are you? : A ground-breaking new office-based personality test has been released by that bastion of balanced and non-sensationalised

Perspective

It's only work : It’s always dangerous writing an email like this

Phil Knight

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : I have lots of “anti-job” books on my shelves at Chateau

Planning

The problem with planning your career : The best way to kill momentum is by making a
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : If you’re dreading a huge deadline as you tootle into the office today, know
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : This is the first time I’ve written a daily email with a snoozing baby strapped to my chest and my laptop perched on top of a wicker laundry

Preframes

You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Let me tell you about a chap I’ve made up called

Presence

How to be ambitious without burning out : Show up fully when you’re at work, then disappear fully when you’re
Presence over Powerpoints : Last Wednesday, I pitched up to a team offsite at work to run a mindset & clarity session about how to be more on the front foot, figure out what really

Pressure

To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : If you’re dreading a huge deadline as you tootle into the office today, know
How desk workers can cool their stress, pressure and worry : The way you felt about your banking career is similar to how I felt about my teaching

Problem Solving

Why Spotify is making our lives more predictable : Buying a copy of the Financial Times, plopping myself on the sofa with a cup of Earl Grey tea, whizzing through the business pages and heading straight to
The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Did you know that author Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote
Inspired problem-solving method from an 18th Century maths whiz : To the limoncello & spaghetti-lined streets of Milan and the home of Maria Agnesi, a mathematician with various unrivalled claims to

Procrastination

The Corporate Ostrich : Here’s something to chew on if there’s a task you keep putting off at
You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Let me tell you about a chap I’ve made up called
Mayday! Mayday! : It’s Monday morning and instead of pounding the mean City of London streets on my way into the office, I’m happily sat in Fort Grundy, coffee in hand and
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : This is the first time I’ve written a daily email with a snoozing baby strapped to my chest and my laptop perched on top of a wicker laundry
Welcome aboard this Grundy Air flight : Today’s destination is more clarity, less stress and a happier

Productivity

A reckless tip for diligent professionals drowning at their desk : A couple of weeks ago, I sent an email claiming that the most important workplace skill in 2026 isn’t your leadership wizardry, technical know-how or
Your invisible job : I’d bet my last bag of Earl Grey tea that the most important part of your job isn’t listed anywhere on your job
The quickest, simplest, easiest way to get twice the work done in half the time : It’s not even by creating your very own time management
How to use the "ITSA Principle" to make time for what matters : There’s a small hack Lauren and I use with Baby Grundy which has made life easier when we’re on the move or tootling around
How I juggle my day job, daily emails, coaching and being a new dad : Friend of the newsletter Jim Roberts (and author of the jungle-based Monkey State thrillers , well worth checking out) drops me a
The Andon Cord Principle : Up popped a seasonal image on my daily Facebook scroll
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at
My reading and writing routine : What’s your writing routine like? I can’t believe how you write so many
The optimised fast lane to rest and relaxation : I’ve just downed my third wheatgrass smoothie and according to my Pomodoro timer, my ice bath will be ready in 9 minutes, 13
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : This is the first time I’ve written a daily email with a snoozing baby strapped to my chest and my laptop perched on top of a wicker laundry
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : There are three books which completely shifted my perspective on what's possible in
Morning person vs evening person : I had a summer at uni with diddly squat to do apart from write my dissertation for my Mechanical Engineering

Public Speaking

How I conquered my fear of presenting on Zoom calls : Here’s a DM I got the other day from a colleague who’s taking part in my Mindset and Clarity workshops at

Raisins and Rice Pudding

Separating the raisins from the rice pudding (part 4) : I’ve written a lot about this subject over the last couple of
Separating the raisins from the rice pudding (part 3) : I was reading an interesting story recently about the Roman slave-turned-philosopher

Ramana Maharshi

Revered Indian guru wields left butt cheek to help stressed exec find instant inner peace : A few months ago, I jetted out to a tiny town called Torp just outside Oslo for a three day meditation retreat with author, philosopher and modern-day sage

Relationships

You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress : In yesterday’s email, I opened up two slots for a Calm On Demand coaching
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Here’s the answer, according to Ernest
Relationship status? It's complicated! : Last month, I published a three part interview with creator, author and podcaster Paul

Resilience

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Yesterday I shared some highlights from Deloitte’s 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
Breaking the Second Arrow : On Thursday, I ran a training session for a hearty group of 25 banking colleagues on the topic of
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : On Friday, I carted myself off to the cinema to watch the new Frankenstein

Richard Carlson

The Andon Cord Principle : Up popped a seasonal image on my daily Facebook scroll
How to stop stressing about household chores AND getting wound up at work : Just the other day, an insight clicked for me that I've never put into words

Richard Feynman

What is The Subtraction Method? : I've been asked the same question on a couple of coaching calls

Rob Wringham

How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit

Robert Kiyosaki

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : I have lots of “anti-job” books on my shelves at Chateau

Robert Oppenheimer

Why clever people stay stuck : Last Saturday evening, Lauren and I sank into the dimly-lit settee in Fort Grundy’s antechamber to fire up the movie

Routines

Not a routine email : Today’s email comes to you live from the Wetherspoons by the departure gates at Stansted

Rumi

39.5 thoughts as I turn 39.5 years old : What better moment to share 39.5 reflections, thoughts, quotes and confessions to celebrate 39.5 spins around the

Rupert Spira

Grumpy anti-hero reveals the secret to stopping the endless chase : Today’s email contains one of the most revealing lessons about human nature I’ve ever spotted in the
Revered Indian guru wields left butt cheek to help stressed exec find instant inner peace : A few months ago, I jetted out to a tiny town called Torp just outside Oslo for a three day meditation retreat with author, philosopher and modern-day sage
The teachers life has dealt me : I've been thinking about the people who've shaped the way I see
Not a routine email : Today’s email comes to you live from the Wetherspoons by the departure gates at Stansted

Sadhguru

How to sharpen your intellect : Yesterday morning, as Lauren cycled off to the local spa for some well-earnt R&R, I swept Baby Grundy into Fort Grundy’s master bedroom, fired up a podcast

Scott Adams

RIP to the Dilbert creator : Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strips, died
My 7 favourite books so far this year : *** The Good Enough Job (Simone Stolzoff). Each chapter takes a common myth about work (e.g. our work equals our worth, we are what we do, status equals
How to use your day job to fuel your side hustle : Over the last few days I’ve been re-reading Scott Adams’s How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win

Self-Trust

How do you handle the responsibility of affecting people's life decisions? : Tom Grundy on how a coach handles the responsibility of affecting life decisions: by handing it back to the only person it ever truly belonged to, you.
Wayne Dyer’s “Parallel Path” secret to beating the office naysayers : When “The Father of Motivation” Wayne Dyer released his first book Your Erroneous Zones, he found himself in a bit of a
Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : A couple of days ago, Michelle Obama paid a visit to my old East London stomping
Thinking for yourself : In the 1950’s, a psychologist called Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments to test how prone people are to following the
Maverick's career advice : On Sunday night, Lauren and I settled on the sofa with a glass of whisky and fired up the rip-roaring movie Top Gun:
How to shift lanes mid-career : Yesterday I shared a reader’s question about why mid-career hits gridlock so
The mid-career gridlock trap : An intriguing question rolls in from a
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Here’s the answer, according to Ernest
You have permission to give yourself permission : There’s a famous parable by the Czech writer Franz Kafka called Before the

Seneca

Thoughts on the blink : Over the weekend, Lauren and I took a trip with Baby Grundy to the market town of Ross on

Simone Stolzoff

How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit
My 7 favourite books so far this year : *** The Good Enough Job (Simone Stolzoff). Each chapter takes a common myth about work (e.g. our work equals our worth, we are what we do, status equals

Slash Careers

Slash careers : The other day I stumbled on a Forbes article about slash

Sleep

How to get a good night's sleep : Since the proverbial stork delivered Baby Grundy just over five months ago, I’ve slept in various beds, on a sofa, in a rocking chair, on a futon, on a rug

Status

Stoic supremacy at work : The corporate workplace is a ruthless battlefield where status determines who wins and who

Steven Bartlett

How to sharpen your intellect : Yesterday morning, as Lauren cycled off to the local spa for some well-earnt R&R, I swept Baby Grundy into Fort Grundy’s master bedroom, fired up a podcast
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : On Friday, I carted myself off to the cinema to watch the new Frankenstein

Stoicism

Stoic supremacy at work : The corporate workplace is a ruthless battlefield where status determines who wins and who

Stress

Are you burning out? (temperature check inside) : For most of my 20’s, I had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right at
Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Here’s a powerful lesson for anyone who works their socks off day in, day out and wonders if there’s a lighter way to approach their job without sacrificing
How to feel less squashed & squeezed by your job : Something to ponder if you’re feeling hemmed in at
There's a pill for that : Since I mentioned the book Range a couple of days
It's only work : It’s always dangerous writing an email like this
The 5 stages of de-stressing at work : But after 13+ years of taking grenades in the trenches at my banking job, then finding a way to turn down my stress to an all-time low, I’d like to think
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : If you’re dreading a huge deadline as you tootle into the office today, know
You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress : In yesterday’s email, I opened up two slots for a Calm On Demand coaching
The smokejumpers' secret to escaping burnout : This tragic story might be one of the clearest and most important lessons I’ve ever found about work/life balance, stress and burnout at
The Burnout-Avoider’s Dilemma : Let me tell you about the
Revered Indian guru wields left butt cheek to help stressed exec find instant inner peace : A few months ago, I jetted out to a tiny town called Torp just outside Oslo for a three day meditation retreat with author, philosopher and modern-day sage
How to stop stressing about household chores AND getting wound up at work : Just the other day, an insight clicked for me that I've never put into words
Why I look forward to holidays less than I used to : A couple of weeks ago, during one of the Mindset & Clarity workshops I’m running for my esteemed banking colleagues, I posed the question “is stress
I should've spotted these years ago... : Ever had a moment where you look back on something and think “how did I not see
The problem with boundaries : There’s an old and famous parable which goes something like
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : On Sunday morning I carted myself off to the local
How desk workers can cool their stress, pressure and worry : The way you felt about your banking career is similar to how I felt about my teaching

Subtraction Method

What the Subtraction Method subtracts : Tom Grundy on what the Subtraction Method really subtracts: not your tasks or to do list, but the beliefs and assumptions quietly getting in your way.
The curse of more : Tom Grundy on why the Western belief that more effort equals better results backfires, and how less interference, not more, is the real path forward.
The full time job you should quit right now : The “maybe I’ll leave my job someday”
The Harry Kane School of High Stakes Decision Making : Given England’s World Cup heroics against Mexico a few hours ago, here’s a question for
How to be ambitious without burning out : Show up fully when you’re at work, then disappear fully when you’re
What is clear thinking? : The enlightened Jesuit priest Anthony De Mello gives us a clue in his barnstorming book Stop Fixing
Elon Musk endorses The Subtraction Method? : I was scrolling on LinkedIn yesterday when I came across an interesting document called “Elon Musk’s Company Building
Why haven’t hard-working professionals been told these facts? : In September 2008, I joined the merry world of banking as a fresh and hungry
The spreadsheets won't save you : Lauren and I are packing all our possessions into big, brown
Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : A few months ago, I ran a Subtraction Method workshop for NYT bestseller Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s online
How the Subtraction Method could revive Emma Radacanu’s tennis career : On Friday, I came across an interview on BBC Sport with the British tennis superstar Emma
Patience over speed : Riffing on my email yesterday about slowing down to the speed of
What is The Subtraction Method? : I've been asked the same question on a couple of coaching calls
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Someone I highly recommend all high-performing corporate professionals read and study is the great Indian sage Jiddu
The madness of open plan offices : A few days ago, I got chatting to a colleague about the bushy-tailed up-and-coming generation of bankers who are skipping merrily through the hallways at
When the maths just doesn't add up : There’s a few lines in Michael Neill’s book The Inside-Out Revolution where Michael lays out a formula for
Why I’ve stopped networking at work : I don’t do networking coffees with my colleagues at
How to use the Subtraction Method to get good at stuff : Yesterday evening, I ran a Subtraction Method training for neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Ness Labs
39.5 thoughts as I turn 39.5 years old : What better moment to share 39.5 reflections, thoughts, quotes and confessions to celebrate 39.5 spins around the
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : One of the reasons I love writing these daily
Why I look forward to holidays less than I used to : A couple of weeks ago, during one of the Mindset & Clarity workshops I’m running for my esteemed banking colleagues, I posed the question “is stress
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Something to chew on if you have the nagging feeling you’re not reaching your
One sentence which eased my social anxiety : About a year ago I had a huge “a ha”
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : This is the first time I’ve written a daily email with a snoozing baby strapped to my chest and my laptop perched on top of a wicker laundry
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : On Sunday morning I carted myself off to the local

Success

The Myth of Success : One of the biggest lies that’s drummed into us from the age we’re knee-high to a grasshopper is that success is what leads to
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : I once heard movie star Jim Carrey share a warning story about the perils of seeking fame and success in the glitzy world of
The Perfectionist's Ultimate, Foolproof Guide to Success : Are you one of these people who thinks that “good enough” is never good
The score is not the music : For over a decade I made one hell of an almighty mistake at

Sunday Scaries

What FOMO, Imposter Syndrome and the Sunday Scaries have in common : Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art is a must-read if you’re trying to overcome the inner battles that most artists and writers grapple

Sydney Banks

Why I stalk my colleagues : An eye-opening habit which keeps me sharp at

The White Lotus

Grumpy anti-hero reveals the secret to stopping the endless chase : Today’s email contains one of the most revealing lessons about human nature I’ve ever spotted in the

Tim Ferriss

The full time job you should quit right now : The “maybe I’ll leave my job someday”
The problem with optimising your life : I’ve always been one of life’s great
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : There are three books which completely shifted my perspective on what's possible in

Tim Gallwey

What the US Special Forces, elite athletes and top scientists know about performance that corporates botch daily : The other day, I stumbled on an article about the “Green
Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : A few months ago, I ran a Subtraction Method workshop for NYT bestseller Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s online

Time Management

15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : As there's only 24 hours until my workshop Reclaim Your Evening kicks off, it seems like a good time to put forward a few reasons for why you might be
What chess taught me about time : I haven’t dusted off my Scotch Gambit for a good few
The problem with Oliver Burkeman’s book "4,000 Weeks" : One of the more recent time management books you'll find in the bookshops of any self-respecting airport terminal is Oliver Burkeman’s 4,000
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : If you’re dreading a huge deadline as you tootle into the office today, know
How I juggle my day job, daily emails, coaching and being a new dad : Friend of the newsletter Jim Roberts (and author of the jungle-based Monkey State thrillers , well worth checking out) drops me a

Tony Robbins

Why I ignore every uplifting & motivational post on Dimstagram : I’ve taken part twice in Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power
My thoughts on Couples Therapy : I've got into a bit of a morning routine

Trust

The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Here’s the answer, according to Ernest

Tyler Cowen

Red Rambler Theory : On Wednesday morning, I took Baby Grundy for an early morning stroll round the local park while Lauren got some well-earnt shut

Uncertainty

Are you certain you can handle uncertainty? : In 1973 and 1974, the U.S. military decided to survey its troops on a peculiar

Unlearning

The curse of more : Tom Grundy on why the Western belief that more effort equals better results backfires, and how less interference, not more, is the real path forward.
Whose rules are these : If you're not making the progress you want, you might be using the wrong
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy has got into a strange food-related habit
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : “I was educated once. It took me years to get over it” , Mark
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : One of the reasons I love writing these daily
What the guidebook doesn't tell you : I live a 10 minute walk from one of my best
Rules of living vs rules of life : For much of my 20s, it looked like things were going

Wayne Dyer

How do you handle the responsibility of affecting people's life decisions? : Tom Grundy on how a coach handles the responsibility of affecting life decisions: by handing it back to the only person it ever truly belonged to, you.
Toddler Grundy's Self-Help Obsession : Tom Grundy on his toddler's kitchen self help drawer, his upcoming book Don't Quit Your Job, and the Career Clarity Coaching Call slots open this July.
Wayne Dyer’s “Parallel Path” secret to beating the office naysayers : When “The Father of Motivation” Wayne Dyer released his first book Your Erroneous Zones, he found himself in a bit of a
6 things Baby Grundy has taught me : Baby Grundy turns 18 months in a few
The teachers life has dealt me : I've been thinking about the people who've shaped the way I see
My 7 favourite books so far this year : *** The Good Enough Job (Simone Stolzoff). Each chapter takes a common myth about work (e.g. our work equals our worth, we are what we do, status equals
For anyone juggling parenthood with a career : On the 16th January, I sent out an email with the subject
39.5 thoughts as I turn 39.5 years old : What better moment to share 39.5 reflections, thoughts, quotes and confessions to celebrate 39.5 spins around the
Row, row, row your boat : One of the surprising things about being a new
You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Let me tell you about a chap I’ve made up called
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : There are three books which completely shifted my perspective on what's possible in

Wisdom

To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : If you’re dreading a huge deadline as you tootle into the office today, know
Inspired problem-solving method from an 18th Century maths whiz : To the limoncello & spaghetti-lined streets of Milan and the home of Maria Agnesi, a mathematician with various unrivalled claims to

Work/Life Balance

22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Last week, Deloitte published its 2026 Millennial and Gen Z
15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : As there's only 24 hours until my workshop Reclaim Your Evening kicks off, it seems like a good time to put forward a few reasons for why you might be
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : I’ve mentioned this barnstorming Anthony De Mello book
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Someone I highly recommend all high-performing corporate professionals read and study is the great Indian sage Jiddu
How I juggle my day job, daily emails, coaching and being a new dad : Friend of the newsletter Jim Roberts (and author of the jungle-based Monkey State thrillers , well worth checking out) drops me a
Why “work/life sway” might be my favourite rebrand yet : When I run my 10 week Mindset & Clarity workshops, I usually hold a session on work/life
The score is not the music : For over a decade I made one hell of an almighty mistake at
“What does a good work/life balance look like for you personally Tom?” : That’s the question a colleague asked me during the Mindset & Clarity workshop I ran last week at

Worry

Why your worry is like my left nipple : Did you know some body parts are
FYI : There are moments in my day job when I’m so thoroughly baffled by the phrases being bandied around by my esteemed banking colleagues that I sometimes think
Welcome aboard this Grundy Air flight : Today’s destination is more clarity, less stress and a happier
Why your worry is like my left nipple : Did you know some body parts are
How desk workers can cool their stress, pressure and worry : The way you felt about your banking career is similar to how I felt about my teaching

Writing

Whose rules are these : If you're not making the progress you want, you might be using the wrong
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails (part 4) : When I think back to my first bunch of daily emails, one thing’s
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails (part 3) : Here’s a curious lesson I haven’t written about before which I spotted recently with my daily
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails (part 2) : A few months ago I was back-n-forthing with a reader who had taken me up on my offer to beta-read my soon to be released book Don’t Quit Your Job (in case
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails : I sent my first daily email in June
The latest on my 2026 plans : But in January, I made a few 2026 plans for this newsletter and my coaching. Plans I then announced in a daily email as a way to hold my feet to the
Snow Write and the 7 Dwarves : Disney’s 2025 remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was a blockbuster box office
Creator vs Critic : There’s a skill which nearly everyone on the planet has spent decades practising, polishing and getting surprisingly good
How I feel about my new book, Don't Quit Your Job : I’m delighted to announce that my new book, Don’t Quit Your Job, is now
My reading and writing routine : What’s your writing routine like? I can’t believe how you write so many
The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Did you know that author Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote
Thinking is horizontal, writing is vertical : My training for the Hackney Half Marathon has finally picked up
The dog ate my daily email? : Regular readers might’ve noticed I didn’t send my usual weekdaily email
Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of pure flatulation : It’s been a month since Baby Grundy made her lively entrance into the

Zen

Zen and the art of ignoring all your emails : The irony isn’t lost on me. But if your inbox is always running the show and you’d like to get on top of it, this is one email you’ll want to pay close

The trouble with Jeff Bezos's "Regret Minimization Framework" : Tom Grundy on the three big holes in Jeff Bezos's Regret Minimization Framework, and why you already know your next move better than you might realise.
An update on my 2026 plans : Last week, a reader replied to an email I sent at the start of the year called “My 2026 plans for this newsletter and my
8 things you might not know about me : *** I collect books like they’re going out of fashion. I even read some of
My 2026 plans for this newsletter and my coaching : *** Keep sending my “week-daily” emails. I’ve flirted with the idea of switching to a hard & fast 7 days a week, but 5 days works well for me and I see no
My top 3 insights from 2025 (part 2) : Let me tell you about a new superpower I’ve discovered this
My top 3 insights from 2025 : The difference between figuring out and finding
Why Frosty the Snowman is my coach : It’s almost like Frosty was made for pithy life
Only your sunlit nostril can unmask a guru who hasn’t yet learned to unlearn : I’m going to let you in on a trade
You can’t make a tomlette without breaking some legs : Here’s a strange "before and after" I’ve noticed
Another day, another horror show at work : As today is Halloween, here’s a bewitching horror story to sink your teeth
Stickman on the loose : A few months ago, I ran a Mindset & Clarity workshop on Performance for a team in my wider
Do you look at the gap or the gain? : I’ve noticed an interesting shift over the last couple of
The meta-metaphor : “You use a lot of metaphors in your workshops
How 9to5ers can use the Tetris Effect to find more fun, freedom and success at work : It’s a funny old phenomenon which only afflicts the most dedicated Tetris
This email is rather silly and totally sincere : One of the surprising plot twists of being a new Dad is the shocking amount of TV I’ve watched since Baby Grundy plopped into the
Mindset and Clarity reloaded : As this email pings into inboxes across the globe, I’ll be in the midst of session 1 of another 10 week run of my Mindset & Clarity workshops at
Why the world looks so different to you and me : A ripe and juicy riddle for you to chew
A tiny commander issues her first midnight orders at Fort Grundy : A few days ago, Lauren and I arrived back from hospital, lowered the drawbridge, carried our precious cargo over the shark-filled moat and started adjusting
To anyone who feels something's missing : You’re at the racetrack one afternoon enjoying a flutter with some
17 life lessons for Lauren's bun in the oven : There’s just over a week until the stork touches down with our special

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