There is immense pressure for people to be 'more' these days. The vogue for side hustles, self-improvement, wellbeing as a project. You saw it in subtle ways we felt we have to use the last lockdown productively. It's bloody exhausting.  You know what I did? I used lots and lots of little hacks and stuff…

Before I was old enough to do swim races, I was dragged along most weekends to watch my older sisters do it. Whole Saturdays sat by a pool, sometimes Sunday's too.  I became professional at packing a bag to keep myself occupied. Books, Star Wars comics, pad and pencils for endless drawings. I was a…

I may have mentioned I've had quite a year.  If I knew you well enough and I were to tell you the full story, the focus would be three moments. Ordinary moments or even objects that reveal far more because of their context.  The moment myself and my two children, on our first holiday as…

Let remind you, if you're a strategy type, you're job is to liberate the skills of everyone else. The worst thing anyone client say in feedback is 'we really like the strategy, but the work didn't live up to it'.  Yet it happens a lot. Of course, you are tempted to bask in the glory…

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given for the job was so simple. No one needs you in the room. So surrender your ego and be generous.  This was in a time when 'the people in the room' were  account handlers and creatives, not much more. They could get on quite…

I had a boss once who didn't do much of value. He read quoted whatever book he read.  It was easier to feel good about being part of the latest fashionable (but unproven) may of thinking, than actually doing good stuff. It was easier to feed the ego than craft good work.  It was easy…

I get a sports massage sometimes. I cycle a lot, my legs end up in bits. When someone gets their hands on my legs and makes it hurt, my legs feel so much better after. Yet I have no idea why. They used to think it helped blood flow. That's at best questionable based on…

There are only two questions. Is it on brief? Is it any good? So make sure there actually was a bloody brief and everyone knows what it was The first job of a planner type is to feedback if its on brief, how and why The second is to help discuss how it can be…

Life really come's down to a few moments.  We really don't remember most of it. if you drove somewhere and didn't remember the journey, you'll know what I mean. We remember the Start, the Good, the Bad and the End.  It's a good way to think about any meeting or any piece of communication.  Start…

It's the name of a Smiths track but it's also a way to persuade others about strategy.  If what you've done is any good, it will resolve a simple tension. Between where you are and where you could be.  Much of the the work is defining those two things. Then how to narrow the gap.…