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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 : Why Maslow's hierarchy of needs is dangerous: Viktor Frankl shows love and creativity do not wait their turn, and what you are drawn to is valid now.

AI

Disaster strikes at Chateau Grundy : Tom Grundy tells how a leak at home in Sheffield sent him to ChatGPT, and when he thinks turning to it for every dilemma may be a mistake.

Albert Einstein

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well" : Einstein's line on explaining things simply, and eight work questions Tom Grundy couldn't answer for a decade, from draining jobs to energy and stress.

Ambition

How to be ambitious without burning out : How to be ambitious without burning out: show up fully at work, switch off fully outside it, and why running at 30% all the time is the real problem.
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : Anthony De Mello's parable of tourists on a bus with the blinds down, and why you can stay ambitious in your career and still raise the blinds.
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : Jim Carrey warned that getting rich and famous isn't the answer. Why the same goes for promotions, and why a career can't earn you the right to relax.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : Tim Gallwey noticed his tennis student improved when he stopped giving advice. Tom Grundy on Performance equals Potential minus Interference.
Maverick's career advice : Maverick tells his admiral he is where he belongs. Tom Grundy asks whether you trust other people's measuring sticks or yourself in your career.
How to use the Subtraction Method to get good at stuff : Getting good at skills by subtraction: a card move learnt wrongly took months to undo, so choose what you learn carefully and find a guide.
Red Rambler Theory : Red Rambler Theory says once something is in your mind you see it everywhere. Tom Grundy on spotting opportunities, from a guest post to workshops.
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : The Thinking Script says you can think your way to a good life, but trying to be yourself by thinking is like learning your lines before an improv class.
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Anne-Laure Le Cunff's SQL Script nudges us towards safe choices over satisfying ones. Tom Grundy on two ways to debug it, burning out being one of them.

Anthony De Mello

Thriving at work is not a skill : Tom Grundy argues that thriving at work is not a skill to learn, drawing on Richard Carlson's Don't Sweat The Small Stuff and a couple's money arguments.
7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : Seven books with an anti-job reputation, from Shoe Dog to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and the takeaways Tom Grundy finds in them for getting more from a day job.
What is clear thinking? : Anthony De Mello on clear thinking in Stop Fixing Yourself: it takes unlearning, not learning, and starts with seeing reality rather than labels.
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : Anthony De Mello's parable of tourists on a bus with the blinds down, and why you can stay ambitious in your career and still raise the blinds.
My 7 favourite books so far this year : Tom Grundy's favourite books this year, from Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job to Anthony De Mello, Wayne Dyer's autobiography and Scott Adams.

Anxiety

Thoughts on the blink : A car warning light flashed a puncture but the tyre monitor was faulty. Anxious thoughts are often a dodgy warning light, so see where they come from.
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 : Apollo 13's crew fixed each problem in turn without letting the emergency take over their heads. Why that works in office life too.

Attention

A reckless tip for diligent professionals drowning at their desk : One way to work your attention floodgate: ask what happens if you don't do it. Much that feels urgent sorts itself out, and what matters gets followed up.
Your invisible job : Your real job in 2026 is deciding where to put your attention. Why information floods the modern workplace, and why the trick is working the floodgates.
How to use the "ITSA Principle" to make time for what matters : Michael Neill says projects die from lack of attention or suffocation. Tom Grundy on increasing the surface area, the ITSA Principle, as the antidote.

Authenticity

Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : Why nobody has to carry bags to earn the right to do what they care about: a reply to Michelle Obama's advice to young people on work and resilience.
Office Roleplay : Playing a role at work is fine. The trouble starts when we forget we are playing one, and why seeing the actor behind the role takes the pressure off.
Why I ignore every uplifting & motivational post on Dimstagram : Tom Grundy on why motivational cue cards and Instagram slogans confuse the menu with the meal, and what changed his life: going to the event itself.
If it looks like a potato, peels like a potato and bakes like a potato, it's probably a potato : Not everything has a deep meaning. Tom Grundy on a guest post he didn't write sooner simply because he didn't write it, and why inaction isn't a problem.
Bitcoin Queen's outrageous Ponzi Scheme serves up reality check for corporate 9to5ers : Qian Zhimin's Bitcoin Ponzi scheme as a metaphor for careers: borrowing tomorrow's energy to hit today's deadline until your body files for bankruptcy.
Why I’ve stopped networking at work : Networking, 20% time and radical candour began as genuine ideas and became boxes to tick. Why Tom Grundy stopped networking coffees at work.
“How honest are you with your line manager?” : Asked how honest he is with his line manager, Tom Grundy calls it contextual honesty: playing the part at work while staying in touch with who he is.

Boundaries

15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : Fifteen reasons you may work longer hours than you want to, from late-night identity to confusing motion with progress, and why time hacks won't fix them.
The problem with boundaries : The donkey in the well and Prohibition show that what we push against pushes back harder, which is why boundaries at work backfired for Tom Grundy.

Brad Pitt

The Brad Pitt School of Clear Thinking : What the film Moneyball shows about clear thinking: the Oakland Athletics asked what actually wins games, then held their nerve when doubted.

Buddha of Banking

The Buddha of Banking is summoned by a warrior's plea : A daydream during House of the Dragon: the Buddha of Banking tells a young warrior you can't know tomorrow, only what your heart wants today.
What the Buddha of Banking banks on when the banking takes a back seat : A reader asks what brings joy outside work: swings with Baby Grundy, the FT crossword, chess and magic, plus why coaching and writing feel like real work.
What’s working for me at work right now : What's working for Tom Grundy at work in 2026: no longer trying to feel motivated, to be calm or to sound impressive, and not defining himself by his job.
How to sit at your desk like Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree : The Buddha under the Bodhi Tree retold for the office: staying calm when the arrows fly, seeing the source not the surface, and not heeding every doubt.
A coach who banks : A coach who banks: leading a session for 50 colleagues in Birmingham, a sponsored 15 month coaching certification and no plan beyond the next step.
Putting the "Buddha" in "the Buddha of Banking" : The wisdom behind the nickname the Buddha of Banking: curiosity over certainty, subtraction over addition, detachment and staying present at work.

Burnout

How to be ambitious without burning out : How to be ambitious without burning out: show up fully at work, switch off fully outside it, and why running at 30% all the time is the real problem.
Are you burning out? (temperature check inside) : A burnout temperature check: score yourself from 1 to 10 on signs like Sunday dread, coffee and sleep, drawn from Tom Grundy's own burnout in his twenties.
How to feel less squashed & squeezed by your job : A children's book, A Squash and a Squeeze, shows why feeling hemmed in at work comes from our thinking in the moment, not from the job itself.
The 5 stages of de-stressing at work : The five stages of de-stressing at work, from getting stressed to pretending to be stressed, according to a banker whose stress is at an all-time low.
The smokejumpers' secret to escaping burnout : The Mann Gulch smokejumpers who would not drop their tools, and what it taught Tom Grundy about burnout: drop the idea that your job is who you are.
The mid-career gridlock trap : A reader asks why mid-career colleagues find it hardest to change direction. Tom Grundy on why the gridlock is polarisation and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The Burnout-Avoider’s Dilemma : Burnout-Avoiders have stopped feeling overwhelmed but lost their hunger for life. Tom Grundy on how to want more again without burning out all over again.
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Anne-Laure Le Cunff's SQL Script nudges us towards safe choices over satisfying ones. Tom Grundy on two ways to debug it, burning out being one of them.
I should've spotted these years ago... : Signs of burnout Tom Grundy should have spotted, from three double espressos a day to freezing in Tesco and dusty hobby books, and what he does now.
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : Rory Sutherland says technology arrives as an option and ends up an obligation. Tom Grundy finds the same in step counts, late emails and “shoulds”.

Career Advice

What the guidebook doesn't tell you : A friend's tip to board carriage 5 for a seat on the train shows why the best advice for life is personal and counterintuitive, and never in the guidebook.

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 : Practical ways to shift lanes mid-career at the same employer, drawn from Tom Grundy's sponsored coaching apprenticeship: be good, be open, show it.
The mid-career gridlock trap : A reader asks why mid-career colleagues find it hardest to change direction. Tom Grundy on why the gridlock is polarisation and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
How to use the “Tom Sawyer Effect” to turn boring, mundane work into a source of joy and delight : Tom Sawyer made painting a fence look like a privilege, but the point is that no task is boring or mundane until you think it is.

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 : Bank job or a year of professional poker? Tom Grundy on his 2008 choice and what the poker career he never had taught him about his inner compass.
My entire philosophy about working life stuffed into one daily email : The wrong-train metaphor for working life: telling a stressful ride from a wrong direction, and why you can enjoy a job and still heed your inner pull.
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.
Maverick's career advice : Maverick tells his admiral he is where he belongs. Tom Grundy asks whether you trust other people's measuring sticks or yourself in your career.
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : Anthony De Mello's parable of tourists on a bus with the blinds down, and why you can stay ambitious in your career and still raise the blinds.
7 Career Questions from the last 100 years : Seven questions that dominated careers over the last century, from "Can I find work?" to "How can this all work together?", and why they matter now.
How to shift lanes mid-career : Practical ways to shift lanes mid-career at the same employer, drawn from Tom Grundy's sponsored coaching apprenticeship: be good, be open, show it.
The mid-career gridlock trap : A reader asks why mid-career colleagues find it hardest to change direction. Tom Grundy on why the gridlock is polarisation and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
40 ways to know what you really want : Forty signs a desire is genuinely yours, written for Tom Grundy's 40th birthday: authentic wants feel like a nudge and carry energy, not a list of reasons.
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : Jim Carrey warned that getting rich and famous isn't the answer. Why the same goes for promotions, and why a career can't earn you the right to relax.
To anyone who feels they’re heading in the wrong direction but can’t figure out why : When outputs become inputs, the measure meant to guide you ends up running you. Tom Grundy uses cobras, Jakarta traffic rules and wine scores to show it.
Bitcoin Queen's outrageous Ponzi Scheme serves up reality check for corporate 9to5ers : Qian Zhimin's Bitcoin Ponzi scheme as a metaphor for careers: borrowing tomorrow's energy to hit today's deadline until your body files for bankruptcy.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well" : Einstein's line on explaining things simply, and eight work questions Tom Grundy couldn't answer for a decade, from draining jobs to energy and stress.
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : Jürgen Klopp says he is not here to get everything but to give everything. Why near misses sting less when you treat life as a game you choose to play.
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : Paul Graham on hacking the test at school, and why chasing life's exam-ready soundbites never brings fulfilment. Ask what matters to you.
What game are you playing at work? : Work is a game with many versions, from climbing the ladder to working to live, and knowing which one you are playing helps others help you win it.
You have permission to give yourself permission : Kafka's parable of the man waiting for permission, plus ten things you already have permission to do, from saying no to trusting your gut.
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : Can you hold down a corporate job without chasing status? Answering a reader's question, Tom Grundy says yes, and draws on Paul Millerd's view of success.
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Work Week, and his kickboxing gold won through loopholes in the rules, gave Tom Grundy a permission slip to dream bolder.

Career Minimalism

How to be ambitious without burning out : How to be ambitious without burning out: show up fully at work, switch off fully outside it, and why running at 30% all the time is the real problem.
15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : Fifteen reasons you may work longer hours than you want to, from late-night identity to confusing motion with progress, and why time hacks won't fix them.
How to feel less squashed & squeezed by your job : A children's book, A Squash and a Squeeze, shows why feeling hemmed in at work comes from our thinking in the moment, not from the job itself.
It's only work : After weeks of 4am starts and a missed nursery show, Tom Grundy's reminder that it's only work, and why he wants a life outside the office.
Patience over speed : Frantic effort isn't the golden goose we think it is. Tom Grundy on why patience beats speed, from magic lessons and workshops to Stephen King's Carrie.
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : Anthony De Mello's parable of tourists on a bus with the blinds down, and why you can stay ambitious in your career and still raise the blinds.
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Krishnamurti's secret, that he doesn't mind what happens, isn't about caring less. Tom Grundy on why minding is what lets a job take over your life.
RIP to the Dilbert creator : A tribute to Scott Adams, the Dilbert creator, and the ideas Tom Grundy took from him: stacking skills over being world-class, and adjusting to reality.
The score is not the music : Salary, long hours and review scores are the score, not the music. Tom Grundy on a decade of muddling metrics with how his working life actually felt.
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : Can you hold down a corporate job without chasing status? Answering a reader's question, Tom Grundy says yes, and draws on Paul Millerd's view of success.
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : Rory Sutherland says technology arrives as an option and ends up an obligation. Tom Grundy finds the same in step counts, late emails and “shoulds”.

Career Path

7 Career Questions from the last 100 years : Seven questions that dominated careers over the last century, from "Can I find work?" to "How can this all work together?", and why they matter now.
Slash careers : Slash careers, with several incomes alongside a day job, are going mainstream. Tom Grundy says the prize is fun, options and clarity on your next move.

Casa Grundy

Why I ignore every uplifting & motivational post on Dimstagram : Tom Grundy on why motivational cue cards and Instagram slogans confuse the menu with the meal, and what changed his life: going to the event itself.

Charlie Munger

How “man with hammer” syndrome shapes the way you see your job : Yesterday, I wrote about why I rub my hands in glee at the stuff at work that used to drive me round the bend.

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 : Solomon Asch's line experiments show how readily we follow the crowd. Why thinking for yourself, to see more clearly and not to stand out, matters at work.
What is clear thinking? : Anthony De Mello on clear thinking in Stop Fixing Yourself: it takes unlearning, not learning, and starts with seeing reality rather than labels.
The Brad Pitt School of Clear Thinking : What the film Moneyball shows about clear thinking: the Oakland Athletics asked what actually wins games, then held their nerve when doubted.
How to sharpen your intellect : Sadhguru likens the intellect to a knife that can hurt its holder. Tom Grundy on how his intellect made stress and why subtracting thoughts sharpens it.
Why clever people stay stuck : Why a coach is not a mentor, consultant or teacher, using Niels Bohr's line to Oppenheimer that algebra is like sheet music and you have to hear it.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well" : Einstein's line on explaining things simply, and eight work questions Tom Grundy couldn't answer for a decade, from draining jobs to energy and stress.

Coaching

Flushing the mystery out of coaching : A 3am trip to the loo explains coaching: not counselling, mentoring or consulting, but helping you turn up the light and see more clearly.
A coach who banks : A coach who banks: leading a session for 50 colleagues in Birmingham, a sponsored 15 month coaching certification and no plan beyond the next step.
Presence over Powerpoints : Running a mindset and clarity session at a team offsite with no slides, and why presence, curiosity and breathing room beat having every answer ready.

Conditioning

What is clear thinking? : Anthony De Mello on clear thinking in Stop Fixing Yourself: it takes unlearning, not learning, and starts with seeing reality rather than labels.
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : Seven things school teaches that are worth unlearning, from obeying orders and having all the answers to overvaluing IQ, and why subtracting beats adding.
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : The Thinking Script says you can think your way to a good life, but trying to be yourself by thinking is like learning your lines before an improv class.
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Anne-Laure Le Cunff's SQL Script nudges us towards safe choices over satisfying ones. Tom Grundy on two ways to debug it, burning out being one of them.

Conflict

My top 3 insights from 2025 (part 3) : The third of Tom Grundy's 2025 insights: deciding once how to feel about conflict is less useful than seeing what each moment calls for.

Corporate Culture

How “man with hammer” syndrome shapes the way you see your job : Yesterday, I wrote about why I rub my hands in glee at the stuff at work that used to drive me round the bend.
My prediction: the office rituals about to go extinct : I don’t know if this prediction will come true. But I’m making it because history has shown that big changes often start at the edges before catching on.
To Tom, on his first day in banking : I’ve spent over 15 years in the merry world of banking.
Why you’re KPI’ing up the wrong tree : A curious fact about office life? Most companies end up measuring what’s easiest to measure rather than the things they actually care about.
A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : Eight tongue-in-cheek ways to stay miserable at work, from treating fulfilment as a destination to treating every bad feeling as a problem to be solved.
Wayne Dyer’s “Parallel Path” secret to beating the office naysayers : Wayne Dyer sold out his first book's print run by posing as a bookstore owner. Why going around a gridlocked system can beat waiting for it to change.
A reckless tip for diligent professionals drowning at their desk : One way to work your attention floodgate: ask what happens if you don't do it. Much that feels urgent sorts itself out, and what matters gets followed up.
Your invisible job : Your real job in 2026 is deciding where to put your attention. Why information floods the modern workplace, and why the trick is working the floodgates.
7 ways smart professionals sabotage their own success : Seven traps for smart professionals, from solving problems that don't exist to waiting for airtight logic, and why intellect can't do every job.
How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Deloitte's survey names adaptability the top career skill for 2026. Tom Grundy argues it is what is left when we stop trying so hard, not a skill to build.
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.
Office Roleplay : Playing a role at work is fine. The trouble starts when we forget we are playing one, and why seeing the actor behind the role takes the pressure off.
What the US Special Forces, elite athletes and top scientists know about performance that corporates botch daily : Green Berets, Novak Djokovic and physicists agree that state of mind shapes performance under pressure. Why corporates still lean on effort and force.
Thinking for yourself : Solomon Asch's line experiments show how readily we follow the crowd. Why thinking for yourself, to see more clearly and not to stand out, matters at work.
Elon Musk endorses The Subtraction Method? : Elon Musk's company principle that only the laws of physics are real rules, and why most workplace constraints are made-up assumptions, not facts.
Why haven’t hard-working professionals been told these facts? : The facts Tom Grundy wishes he had been handed when he started in banking, from happiness not costing you your edge to clarity beating productivity.
The spreadsheets won't save you : Why better logic and polished spreadsheets won't fix work problems: Tom Grundy on a bag of old cables and how people make sense of things.
It's only work : After weeks of 4am starts and a missed nursery show, Tom Grundy's reminder that it's only work, and why he wants a life outside the office.
Zen and the art of ignoring all your emails : Zen-like thoughts for your inbox at work: it doesn't create your mood, urgency exists only in the mind, and you can't pass or fail it.
Patience over speed : Frantic effort isn't the golden goose we think it is. Tom Grundy on why patience beats speed, from magic lessons and workshops to Stephen King's Carrie.
You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress : You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress. Tom Grundy on Calm On Demand, a 45 minute Zoom coaching call for a shot in the arm of calm.
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Ernest Hemingway said the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. Tom Grundy on why the right way is the one that works.
RIP to the Dilbert creator : A tribute to Scott Adams, the Dilbert creator, and the ideas Tom Grundy took from him: stacking skills over being world-class, and adjusting to reality.
My prediction: the next big corporate trend : Having watched banking shift from bragging about being busy to controlling your time, Tom Grundy predicts the next corporate trend: control of your mind.
If it looks like a potato, peels like a potato and bakes like a potato, it's probably a potato : Not everything has a deep meaning. Tom Grundy on a guest post he didn't write sooner simply because he didn't write it, and why inaction isn't a problem.
The Andon Cord Principle : Toyota's Andon Cord, Richard Carlson's speed bumps and a scorched turkey: why stopping the line and slowing down beats frantic effort.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.
Bitcoin Queen's outrageous Ponzi Scheme serves up reality check for corporate 9to5ers : Qian Zhimin's Bitcoin Ponzi scheme as a metaphor for careers: borrowing tomorrow's energy to hit today's deadline until your body files for bankruptcy.
Why perks and policies don't change company culture : Perks and policies won't change company culture, because minds work like projectors, not cameras. Start with what is going on between people's ears.
The edge at work most people miss : Stress gets mistaken for commitment at work, but a calm mind gets more done. Why staying calm is an edge when the rest of the office is swept up in chaos.
Stoic supremacy at work : A tongue-in-cheek piece on racing to be the most detached person at work, with a Stoic Stillness Spreadsheet and a mock pilot program.
Why it's smart to milk your weak spots for all they're worth : Baby Grundy's helplessness drew love from everyone, so Tom Grundy asks whether the weak spot you are fixing is the very thing that gives you your edge.
The problem with boundaries : The donkey in the well and Prohibition show that what we push against pushes back harder, which is why boundaries at work backfired for Tom Grundy.
Which of these 9 office worker "types" are you? : A playful look at nine office types based on how you butter toast, then a serious point: personality labels are a shield, not who you are.

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 : Eight tongue-in-cheek ways to stay miserable at work, from treating fulfilment as a destination to treating every bad feeling as a problem to be solved.
The mid-career gridlock trap : A reader asks why mid-career colleagues find it hardest to change direction. Tom Grundy on why the gridlock is polarisation and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Krishnamurti's secret, that he doesn't mind what happens, isn't about caring less. Tom Grundy on why minding is what lets a job take over your life.
To anyone who feels they’re heading in the wrong direction but can’t figure out why : When outputs become inputs, the measure meant to guide you ends up running you. Tom Grundy uses cobras, Jakarta traffic rules and wine scores to show it.
The Burnout-Avoider’s Dilemma : Burnout-Avoiders have stopped feeling overwhelmed but lost their hunger for life. Tom Grundy on how to want more again without burning out all over again.
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : Can you hold down a corporate job without chasing status? Answering a reader's question, Tom Grundy says yes, and draws on Paul Millerd's view of success.
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : Rory Sutherland says technology arrives as an option and ends up an obligation. Tom Grundy finds the same in step counts, late emails and “shoulds”.

Creativity

Creator vs Critic : Five ways to tell a creator from a critic, and Tom Grundy's twist: you created your inner critic, so you can point that creativity at something you love.
The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Mary Shelley, Paul McCartney and Einstein got big ideas when they weren't looking. Why the mind works more like a garden than a safe.
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : Seven things school teaches that are worth unlearning, from obeying orders and having all the answers to overvaluing IQ, and why subtracting beats adding.
Thinking is horizontal, writing is vertical : Morgan Housel's line that thinking is horizontal and writing is vertical explains why Tom Grundy's daily emails clarify an idea as he writes it.
Inspired problem-solving method from an 18th Century maths whiz : Maria Agnesi solved equations in her sleep, and Tom Grundy takes from it that problems often get solved by thinking less and sleeping on them.

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 : What Harry Kane taking a penalty teaches about high-stakes meetings: you want fewer thoughts, not better ones, so a clear mind can find the next move.
The Buddha of Banking is summoned by a warrior's plea : A daydream during House of the Dragon: the Buddha of Banking tells a young warrior you can't know tomorrow, only what your heart wants today.
The poker career I never had : Bank job or a year of professional poker? Tom Grundy on his 2008 choice and what the poker career he never had taught him about his inner compass.
How to shift lanes mid-career : Practical ways to shift lanes mid-career at the same employer, drawn from Tom Grundy's sponsored coaching apprenticeship: be good, be open, show it.
The mid-career gridlock trap : A reader asks why mid-career colleagues find it hardest to change direction. Tom Grundy on why the gridlock is polarisation and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
40 ways to know what you really want : Forty signs a desire is genuinely yours, written for Tom Grundy's 40th birthday: authentic wants feel like a nudge and carry energy, not a list of reasons.
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : The Thinking Script says you can think your way to a good life, but trying to be yourself by thinking is like learning your lines before an improv class.

Deloitte

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Deloitte's survey names adaptability the top career skill for 2026. Tom Grundy argues it is what is left when we stop trying so hard, not a skill to build.
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.

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 : Tom Grundy checks in on his 2026 plans: 488 new readers from his How to Work Your Way lead magnet, a book cover dilemma and his coaching apprenticeship.
7 things I’m looking forward to right now : Seven things Tom Grundy is looking forward to, including publishing his book Don't Quit Your Job, a Mother's Day bike ride and moving to Sheffield.
How I feel about my new book, Don't Quit Your Job : Tom Grundy on finishing the manuscript of Don't Quit Your Job: pride in going back to the job that burnt him out, and what is left before launch.

Donald Trump

Like Donald Trump gatecrashing a Chelsea team photo : Donald Trump photobombed Chelsea's Club World Cup medal photo and the players ignored him. Treating anxious thoughts the same way takes away their grip.

Effort

What happens when we stop trying so hard? : Tom Grundy on how a text from an old colleague, weeks after a Toronto lunch, showed him that life often delivers what we need without us forcing it.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk endorses The Subtraction Method? : Elon Musk's company principle that only the laws of physics are real rules, and why most workplace constraints are made-up assumptions, not facts.

Emails

Zen and the art of ignoring all your emails : Zen-like thoughts for your inbox at work: it doesn't create your mood, urgency exists only in the mind, and you can't pass or fail it.

Emma Radacanu

How the Subtraction Method could revive Emma Radacanu’s tennis career : After years of coaching advice, a US Open champion wants her instincts back. Tom Grundy on why the way back to yourself is subtracting, not adding.

Flow

What happens when we stop trying so hard? : Tom Grundy on how a text from an old colleague, weeks after a Toronto lunch, showed him that life often delivers what we need without us forcing it.

FOMO

What FOMO, Imposter Syndrome and the Sunday Scaries have in common : Named problems like FOMO and imposter syndrome are everyday feelings marketed as things to fix. Tom Grundy on why they signal a system working perfectly.

Fort Grundy

Farewell, Fort Grundy : Tom Grundy says goodbye to Fort Grundy as the family moves from East London to Sheffield, and asks readers to suggest a name for the new house.
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.
7 things I’m looking forward to right now : Seven things Tom Grundy is looking forward to, including publishing his book Don't Quit Your Job, a Mother's Day bike ride and moving to Sheffield.

Fulfilment

Why you’re KPI’ing up the wrong tree : A curious fact about office life? Most companies end up measuring what’s easiest to measure rather than the things they actually care about.
A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : Eight tongue-in-cheek ways to stay miserable at work, from treating fulfilment as a destination to treating every bad feeling as a problem to be solved.
The Buddha of Banking is summoned by a warrior's plea : A daydream during House of the Dragon: the Buddha of Banking tells a young warrior you can't know tomorrow, only what your heart wants today.
Dishing the dirt on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs : Why Maslow's hierarchy of needs is dangerous: Viktor Frankl shows love and creativity do not wait their turn, and what you are drawn to is valid now.
Following fulfilment : Tom Grundy's reply to a tweet that says to work out why you are drawn to things: your only job is to follow the pull, not to explain it.
The Myth of Success : Why success does not lead to fulfilment, however high you climb, and the two choices open to you once you have had enough of it.
The oldest trick in the book : Looking for happiness in the outside world is like looking for the White Gate at the Tower of London. Tom Grundy on a prank and where to look.
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : Jim Carrey warned that getting rich and famous isn't the answer. Why the same goes for promotions, and why a career can't earn you the right to relax.
To anyone who feels they’re heading in the wrong direction but can’t figure out why : When outputs become inputs, the measure meant to guide you ends up running you. Tom Grundy uses cobras, Jakarta traffic rules and wine scores to show it.
Why clever people stay stuck : Why a coach is not a mentor, consultant or teacher, using Niels Bohr's line to Oppenheimer that algebra is like sheet music and you have to hear it.
Grumpy anti-hero reveals the secret to stopping the endless chase : Rick Hackett's hunt in The White Lotus shows how most of our hunts are a roundabout way of finding ourselves. Tom Grundy on what we are really after.
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : Paul Graham on hacking the test at school, and why chasing life's exam-ready soundbites never brings fulfilment. Ask what matters to you.
When the maths just doesn't add up : Michael Neill's oxymoronic formula for happiness, and other life equations that don't add up, from overthinking to overwork.
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : Can you hold down a corporate job without chasing status? Answering a reader's question, Tom Grundy says yes, and draws on Paul Millerd's view of success.

Future of Work

My prediction: the office rituals about to go extinct : I don’t know if this prediction will come true. But I’m making it because history has shown that big changes often start at the edges before catching on.
Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : Why nobody has to carry bags to earn the right to do what they care about: a reply to Michelle Obama's advice to young people on work and resilience.
How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Deloitte's survey names adaptability the top career skill for 2026. Tom Grundy argues it is what is left when we stop trying so hard, not a skill to build.
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.
7 Career Questions from the last 100 years : Seven questions that dominated careers over the last century, from "Can I find work?" to "How can this all work together?", and why they matter now.
My prediction: the next big corporate trend : Having watched banking shift from bragging about being busy to controlling your time, Tom Grundy predicts the next corporate trend: control of your mind.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.
Slash careers : Slash careers, with several incomes alongside a day job, are going mainstream. Tom Grundy says the prize is fun, options and clarity on your next move.

GenZs

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Deloitte's survey names adaptability the top career skill for 2026. Tom Grundy argues it is what is left when we stop trying so hard, not a skill to build.
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.

Goal Setting

The problem with planning your career : Tom Grundy on why making a plan kills momentum, and why your next career step is found on the pitch, not while thinking about it in the stands.

Graham Greene

The greene light to be yourself : Graham Greene entered a contest to parody himself and came second. Tom Grundy on why no-one knows us better than we do, and being yourself more often.

Happiness

The oldest trick in the book : Looking for happiness in the outside world is like looking for the White Gate at the Tower of London. Tom Grundy on a prank and where to look.
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : Jürgen Klopp says he is not here to get everything but to give everything. Why near misses sting less when you treat life as a game you choose to play.
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : Paul Graham on hacking the test at school, and why chasing life's exam-ready soundbites never brings fulfilment. Ask what matters to you.
Rank these 9 happy facts about happiness by how happy they make you : Nine happy facts about happiness, from Finland's seven years as the happiest country to catching it from friends, to rank by how happy they make you.

Harry Kane

The Harry Kane School of High Stakes Decision Making : What Harry Kane taking a penalty teaches about high-stakes meetings: you want fewer thoughts, not better ones, so a clear mind can find the next move.

How To Work Your Way

My newsletter incites a workplace rebellion? : A reader called Tom Grundy's emails inciteful when he meant insightful. Why thinking for yourself about work shows there is more than one way to do it.
Let it rip : Why Tom Grundy asked author Paul Millerd if he could use their interview in his guide How To Work Your Way, and the short answer he got back.
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.
Maverick's career advice : Maverick tells his admiral he is where he belongs. Tom Grundy asks whether you trust other people's measuring sticks or yourself in your career.
7 things I’m looking forward to right now : Seven things Tom Grundy is looking forward to, including publishing his book Don't Quit Your Job, a Mother's Day bike ride and moving to Sheffield.

Identity

Why I'm not a Career Coach : Tom Grundy explains why he now calls himself a Transformative Career Coach, and why his work has little to do with CVs and interview prep.
To Tom, on his first day in banking : I’ve spent over 15 years in the merry world of banking.
Office Roleplay : Playing a role at work is fine. The trouble starts when we forget we are playing one, and why seeing the actor behind the role takes the pressure off.
If it looks like a potato, peels like a potato and bakes like a potato, it's probably a potato : Not everything has a deep meaning. Tom Grundy on a guest post he didn't write sooner simply because he didn't write it, and why inaction isn't a problem.
A coach who banks : A coach who banks: leading a session for 50 colleagues in Birmingham, a sponsored 15 month coaching certification and no plan beyond the next step.
Remembering Frankenstein : Frankenstein's monster and the Bob and Sandra in us: how we hide parts of ourselves for approval, and what happens if we stop editing and embrace them.
At the drop of a hat : Knowing which hat you wear, from Banker and Newsletter to Parent and Identity. To approach something differently, change the hat, not yourself.
The greene light to be yourself : Graham Greene entered a contest to parody himself and came second. Tom Grundy on why no-one knows us better than we do, and being yourself more often.
“How honest are you with your line manager?” : Asked how honest he is with his line manager, Tom Grundy calls it contextual honesty: playing the part at work while staying in touch with who he is.

Imposter Syndrome

What FOMO, Imposter Syndrome and the Sunday Scaries have in common : Named problems like FOMO and imposter syndrome are everyday feelings marketed as things to fix. Tom Grundy on why they signal a system working perfectly.

Information Overload

Your invisible job : Your real job in 2026 is deciding where to put your attention. Why information floods the modern workplace, and why the trick is working the floodgates.

Intellect

How to sharpen your intellect : Sadhguru likens the intellect to a knife that can hurt its holder. Tom Grundy on how his intellect made stress and why subtracting thoughts sharpens it.

Intrapreneurship

Why banking is the grit in my coaching/newsletter oyster : I was browsing Reddit yesterday when I came across a thread all about bureaucracy at work.
Wayne Dyer’s “Parallel Path” secret to beating the office naysayers : Wayne Dyer sold out his first book's print run by posing as a bookstore owner. Why going around a gridlocked system can beat waiting for it to change.
What the Buddha of Banking banks on when the banking takes a back seat : A reader asks what brings joy outside work: swings with Baby Grundy, the FT crossword, chess and magic, plus why coaching and writing feel like real work.
The latest on my 2026 plans : Tom Grundy checks in on his 2026 plans: 488 new readers from his How to Work Your Way lead magnet, a book cover dilemma and his coaching apprenticeship.
RIP to the Dilbert creator : A tribute to Scott Adams, the Dilbert creator, and the ideas Tom Grundy took from him: stacking skills over being world-class, and adjusting to reality.
What’s working for me at work right now : What's working for Tom Grundy at work in 2026: no longer trying to feel motivated, to be calm or to sound impressive, and not defining himself by his job.
A coach who banks : A coach who banks: leading a session for 50 colleagues in Birmingham, a sponsored 15 month coaching certification and no plan beyond the next step.
Presence over Powerpoints : Running a mindset and clarity session at a team offsite with no slides, and why presence, curiosity and breathing room beat having every answer ready.
How to use your day job to fuel your side hustle : Scott Adams used his day job to support his cartooning, and Tom Grundy asks how his banking job can quietly support his coaching, writing and workshops.
Slash careers : Slash careers, with several incomes alongside a day job, are going mainstream. Tom Grundy says the prize is fun, options and clarity on your next move.

Introverts

Why I’ve stopped networking at work : Networking, 20% time and radical candour began as genuine ideas and became boxes to tick. Why Tom Grundy stopped networking coffees at work.
Why it's smart to milk your weak spots for all they're worth : Baby Grundy's helplessness drew love from everyone, so Tom Grundy asks whether the weak spot you are fixing is the very thing that gives you your edge.

Jack Canfield

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : Seven books with an anti-job reputation, from Shoe Dog to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and the takeaways Tom Grundy finds in them for getting more from a day job.

Jack Pransky

My 7 favourite books so far this year : Tom Grundy's favourite books this year, from Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job to Anthony De Mello, Wayne Dyer's autobiography and Scott Adams.

James Altucher

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : Seven books with an anti-job reputation, from Shoe Dog to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and the takeaways Tom Grundy finds in them for getting more from a day job.

Jenny Wood

How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.

John Bejakovic

My 7 favourite books so far this year : Tom Grundy's favourite books this year, from Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job to Anthony De Mello, Wayne Dyer's autobiography and Scott Adams.

Jurgen Klopp

The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : Jürgen Klopp says he is not here to get everything but to give everything. Why near misses sting less when you treat life as a game you choose to play.

Lao Tzu

What is The Subtraction Method? : The Subtraction Method explained at five levels, from a child to a peer: nothing is missing, so the work is to subtract the mental interference.

Life Scripts

Whose rules are these : If you're not making the progress you want, you may be using the wrong rulebook. Unwritten banking rules versus a newsletter's, and who gets to choose.
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.
Is there a right way to live? : Clean plates, flatpack furniture and a Michael Neill talk in Piccadilly: is there a right way to live? A big no, and there is freedom in that.
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : Seven things school teaches that are worth unlearning, from obeying orders and having all the answers to overvaluing IQ, and why subtracting beats adding.
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Anne-Laure Le Cunff's SQL Script nudges us towards safe choices over satisfying ones. Tom Grundy on two ways to debug it, burning out being one of them.

Mary Shelley

The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Mary Shelley, Paul McCartney and Einstein got big ideas when they weren't looking. Why the mind works more like a garden than a safe.

Mavis Karn

The Secret : Mavis Karn's 1998 letter The Secret to juvenile inmates: you are not broken, wisdom is always there, and feelings reflect the quality of your thinking.

Memory

Why nostalgia isn't what it used to be : Unpacking his card magic books in Sheffield, Tom Grundy sees why nostalgia misleads: we are always looking back, so these are the good old days.

Michael Neill

Where's the lesson in that? : It dawned on me recently that most of my daily emails follow a similar path.
How to tell what's going on inside your colleague's head : Work mirrors the mind: Tom Grundy on how to tell what is going on inside a colleague's head from what they create, and how to avoid catching their stress.
How to use the "ITSA Principle" to make time for what matters : Michael Neill says projects die from lack of attention or suffocation. Tom Grundy on increasing the surface area, the ITSA Principle, as the antidote.
My top 3 insights from 2025 (part 3) : The third of Tom Grundy's 2025 insights: deciding once how to feel about conflict is less useful than seeing what each moment calls for.
What happens when we stop trying so hard? : Tom Grundy on how a text from an old colleague, weeks after a Toronto lunch, showed him that life often delivers what we need without us forcing it.
Breaking the Second Arrow : The Second Arrow of Suffering: fretting about anger, anxiety or stress is what hurts, and noticing it can be enough. From a resilience session.
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : Jürgen Klopp says he is not here to get everything but to give everything. Why near misses sting less when you treat life as a game you choose to play.
The teachers life has dealt me : The four teachers behind Tom Grundy's view of fulfilment, as a deck of cards: Michael Neill, Paul Millerd, Rupert Spira and Wayne Dyer.
When the maths just doesn't add up : Michael Neill's oxymoronic formula for happiness, and other life equations that don't add up, from overthinking to overwork.
Is there a right way to live? : Clean plates, flatpack furniture and a Michael Neill talk in Piccadilly: is there a right way to live? A big no, and there is freedom in that.
Red Rambler Theory : Red Rambler Theory says once something is in your mind you see it everywhere. Tom Grundy on spotting opportunities, from a guest post to workshops.
Presence over Powerpoints : Running a mindset and clarity session at a team offsite with no slides, and why presence, curiosity and breathing room beat having every answer ready.
Mayday! Mayday! : Like maypole ribbons, procrastination tangles from delay to pressure to distraction and back again, and Tom Grundy says he now does far less of it.
Slash careers : Slash careers, with several incomes alongside a day job, are going mainstream. Tom Grundy says the prize is fun, options and clarity on your next move.

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : Why nobody has to carry bags to earn the right to do what they care about: a reply to Michelle Obama's advice to young people on work and resilience.

Millennials

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Deloitte's survey names adaptability the top career skill for 2026. Tom Grundy argues it is what is left when we stop trying so hard, not a skill to build.
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.

Mindset

How “man with hammer” syndrome shapes the way you see your job : Yesterday, I wrote about why I rub my hands in glee at the stuff at work that used to drive me round the bend.
Why every silver lining has a cloud : Last month, I had one of my most productive weeks in the four years since I started this newsletter/coaching biz.
A guaranteed way to stay miserable at work : Eight tongue-in-cheek ways to stay miserable at work, from treating fulfilment as a destination to treating every bad feeling as a problem to be solved.
Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Apollo 13's crew fixed each problem in turn without letting the emergency take over their heads. Why that works in office life too.
7 ways smart professionals sabotage their own success : Seven traps for smart professionals, from solving problems that don't exist to waiting for airtight logic, and why intellect can't do every job.
The crimes we commit against our minds : Five crimes we commit against our minds, from treating thoughts as facts to arguing with reality, and why dropping even one can change a working life.
There's a pill for that : Stents don't prevent heart attacks in stable chest pain, says the book Range. Why silencing a symptom, even an overactive mind, isn't solving the cause.
Why nostalgia isn't what it used to be : Unpacking his card magic books in Sheffield, Tom Grundy sees why nostalgia misleads: we are always looking back, so these are the good old days.
Why haven’t hard-working professionals been told these facts? : The facts Tom Grundy wishes he had been handed when he started in banking, from happiness not costing you your edge to clarity beating productivity.
It's only work : After weeks of 4am starts and a missed nursery show, Tom Grundy's reminder that it's only work, and why he wants a life outside the office.
The Brad Pitt School of Clear Thinking : What the film Moneyball shows about clear thinking: the Oakland Athletics asked what actually wins games, then held their nerve when doubted.
Patience over speed : Frantic effort isn't the golden goose we think it is. Tom Grundy on why patience beats speed, from magic lessons and workshops to Stephen King's Carrie.
How to sharpen your intellect : Sadhguru likens the intellect to a knife that can hurt its holder. Tom Grundy on how his intellect made stress and why subtracting thoughts sharpens it.
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Krishnamurti's secret, that he doesn't mind what happens, isn't about caring less. Tom Grundy on why minding is what lets a job take over your life.
How to use the “Tom Sawyer Effect” to turn boring, mundane work into a source of joy and delight : Tom Sawyer made painting a fence look like a privilege, but the point is that no task is boring or mundane until you think it is.
How to stop stressing about household chores AND getting wound up at work : Richard Carlson's idea of painting the bridge: housework and work projects never finish, and Tom Grundy's resistance faded once he accepted that.
You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Reframes are a sticking plaster, like stickers on a flat tyre. Tom Grundy on the preframe: a different angle before you take the shot.
My thoughts on Couples Therapy : Watching Couples Therapy each morning left Tom Grundy flat and grumpy. Where focus goes, energy flows, and why his coaching doesn't dig up the past.
The problem with boundaries : The donkey in the well and Prohibition show that what we push against pushes back harder, which is why boundaries at work backfired for Tom Grundy.

Momentum

Why this newsletter nearly didn't happen : Fear of running out of good ideas nearly stopped this newsletter, until Tom Grundy saw that ideas and opportunities multiply when you use them.

Morgan Housel

Thinking is horizontal, writing is vertical : Morgan Housel's line that thinking is horizontal and writing is vertical explains why Tom Grundy's daily emails clarify an idea as he writes it.

Nancy Kline

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : Seven books with an anti-job reputation, from Shoe Dog to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and the takeaways Tom Grundy finds in them for getting more from a day job.
How to tell what's going on inside your colleague's head : Work mirrors the mind: Tom Grundy on how to tell what is going on inside a colleague's head from what they create, and how to avoid catching their stress.

Networking

Why I’ve stopped networking at work : Networking, 20% time and radical candour began as genuine ideas and became boxes to tick. Why Tom Grundy stopped networking coffees at work.

Oliver Burkeman

The problem with Oliver Burkeman’s book "4,000 Weeks" : Tom Grundy's problem with Oliver Burkeman's 4,000 Weeks: accepting you will never be on top of things calms a Sunday, but not a frantic 4pm.

Optimisation

The problem with optimising your life : A self-confessed optimiser on why researching the best of everything, from city breaks to relationships, misses the point: life is meant to be lived.
The optimised fast lane to rest and relaxation : A spoof of hustle culture's optimised rest, from wheatgrass smoothies to ice baths, with a Marcus Aurelius line: if you seek tranquillity, do less.

Ostrich Effect

The Corporate Ostrich : Tom Grundy left his coaching coursework until two days before the deadline and found his dread did more harm than the work. On the Ostrich Effect.

Overthinking

7 ways smart professionals sabotage their own success : Seven traps for smart professionals, from solving problems that don't exist to waiting for airtight logic, and why intellect can't do every job.
The crimes we commit against our minds : Five crimes we commit against our minds, from treating thoughts as facts to arguing with reality, and why dropping even one can change a working life.
How to cage your monkey mind : Why the chimp model from Caging The Chimp creates the problem it claims to solve, and what the best performers do instead of managing their minds.
The spreadsheets won't save you : Why better logic and polished spreadsheets won't fix work problems: Tom Grundy on a bag of old cables and how people make sense of things.
The Corporate Ostrich : Tom Grundy left his coaching coursework until two days before the deadline and found his dread did more harm than the work. On the Ostrich Effect.
Snow Write and the 7 Dwarves : Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful and the other dwarves poke their noses in whenever Tom Grundy writes a daily email. After almost four years, they have got quieter.
How to sharpen your intellect : Sadhguru likens the intellect to a knife that can hurt its holder. Tom Grundy on how his intellect made stress and why subtracting thoughts sharpens it.
Thoughts on the blink : A car warning light flashed a puncture but the tyre monitor was faulty. Anxious thoughts are often a dodgy warning light, so see where they come from.
Like Donald Trump gatecrashing a Chelsea team photo : Donald Trump photobombed Chelsea's Club World Cup medal photo and the players ignored him. Treating anxious thoughts the same way takes away their grip.
Why you're not overthinking enough : A satirical checklist for proper overthinking, from consulting Reddit to sleeping under four hours, then how Tom Grundy quietened his own overactive mind.
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : Writing a daily email with a baby strapped to his chest, Tom Grundy finds that having no time to plan has been the best planning system he has had.
21 reasons not to overthink it : Twenty-one reasons not to overthink it, from exhaustion and lost sleep to blocked intuition and stalled momentum, for anyone who feels stuck.
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : Rory Sutherland says technology arrives as an option and ends up an obligation. Tom Grundy finds the same in step counts, late emails and “shoulds”.
Welcome aboard this Grundy Air flight : A mock airline announcement for the mind: stow your worries in the overhead locker, release the need to control and tune in to your own frequency.

Parenting

6 things Baby Grundy has taught me : Six lessons from Baby Grundy at 18 months, from feelings that pass to asking for what you want and not caring what others think, as seen by her dad.
The problem with optimising your life : A self-confessed optimiser on why researching the best of everything, from city breaks to relationships, misses the point: life is meant to be lived.
At the drop of a hat : Knowing which hat you wear, from Banker and Newsletter to Parent and Identity. To approach something differently, change the hat, not yourself.
For anyone juggling parenthood with a career : Tom Grundy on a life lesson written for his baby: listen less to others and more to yourself. Doing the opposite of what the suits say isn't listening.

Patience

Patience over speed : Frantic effort isn't the golden goose we think it is. Tom Grundy on why patience beats speed, from magic lessons and workshops to Stephen King's Carrie.
Slowing down to the speed of life : A reader asks about Tom Grundy's writing routine. He writes wherever and whenever he can, and finds that shrugging off lost writing time gets more written.
The Andon Cord Principle : Toyota's Andon Cord, Richard Carlson's speed bumps and a scorched turkey: why stopping the line and slowing down beats frantic effort.
The optimised fast lane to rest and relaxation : A spoof of hustle culture's optimised rest, from wheatgrass smoothies to ice baths, with a Marcus Aurelius line: if you seek tranquillity, do less.

Paul Graham

Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : Paul Graham on hacking the test at school, and why chasing life's exam-ready soundbites never brings fulfilment. Ask what matters to you.

Paul McCartney

The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Mary Shelley, Paul McCartney and Einstein got big ideas when they weren't looking. Why the mind works more like a garden than a safe.

Paul Millerd

Let it rip : Why Tom Grundy asked author Paul Millerd if he could use their interview in his guide How To Work Your Way, and the short answer he got back.
Maverick's career advice : Maverick tells his admiral he is where he belongs. Tom Grundy asks whether you trust other people's measuring sticks or yourself in your career.
The teachers life has dealt me : The four teachers behind Tom Grundy's view of fulfilment, as a deck of cards: Michael Neill, Paul Millerd, Rupert Spira and Wayne Dyer.
What game are you playing at work? : Work is a game with many versions, from climbing the ladder to working to live, and knowing which one you are playing helps others help you win it.
Red Rambler Theory : Red Rambler Theory says once something is in your mind you see it everywhere. Tom Grundy on spotting opportunities, from a guest post to workshops.
Do you *really* want to climb the corporate ladder? : Can you hold down a corporate job without chasing status? Answering a reader's question, Tom Grundy says yes, and draws on Paul Millerd's view of success.
Like bringing a script to an improv comedy class : The Thinking Script says you can think your way to a good life, but trying to be yourself by thinking is like learning your lines before an improv class.

Perception

How “man with hammer” syndrome shapes the way you see your job : Yesterday, I wrote about why I rub my hands in glee at the stuff at work that used to drive me round the bend.
What David's ample nose reveals about feeling good at work : Michelangelo faked a fix to David's nose and Soderini saw what he expected. Tom Grundy on how his own perspective, not the job, shaped his banking days.

Perfectionism

Why every silver lining has a cloud : Last month, I had one of my most productive weeks in the four years since I started this newsletter/coaching biz.
Hermione Granger and the Prisoner of Perfectionism : Hermione Granger as the model overachiever, from Time-Turners to elf hats, and the questions a coach might ask her about whether she is already enough.
The Perfectionist's Ultimate, Foolproof Guide to Success : A spoof guide for perfectionists, from planning when to start planning to needing 17 people to say it's perfect, then the Imperfectionist's Way.

Performance

The Harry Kane School of High Stakes Decision Making : What Harry Kane taking a penalty teaches about high-stakes meetings: you want fewer thoughts, not better ones, so a clear mind can find the next move.
Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Apollo 13's crew fixed each problem in turn without letting the emergency take over their heads. Why that works in office life too.
What the US Special Forces, elite athletes and top scientists know about performance that corporates botch daily : Green Berets, Novak Djokovic and physicists agree that state of mind shapes performance under pressure. Why corporates still lean on effort and force.
Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : Tim Gallwey noticed his tennis student improved when he stopped giving advice. Tom Grundy on Performance equals Potential minus Interference.
How the Subtraction Method could revive Emma Radacanu’s tennis career : After years of coaching advice, a US Open champion wants her instincts back. Tom Grundy on why the way back to yourself is subtracting, not adding.
My 2025 Performance Review : Tom Grundy's 2025 performance review: 233 daily emails sent, 23 workshops run, 121 colleagues in his wellbeing forum and first-time fatherhood.
How to use the Subtraction Method to get good at stuff : Getting good at skills by subtraction: a card move learnt wrongly took months to undo, so choose what you learn carefully and find a guide.

Performance Stress

The edge at work most people miss : Stress gets mistaken for commitment at work, but a calm mind gets more done. Why staying calm is an edge when the rest of the office is swept up in chaos.

Permission

You have permission to give yourself permission : Kafka's parable of the man waiting for permission, plus ten things you already have permission to do, from saying no to trusting your gut.

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 : Residents of Shitterton in Dorset carved the town name into a 1.5 tonne stone after sign thefts. Why a lasting fix beats endless replacements.

Personality Test

Which of these 9 office worker "types" are you? : A playful look at nine office types based on how you butter toast, then a serious point: personality labels are a shield, not who you are.

Perspective

It's only work : After weeks of 4am starts and a missed nursery show, Tom Grundy's reminder that it's only work, and why he wants a life outside the office.

Phil Knight

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : Seven books with an anti-job reputation, from Shoe Dog to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and the takeaways Tom Grundy finds in them for getting more from a day job.

Planning

The problem with planning your career : Tom Grundy on why making a plan kills momentum, and why your next career step is found on the pitch, not while thinking about it in the stands.
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : Facing an impossible deadline? Tom Grundy says you already know how you will hit it: drop the planning and willpower and trust the next step to be obvious.
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : Writing a daily email with a baby strapped to his chest, Tom Grundy finds that having no time to plan has been the best planning system he has had.

Preframes

You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Reframes are a sticking plaster, like stickers on a flat tyre. Tom Grundy on the preframe: a different angle before you take the shot.

Presence

How to be ambitious without burning out : How to be ambitious without burning out: show up fully at work, switch off fully outside it, and why running at 30% all the time is the real problem.
Presence over Powerpoints : Running a mindset and clarity session at a team offsite with no slides, and why presence, curiosity and breathing room beat having every answer ready.

Pressure

To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : Facing an impossible deadline? Tom Grundy says you already know how you will hit it: drop the planning and willpower and trust the next step to be obvious.
How desk workers can cool their stress, pressure and worry : A broken air conditioner showed Tom Grundy that stress at work comes from how you see the job, and seeing that puts it back in your hands.

Problem Solving

Why Spotify is making our lives more predictable : Spotify removed song clusters from its shuffle. Happy people still have problems, says Tom Grundy, they just don't treat them as a sign of failure.
The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Mary Shelley, Paul McCartney and Einstein got big ideas when they weren't looking. Why the mind works more like a garden than a safe.
Inspired problem-solving method from an 18th Century maths whiz : Maria Agnesi solved equations in her sleep, and Tom Grundy takes from it that problems often get solved by thinking less and sleeping on them.

Procrastination

The Corporate Ostrich : Tom Grundy left his coaching coursework until two days before the deadline and found his dread did more harm than the work. On the Ostrich Effect.
You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Reframes are a sticking plaster, like stickers on a flat tyre. Tom Grundy on the preframe: a different angle before you take the shot.
Mayday! Mayday! : Like maypole ribbons, procrastination tangles from delay to pressure to distraction and back again, and Tom Grundy says he now does far less of it.
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : Writing a daily email with a baby strapped to his chest, Tom Grundy finds that having no time to plan has been the best planning system he has had.
Welcome aboard this Grundy Air flight : A mock airline announcement for the mind: stow your worries in the overhead locker, release the need to control and tune in to your own frequency.

Productivity

Why every silver lining has a cloud : Last month, I had one of my most productive weeks in the four years since I started this newsletter/coaching biz.
A reckless tip for diligent professionals drowning at their desk : One way to work your attention floodgate: ask what happens if you don't do it. Much that feels urgent sorts itself out, and what matters gets followed up.
Your invisible job : Your real job in 2026 is deciding where to put your attention. Why information floods the modern workplace, and why the trick is working the floodgates.
The quickest, simplest, easiest way to get twice the work done in half the time : The quickest way to get twice the work done in half the time is to stop thinking about the work and start doing it, as the washing-up example shows.
How to use the "ITSA Principle" to make time for what matters : Michael Neill says projects die from lack of attention or suffocation. Tom Grundy on increasing the surface area, the ITSA Principle, as the antidote.
How I juggle my day job, daily emails, coaching and being a new dad : How Tom Grundy fits a full-time job, coaching, daily emails and life as a new dad: he stopped being at war with his job and uses it as inspiration.
The Andon Cord Principle : Toyota's Andon Cord, Richard Carlson's speed bumps and a scorched turkey: why stopping the line and slowing down beats frantic effort.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.
My reading and writing routine : Tom Grundy's routine-less writing routine and hit and miss reading routine: writing whenever he can and reading newsletters while the kettle boils.
The optimised fast lane to rest and relaxation : A spoof of hustle culture's optimised rest, from wheatgrass smoothies to ice baths, with a Marcus Aurelius line: if you seek tranquillity, do less.
My plan for tonight is to write a plan for tomorrow : Writing a daily email with a baby strapped to his chest, Tom Grundy finds that having no time to plan has been the best planning system he has had.
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Work Week, and his kickboxing gold won through loopholes in the rules, gave Tom Grundy a permission slip to dream bolder.
Morning person vs evening person : From waking at 2pm at uni to 5.10am now, Tom Grundy says nobody is a morning or evening person, because labels fill an open road with traffic cones.

Public Speaking

How I conquered my fear of presenting on Zoom calls : Presenting on Zoom once scared him, but Tom Grundy no longer needs to figure out what to say beforehand, so his workshops feel more like taking part.

Raisins and Rice Pudding

Separating the raisins from the rice pudding (part 4) : Part four on the raisins and the rice pudding: how heavy work feels has no link to how much of it there is, as a to-do list and a writing sprint show.
Separating the raisins from the rice pudding (part 3) : Epictetus calmly noting his master was breaking his leg, and coach Steve Hardison asking a puncher for a towel: we can always choose how we respond.

Ramana Maharshi

Revered Indian guru wields left butt cheek to help stressed exec find instant inner peace : How Ramana Maharshi unsettled a burnt out executive with a note, and why a mind that loses its grip, even briefly, lets the natural quiet slip through.

Relationships

You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress : You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress. Tom Grundy on Calm On Demand, a 45 minute Zoom coaching call for a shot in the arm of calm.
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Ernest Hemingway said the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. Tom Grundy on why the right way is the one that works.
Relationship status? It's complicated! : Paul Millerd praised people improving their relationship to work. Tom Grundy asks what relationship you have with your job and what you'd love it to be.

Resilience

How to be more adaptable at work (and why you might want to be) : Deloitte's survey names adaptability the top career skill for 2026. Tom Grundy argues it is what is left when we stop trying so hard, not a skill to build.
22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.
Breaking the Second Arrow : The Second Arrow of Suffering: fretting about anger, anxiety or stress is what hurts, and noticing it can be enough. From a resilience session.
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : Jürgen Klopp says he is not here to get everything but to give everything. Why near misses sting less when you treat life as a game you choose to play.

Richard Carlson

Thriving at work is not a skill : Tom Grundy argues that thriving at work is not a skill to learn, drawing on Richard Carlson's Don't Sweat The Small Stuff and a couple's money arguments.
The Andon Cord Principle : Toyota's Andon Cord, Richard Carlson's speed bumps and a scorched turkey: why stopping the line and slowing down beats frantic effort.
How to stop stressing about household chores AND getting wound up at work : Richard Carlson's idea of painting the bridge: housework and work projects never finish, and Tom Grundy's resistance faded once he accepted that.

Richard Feynman

What is The Subtraction Method? : The Subtraction Method explained at five levels, from a child to a peer: nothing is missing, so the work is to subtract the mental interference.

Rob Wringham

How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.

Robert Kiyosaki

7 "anti-job" books everyone with a day job should read : Seven books with an anti-job reputation, from Shoe Dog to Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and the takeaways Tom Grundy finds in them for getting more from a day job.

Robert Oppenheimer

Why clever people stay stuck : Why a coach is not a mentor, consultant or teacher, using Niels Bohr's line to Oppenheimer that algebra is like sheet music and you have to hear it.

Routines

Not a routine email : Writing from Stansted before a retreat in Norway, Tom Grundy asks whether routines that once worked, like bike stabilisers, can end up holding us back.

Rumi

39.5 thoughts as I turn 39.5 years old : Tom Grundy's 39.5 thoughts for his 39.5th birthday, from quick questions and celeriac to Thoreau and Rumi, and why personal growth is subtraction.

Rupert Spira

Grumpy anti-hero reveals the secret to stopping the endless chase : Rick Hackett's hunt in The White Lotus shows how most of our hunts are a roundabout way of finding ourselves. Tom Grundy on what we are really after.
Revered Indian guru wields left butt cheek to help stressed exec find instant inner peace : How Ramana Maharshi unsettled a burnt out executive with a note, and why a mind that loses its grip, even briefly, lets the natural quiet slip through.
The teachers life has dealt me : The four teachers behind Tom Grundy's view of fulfilment, as a deck of cards: Michael Neill, Paul Millerd, Rupert Spira and Wayne Dyer.
Not a routine email : Writing from Stansted before a retreat in Norway, Tom Grundy asks whether routines that once worked, like bike stabilisers, can end up holding us back.

Sadhguru

How to sharpen your intellect : Sadhguru likens the intellect to a knife that can hurt its holder. Tom Grundy on how his intellect made stress and why subtracting thoughts sharpens it.

Scott Adams

RIP to the Dilbert creator : A tribute to Scott Adams, the Dilbert creator, and the ideas Tom Grundy took from him: stacking skills over being world-class, and adjusting to reality.
My 7 favourite books so far this year : Tom Grundy's favourite books this year, from Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job to Anthony De Mello, Wayne Dyer's autobiography and Scott Adams.
How to use your day job to fuel your side hustle : Scott Adams used his day job to support his cartooning, and Tom Grundy asks how his banking job can quietly support his coaching, writing and workshops.

Self-Trust

World Chess Champion questions his every move : A while ago, I listened to Tyler Cowen interview ex-World Chess Champion Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand. One part of the interview really struck me.
Disaster strikes at Chateau Grundy : Tom Grundy tells how a leak at home in Sheffield sent him to ChatGPT, and when he thinks turning to it for every dilemma may be a mistake.
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 : Wayne Dyer sold out his first book's print run by posing as a bookstore owner. Why going around a gridlocked system can beat waiting for it to change.
Michelle Obama vs the entitled Gen Z upstarts : Why nobody has to carry bags to earn the right to do what they care about: a reply to Michelle Obama's advice to young people on work and resilience.
Thinking for yourself : Solomon Asch's line experiments show how readily we follow the crowd. Why thinking for yourself, to see more clearly and not to stand out, matters at work.
Maverick's career advice : Maverick tells his admiral he is where he belongs. Tom Grundy asks whether you trust other people's measuring sticks or yourself in your career.
How to shift lanes mid-career : Practical ways to shift lanes mid-career at the same employer, drawn from Tom Grundy's sponsored coaching apprenticeship: be good, be open, show it.
The mid-career gridlock trap : A reader asks why mid-career colleagues find it hardest to change direction. Tom Grundy on why the gridlock is polarisation and a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Ernest Hemingway said the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. Tom Grundy on why the right way is the one that works.
You have permission to give yourself permission : Kafka's parable of the man waiting for permission, plus ten things you already have permission to do, from saying no to trusting your gut.

Seneca

Thoughts on the blink : A car warning light flashed a puncture but the tyre monitor was faulty. Anxious thoughts are often a dodgy warning light, so see where they come from.

Simone Stolzoff

How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.
My 7 favourite books so far this year : Tom Grundy's favourite books this year, from Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job to Anthony De Mello, Wayne Dyer's autobiography and Scott Adams.

Slash Careers

Slash careers : Slash careers, with several incomes alongside a day job, are going mainstream. Tom Grundy says the prize is fun, options and clarity on your next move.

Sleep

How to get a good night's sleep : Sleep is something we allow, not something we do. Tom Grundy, five months into broken nights, on why turning sleep into a project keeps you awake.

Status

Stoic supremacy at work : A tongue-in-cheek piece on racing to be the most detached person at work, with a Stoic Stillness Spreadsheet and a mock pilot program.

Steven Bartlett

How to sharpen your intellect : Sadhguru likens the intellect to a knife that can hurt its holder. Tom Grundy on how his intellect made stress and why subtracting thoughts sharpens it.
The Jürgen Klopp School of bouncing back after another near miss : Jürgen Klopp says he is not here to get everything but to give everything. Why near misses sting less when you treat life as a game you choose to play.

Stoicism

Stoic supremacy at work : A tongue-in-cheek piece on racing to be the most detached person at work, with a Stoic Stillness Spreadsheet and a mock pilot program.

Stress

A not-so-obvious sign you're less weighed down by work : Tom Grundy describes how friends and colleagues noticed he seems calmer and more relaxed at work than he was five years ago in banking.
Are you burning out? (temperature check inside) : A burnout temperature check: score yourself from 1 to 10 on signs like Sunday dread, coffee and sleep, drawn from Tom Grundy's own burnout in his twenties.
Doomed astronauts give survival masterclass to frazzled 9to5ers : Apollo 13's crew fixed each problem in turn without letting the emergency take over their heads. Why that works in office life too.
How to feel less squashed & squeezed by your job : A children's book, A Squash and a Squeeze, shows why feeling hemmed in at work comes from our thinking in the moment, not from the job itself.
There's a pill for that : Stents don't prevent heart attacks in stable chest pain, says the book Range. Why silencing a symptom, even an overactive mind, isn't solving the cause.
It's only work : After weeks of 4am starts and a missed nursery show, Tom Grundy's reminder that it's only work, and why he wants a life outside the office.
The 5 stages of de-stressing at work : The five stages of de-stressing at work, from getting stressed to pretending to be stressed, according to a banker whose stress is at an all-time low.
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : Facing an impossible deadline? Tom Grundy says you already know how you will hit it: drop the planning and willpower and trust the next step to be obvious.
You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress : You don't have to catch your colleagues' stress. Tom Grundy on Calm On Demand, a 45 minute Zoom coaching call for a shot in the arm of calm.
The smokejumpers' secret to escaping burnout : The Mann Gulch smokejumpers who would not drop their tools, and what it taught Tom Grundy about burnout: drop the idea that your job is who you are.
The Burnout-Avoider’s Dilemma : Burnout-Avoiders have stopped feeling overwhelmed but lost their hunger for life. Tom Grundy on how to want more again without burning out all over again.
Revered Indian guru wields left butt cheek to help stressed exec find instant inner peace : How Ramana Maharshi unsettled a burnt out executive with a note, and why a mind that loses its grip, even briefly, lets the natural quiet slip through.
How to stop stressing about household chores AND getting wound up at work : Richard Carlson's idea of painting the bridge: housework and work projects never finish, and Tom Grundy's resistance faded once he accepted that.
Why I look forward to holidays less than I used to : Tom Grundy used to count down the days to a holiday as an escape from stress, but with less stress at work he no longer has to earn his peace the hard way.
I should've spotted these years ago... : Signs of burnout Tom Grundy should have spotted, from three double espressos a day to freezing in Tesco and dusty hobby books, and what he does now.
The problem with boundaries : The donkey in the well and Prohibition show that what we push against pushes back harder, which is why boundaries at work backfired for Tom Grundy.
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : Rory Sutherland says technology arrives as an option and ends up an obligation. Tom Grundy finds the same in step counts, late emails and “shoulds”.
How desk workers can cool their stress, pressure and worry : A broken air conditioner showed Tom Grundy that stress at work comes from how you see the job, and seeing that puts it back in your hands.

Subtraction Method

Why banking is the grit in my coaching/newsletter oyster : I was browsing Reddit yesterday when I came across a thread all about bureaucracy at work.
Why I'm not a Career Coach : Tom Grundy explains why he now calls himself a Transformative Career Coach, and why his work has little to do with CVs and interview prep.
Thriving at work is not a skill : Tom Grundy argues that thriving at work is not a skill to learn, drawing on Richard Carlson's Don't Sweat The Small Stuff and a couple's money arguments.
World Chess Champion questions his every move : A while ago, I listened to Tyler Cowen interview ex-World Chess Champion Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand. One part of the interview really struck me.
A not-so-obvious sign you're less weighed down by work : Tom Grundy describes how friends and colleagues noticed he seems calmer and more relaxed at work than he was five years ago in banking.
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 : What Harry Kane taking a penalty teaches about high-stakes meetings: you want fewer thoughts, not better ones, so a clear mind can find the next move.
How to be ambitious without burning out : How to be ambitious without burning out: show up fully at work, switch off fully outside it, and why running at 30% all the time is the real problem.
What is clear thinking? : Anthony De Mello on clear thinking in Stop Fixing Yourself: it takes unlearning, not learning, and starts with seeing reality rather than labels.
Elon Musk endorses The Subtraction Method? : Elon Musk's company principle that only the laws of physics are real rules, and why most workplace constraints are made-up assumptions, not facts.
Why haven’t hard-working professionals been told these facts? : The facts Tom Grundy wishes he had been handed when he started in banking, from happiness not costing you your edge to clarity beating productivity.
The spreadsheets won't save you : Why better logic and polished spreadsheets won't fix work problems: Tom Grundy on a bag of old cables and how people make sense of things.
Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : Tim Gallwey noticed his tennis student improved when he stopped giving advice. Tom Grundy on Performance equals Potential minus Interference.
How the Subtraction Method could revive Emma Radacanu’s tennis career : After years of coaching advice, a US Open champion wants her instincts back. Tom Grundy on why the way back to yourself is subtracting, not adding.
Patience over speed : Frantic effort isn't the golden goose we think it is. Tom Grundy on why patience beats speed, from magic lessons and workshops to Stephen King's Carrie.
What is The Subtraction Method? : The Subtraction Method explained at five levels, from a child to a peer: nothing is missing, so the work is to subtract the mental interference.
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Krishnamurti's secret, that he doesn't mind what happens, isn't about caring less. Tom Grundy on why minding is what lets a job take over your life.
The madness of open plan offices : Open plan offices destroy clear thinking, so Tom Grundy works on the sixth floor. But the biggest distractions are the thoughts in your head.
When the maths just doesn't add up : Michael Neill's oxymoronic formula for happiness, and other life equations that don't add up, from overthinking to overwork.
Why I’ve stopped networking at work : Networking, 20% time and radical candour began as genuine ideas and became boxes to tick. Why Tom Grundy stopped networking coffees at work.
How to use the Subtraction Method to get good at stuff : Getting good at skills by subtraction: a card move learnt wrongly took months to undo, so choose what you learn carefully and find a guide.
39.5 thoughts as I turn 39.5 years old : Tom Grundy's 39.5 thoughts for his 39.5th birthday, from quick questions and celeriac to Thoreau and Rumi, and why personal growth is subtraction.
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : Seven things school teaches that are worth unlearning, from obeying orders and having all the answers to overvaluing IQ, and why subtracting beats adding.
Why I look forward to holidays less than I used to : Tom Grundy used to count down the days to a holiday as an escape from stress, but with less stress at work he no longer has to earn his peace the hard way.
French-Algerian neuroscientist reveals how the “SQL Script” hijacks our goals & dreams : Anne-Laure Le Cunff's SQL Script nudges us towards safe choices over satisfying ones. Tom Grundy on two ways to debug it, burning out being one of them.
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 : Writing a daily email with a baby strapped to his chest, Tom Grundy finds that having no time to plan has been the best planning system he has had.
A sign you're sprinting when a stroll would do : Rory Sutherland says technology arrives as an option and ends up an obligation. Tom Grundy finds the same in step counts, late emails and “shoulds”.

Success

The Myth of Success : Why success does not lead to fulfilment, however high you climb, and the two choices open to you once you have had enough of it.
Hollywood A-lister’s blunt warning for ambitious 9to5ers : Jim Carrey warned that getting rich and famous isn't the answer. Why the same goes for promotions, and why a career can't earn you the right to relax.
The Perfectionist's Ultimate, Foolproof Guide to Success : A spoof guide for perfectionists, from planning when to start planning to needing 17 people to say it's perfect, then the Imperfectionist's Way.
The score is not the music : Salary, long hours and review scores are the score, not the music. Tom Grundy on a decade of muddling metrics with how his working life actually felt.

Sunday Scaries

What FOMO, Imposter Syndrome and the Sunday Scaries have in common : Named problems like FOMO and imposter syndrome are everyday feelings marketed as things to fix. Tom Grundy on why they signal a system working perfectly.

Sydney Banks

Why I stalk my colleagues : Why do colleagues doing the same work react so differently to stress? Tom Grundy's research points to thought, not desks, seniority or productivity tools.

The White Lotus

Grumpy anti-hero reveals the secret to stopping the endless chase : Rick Hackett's hunt in The White Lotus shows how most of our hunts are a roundabout way of finding ourselves. Tom Grundy on what we are really after.

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 : A self-confessed optimiser on why researching the best of everything, from city breaks to relationships, misses the point: life is meant to be lived.
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Work Week, and his kickboxing gold won through loopholes in the rules, gave Tom Grundy a permission slip to dream bolder.

Tim Gallwey

What the US Special Forces, elite athletes and top scientists know about performance that corporates botch daily : Green Berets, Novak Djokovic and physicists agree that state of mind shapes performance under pressure. Why corporates still lean on effort and force.
Legendary tennis coach unearths the real key to peak performance : Tim Gallwey noticed his tennis student improved when he stopped giving advice. Tom Grundy on Performance equals Potential minus Interference.

Time Management

15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : Fifteen reasons you may work longer hours than you want to, from late-night identity to confusing motion with progress, and why time hacks won't fix them.
What chess taught me about time : Six chess lessons about time, from why more thinking does not mean better moves to working with the clock, and the one principle behind them all.
The problem with Oliver Burkeman’s book "4,000 Weeks" : Tom Grundy's problem with Oliver Burkeman's 4,000 Weeks: accepting you will never be on top of things calms a Sunday, but not a frantic 4pm.
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : Facing an impossible deadline? Tom Grundy says you already know how you will hit it: drop the planning and willpower and trust the next step to be obvious.
How I juggle my day job, daily emails, coaching and being a new dad : How Tom Grundy fits a full-time job, coaching, daily emails and life as a new dad: he stopped being at war with his job and uses it as inspiration.

Tony Robbins

Why I ignore every uplifting & motivational post on Dimstagram : Tom Grundy on why motivational cue cards and Instagram slogans confuse the menu with the meal, and what changed his life: going to the event itself.
My thoughts on Couples Therapy : Watching Couples Therapy each morning left Tom Grundy flat and grumpy. Where focus goes, energy flows, and why his coaching doesn't dig up the past.

Trust

The best way to find out if you can trust somebody : Ernest Hemingway said the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them. Tom Grundy on why the right way is the one that works.

Tyler Cowen

Red Rambler Theory : Red Rambler Theory says once something is in your mind you see it everywhere. Tom Grundy on spotting opportunities, from a guest post to workshops.

Uncertainty

Are you certain you can handle uncertainty? : A 1973 US military food survey slipped in three made-up dishes, showing how we make uncertainty familiar. Why embracing uncertainty opens up creativity.

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 may be using the wrong rulebook. Unwritten banking rules versus a newsletter's, and who gets to choose.
How to spot the invisible rules running your career : Baby Grundy blows on every food, hot or cold, and we follow workplace rules the same way. Tom Grundy on spotting rules at work you never checked.
Tech start-up guru uncovers why high achievers often feel unfulfilled : Paul Graham on hacking the test at school, and why chasing life's exam-ready soundbites never brings fulfilment. Ask what matters to you.
Why the key to a rich life is unlearning everything you learnt at school : Seven things school teaches that are worth unlearning, from obeying orders and having all the answers to overvaluing IQ, and why subtracting beats adding.
What the guidebook doesn't tell you : A friend's tip to board carriage 5 for a seat on the train shows why the best advice for life is personal and counterintuitive, and never in the guidebook.
Rules of living vs rules of life : Why can a life that looks good on paper feel empty? Tom Grundy's theory is that fulfilled people follow the rules of life, not the rules of living.

Wayne Dyer

Why banking is the grit in my coaching/newsletter oyster : I was browsing Reddit yesterday when I came across a thread all about bureaucracy at work.
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 : Wayne Dyer sold out his first book's print run by posing as a bookstore owner. Why going around a gridlocked system can beat waiting for it to change.
6 things Baby Grundy has taught me : Six lessons from Baby Grundy at 18 months, from feelings that pass to asking for what you want and not caring what others think, as seen by her dad.
The teachers life has dealt me : The four teachers behind Tom Grundy's view of fulfilment, as a deck of cards: Michael Neill, Paul Millerd, Rupert Spira and Wayne Dyer.
My 7 favourite books so far this year : Tom Grundy's favourite books this year, from Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job to Anthony De Mello, Wayne Dyer's autobiography and Scott Adams.
For anyone juggling parenthood with a career : Tom Grundy on a life lesson written for his baby: listen less to others and more to yourself. Doing the opposite of what the suits say isn't listening.
39.5 thoughts as I turn 39.5 years old : Tom Grundy's 39.5 thoughts for his 39.5th birthday, from quick questions and celeriac to Thoreau and Rumi, and why personal growth is subtraction.
Row, row, row your boat : What Wayne Dyer found in Row, Row, Row Your Boat: live your life, row your own boat and go gently, because the current of life is already carrying you.
You can’t fix a flat tyre with a motivational quote : Reframes are a sticking plaster, like stickers on a flat tyre. Tom Grundy on the preframe: a different angle before you take the shot.
The Tim Ferriss School of doing less & achieving more : Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Work Week, and his kickboxing gold won through loopholes in the rules, gave Tom Grundy a permission slip to dream bolder.

Wisdom

Where's the lesson in that? : It dawned on me recently that most of my daily emails follow a similar path.
To anyone having kittens about an impossible deadline today : Facing an impossible deadline? Tom Grundy says you already know how you will hit it: drop the planning and willpower and trust the next step to be obvious.
Inspired problem-solving method from an 18th Century maths whiz : Maria Agnesi solved equations in her sleep, and Tom Grundy takes from it that problems often get solved by thinking less and sleeping on them.

Work/Life Balance

22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs share their views on modern work : Highlights from Deloitte's 2026 Millennial and Gen Z Survey (22,000 people, 44 countries): housing, AI use, digital drain and few wanting fast promotions.
15 reasons you work longer hours than you want to : Fifteen reasons you may work longer hours than you want to, from late-night identity to confusing motion with progress, and why time hacks won't fix them.
How to stay ambitious without putting life on hold : Anthony De Mello's parable of tourists on a bus with the blinds down, and why you can stay ambitious in your career and still raise the blinds.
The inconvenient secret to caring about your job without it owning you : Krishnamurti's secret, that he doesn't mind what happens, isn't about caring less. Tom Grundy on why minding is what lets a job take over your life.
How I juggle my day job, daily emails, coaching and being a new dad : How Tom Grundy fits a full-time job, coaching, daily emails and life as a new dad: he stopped being at war with his job and uses it as inspiration.
Why “work/life sway” might be my favourite rebrand yet : A perfectly balanced day never happens, but swaying does. Why work/life sway, from Rashi Kakkar's Decks and Diapers, takes the pressure off.
The score is not the music : Salary, long hours and review scores are the score, not the music. Tom Grundy on a decade of muddling metrics with how his working life actually felt.
“What does a good work/life balance look like for you personally Tom?” : Asked what work/life balance looks like for him, Tom Grundy separates outer balance in the calendar from inner balance in the mind.

Worry

Why your worry is like my left nipple : Wisdom teeth, tailbones and male nipples are redundant, and so is worry. Tom Grundy on why worry serves no purpose and, being learnt, can be unlearnt.
FYI : Office acronyms slow things down instead of speeding them up, and worry works the same way. Tom Grundy on subtracting worry to make room for clearer ideas.
Welcome aboard this Grundy Air flight : A mock airline announcement for the mind: stow your worries in the overhead locker, release the need to control and tune in to your own frequency.
Why your worry is like my left nipple : Wisdom teeth, the tailbone and male nipples are redundant, and Tom Grundy argues worry is too. It is a learned behaviour, so it can be unlearnt.
How desk workers can cool their stress, pressure and worry : A broken air conditioner showed Tom Grundy that stress at work comes from how you see the job, and seeing that puts it back in your hands.

Writing

Where's the lesson in that? : It dawned on me recently that most of my daily emails follow a similar path.
Whose rules are these : If you're not making the progress you want, you may be using the wrong rulebook. Unwritten banking rules versus a newsletter's, and who gets to choose.
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails (part 4) : Lesson four from four years of daily emails: everyone starts with no idea what they are doing, and the real question is whether you will stay in the game.
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails (part 3) : Lesson three from four years of daily emails: with Mexico, a new job, a baby and a move, no routine settled, so adapting became the routine.
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails (part 2) : Lesson two from four years of daily emails: what is at stake in writing each day is expressing yourself, and why performing your way up can cost you.
4 lessons from 4 years of daily emails : Lesson one from four years of daily emails: pleasing other people is not the goal, learned after a reader unsubscribed because the emails were daily.
The latest on my 2026 plans : Tom Grundy checks in on his 2026 plans: 488 new readers from his How to Work Your Way lead magnet, a book cover dilemma and his coaching apprenticeship.
Snow Write and the 7 Dwarves : Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful and the other dwarves poke their noses in whenever Tom Grundy writes a daily email. After almost four years, they have got quieter.
Creator vs Critic : Five ways to tell a creator from a critic, and Tom Grundy's twist: you created your inner critic, so you can point that creativity at something you love.
How I feel about my new book, Don't Quit Your Job : Tom Grundy on finishing the manuscript of Don't Quit Your Job: pride in going back to the job that burnt him out, and what is left before launch.
My reading and writing routine : Tom Grundy's routine-less writing routine and hit and miss reading routine: writing whenever he can and reading newsletters while the kettle boils.
The lazy way to write a book, pen a tune or crack open the secrets of the universe : Mary Shelley, Paul McCartney and Einstein got big ideas when they weren't looking. Why the mind works more like a garden than a safe.
Thinking is horizontal, writing is vertical : Morgan Housel's line that thinking is horizontal and writing is vertical explains why Tom Grundy's daily emails clarify an idea as he writes it.
The dog ate my daily email? : Life with Baby Grundy got in the way of a daily email, and Tom Grundy explains why he no longer punishes himself for one missed day.
Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of pure flatulation : A month into fatherhood, Baby Grundy's uninhibited nappy timing leads Tom Grundy to write with less filtering and live a life that feels like his own.

Zen

Zen and the art of ignoring all your emails : Zen-like thoughts for your inbox at work: it doesn't create your mood, urgency exists only in the mind, and you can't pass or fail it.

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 : A progress check on Tom Grundy's 2026 plans: a finished book awaiting a testimonial, a drafted info product, coaching hours under way and a self-graded B+.
8 things you might not know about me : Eight things about Tom Grundy, from collecting books and card tricks to being a fully fledged introvert, plus a ninth thing he is holding back.
My 2026 plans for this newsletter and my coaching : Plans for 2026 include adding 2,000 readers, publishing the book Don't Quit Your Job and completing an Executive Leadership Coaching Apprenticeship.
My top 3 insights from 2025 (part 2) : Common sense as a superpower is Tom Grundy's second insight of 2025, working alongside wanting and knowing as a guide for making decisions.
My top 3 insights from 2025 : Why planning life in advance is not needed: the first of Tom Grundy's top insights from 2025 is the difference between figuring out and finding out.
Why Frosty the Snowman is my coach : What Frosty the Snowman can teach us about starting again in any moment, the warmth beneath a frosty exterior and living in the now.
Only your sunlit nostril can unmask a guru who hasn’t yet learned to unlearn : A recipe for self-help waffle: a cosmic noun, a body part, an impressive verb and a paradox. Tom Grundy's tongue-in-cheek test for spotting a guru.
You can’t make a tomlette without breaking some legs : Training wheels that once helped become dead weight. Tom Grundy on dropping his need for perfect writing conditions and spotting what holds you back.
Another day, another horror show at work : The Salem witch trials and a bad day at work: how grumbling about the horrors of your job feeds itself, and how telling the good parts breaks the spell.
Stickman on the loose : A three-legged stickman on a flipchart led to a workshop with no slides, plus the Mindset & Clarity topics Tom Grundy has covered in the last 12 months.
Do you look at the gap or the gain? : Measuring success by how far you've come beats chasing the ideal, but a third option is The Given: noticing what is already here, right now.
The meta-metaphor : Metaphors give a new idea a hook to latch onto, like cooking couscous before quinoa, which is why Tom Grundy fills his workshops and emails with them.
How 9to5ers can use the Tetris Effect to find more fun, freedom and success at work : Seeing work like Tetris means it is always your turn, luck counts and the pieces are made up, so Tom Grundy says work can feel more like a game.
This email is rather silly and totally sincere : A banker's row in the TV show Industry ends with “two things can be true at once”, and Tom Grundy lists the inner contradictions that line makes calming.
Mindset and Clarity reloaded : Another 10 week run of Mindset & Clarity workshops starts with 97 banking colleagues signed up, and Tom Grundy on why mindset and clarity beat hard work.
Why the world looks so different to you and me : A fruit riddle with two right answers shows why the world looks different to you and me: life has endless valid interpretations.
A tiny commander issues her first midnight orders at Fort Grundy : Lauren feeling the baby kick when there is no baby leads Tom Grundy to Phantom Limb Pain and the question of how real our perceptions are.
To anyone who feels something's missing : Betting last week's winning numbers makes no sense, and neither does copying someone else's path. Tom Grundy on why life has no recipe book to follow.
17 life lessons for Lauren's bun in the oven : Seventeen life lessons Tom Grundy would pass to his unborn daughter a week before she is due, from “less is more” to “life isn’t a game you play to win”.

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