At just twenty three, Tom Boyd walked away from an incredibly lucrative and promising career as an AFL player. It was the biggest decision he'd ever had to make at that point. But what advice did he receive that helped him make such a huge decision at such a young age, and how did the pandemic force him to think even more deeply about his next career move. My name is doctor Amantha Immer. I'm an organizational psychologist and the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium, And this is how I work a show about how to help you do your best work. On today's quick Win episode, we go back to an interview from the past and I pick out a quick win that you can apply today. In today's show, I speak with Tom Boyd about the advice that helped him make one of the biggest decisions of his life so far. Now, Tom, I'm wondering, what's a piece of advice that you have received an apply that has immeasurably improved your life.

At just twenty three, Tom Boyd walked away from an incredibly lucrative and promising career as an AFL player. It was the biggest decision he'd ever had to make at that point. But what advice did he receive that helped him make such a huge decision at such a young age, and how did the pandemic force him to think even more deeply about his next career move. My name is doctor Amantha Immer. I'm an organizational psychologist and the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium, And this is how I work a show about how to help you do your best work. On today's quick Win episode, we go back to an interview from the past and I pick out a quick win that you can apply today. In today's show, I speak with Tom Boyd about the advice that helped him make one of the biggest decisions of his life so far. Now, Tom, I'm wondering, what's a piece of advice that you have received an apply that has immeasurably improved your life.

When I was coming towards the end of my career it was twenty eighteen, I'd moved on for many of the issues I faced the year before I put.

When I was coming towards the end of my career it was twenty eighteen, I'd moved on for many of the issues I faced the year before I put.

Some things in place.

Some things in place.

I felt like I was in a really good spot, to be totally honest, and I remember I was sort of hit on the sidelines with a bad back injury and sort of got to the point where it was just not moving forward, and I was starting to really try and reconcile in my mind what I wanted to do moving forward with my future.

I felt like I was in a really good spot, to be totally honest, and I remember I was sort of hit on the sidelines with a bad back injury and sort of got to the point where it was just not moving forward, and I was starting to really try and reconcile in my mind what I wanted to do moving forward with my future.

I still had two.

I still had two.

And a half years in my contract, I still had over two million dollars left on it. There was all these things that sort of indicated that it was an obvious decision to stay. But for whatever reason, I had an inkling that you know, I'd had these conversations with myself for a while and it was getting close where it felt like the right call to move on.

And a half years in my contract, I still had over two million dollars left on it. There was all these things that sort of indicated that it was an obvious decision to stay. But for whatever reason, I had an inkling that you know, I'd had these conversations with myself for a while and it was getting close where it felt like the right call to move on.

And I remember talking to the club doctor.

And I remember talking to the club doctor.

At the time, Gary Zimmerman, and you know, I made mention to him, a gaz, I don't think I want to do this anymore. I think I'm going to retire, and he looked at me like I was crazy. But the advice that followed from him was really really important. And that advice was that he said to me, he said, Tommy, I've seen too many players rehabilitating injuries, make rash decisions, change their life and invariably end up regretting it forever. And I think what that really gets to is this concept that making life changing decisions when we're happy, mad or angry or sad or angry, I should say, is a futile effort given that we're not in the frame of mind to think long term.

At the time, Gary Zimmerman, and you know, I made mention to him, a gaz, I don't think I want to do this anymore. I think I'm going to retire, and he looked at me like I was crazy. But the advice that followed from him was really really important. And that advice was that he said to me, he said, Tommy, I've seen too many players rehabilitating injuries, make rash decisions, change their life and invariably end up regretting it forever. And I think what that really gets to is this concept that making life changing decisions when we're happy, mad or angry or sad or angry, I should say, is a futile effort given that we're not in the frame of mind to think long term.

We're thinking laterally.

We're thinking laterally.

We're trying to sort of find our way through the muck that perhaps we're stuck in at that time, or perhaps we're standing on the mountaintop going everything's clear skies and clear, clear sailing your head. So for him, he said to me, just do this for me, come back and play foot he get back to being fit, get back to being capable of going out there, and if you still want to do it, then you'll.

We're trying to sort of find our way through the muck that perhaps we're stuck in at that time, or perhaps we're standing on the mountaintop going everything's clear skies and clear, clear sailing your head. So for him, he said to me, just do this for me, come back and play foot he get back to being fit, get back to being capable of going out there, and if you still want to do it, then you'll.

Have my blessing.

Have my blessing.

And of course I didn't have to listen to him. It made a lot of logical sense to me, and I think for me, that's an outstanding piece of advice for everyone, and that is just, you know, find your equilibrium before you change everything, because we can be rash at times as humans.

And of course I didn't have to listen to him. It made a lot of logical sense to me, and I think for me, that's an outstanding piece of advice for everyone, and that is just, you know, find your equilibrium before you change everything, because we can be rash at times as humans.

I love that when you made the decision to retire from AFL. Did you know exactly what you would do for work in inverted commas when you made that decision?

I love that when you made the decision to retire from AFL. Did you know exactly what you would do for work in inverted commas when you made that decision?

Absolutely not. I had a sense.

Absolutely not. I had a sense.

I had a sense that there was some opportunities in the horizon. I didn't know what they would be, and to be frank, you know, I probably spent six or seven months working through a number of different options, one of which was basically, you know, going down the path of speaking and publicly being able to share my message and also finding the right organization to be a part of.

I had a sense that there was some opportunities in the horizon. I didn't know what they would be, and to be frank, you know, I probably spent six or seven months working through a number of different options, one of which was basically, you know, going down the path of speaking and publicly being able to share my message and also finding the right organization to be a part of.

But I didn't want to rush it.

But I didn't want to rush it.

And again this is very much circumstantial based on the fact that I owned a lot of money as a really young person, and that gave me the advantage and the sort of ability to make slow, more decisions than many people face.

And again this is very much circumstantial based on the fact that I owned a lot of money as a really young person, and that gave me the advantage and the sort of ability to make slow, more decisions than many people face.

So I totally understand that.

So I totally understand that.

That's why I'm sort of quite quite keen to give the provision of make decisions based on finances as well as purpose. But what I did know was that people were interested in what I had to say, and I began to go down that path, and unfortunately what I ran into was it takes six to eight months or whatever it did to prepare myself for a strong year in twenty twenty, and then that whole sneaky pandemic came up on us and all of that work disappeared. But what the really great thing about the pandemic was for me was that it forced me to really consider what I wanted to do. And in that time, what I recognized was two things. One, I wasn't fully fully done with the life that I just led in my football career, and that I actually wanted to write about it, and I wanted to sort of tie it in a bow and put it out as the book knowa to Hide, And that was really important filming mentally, because it's a very difficult task writing a book from my experience. And the other one was that I recognized that for the first time in my life as a twenty three year old going on twenty four, was I didn't have a team around me, and I didn't have anyone to turn to on a daily basis.

That's why I'm sort of quite quite keen to give the provision of make decisions based on finances as well as purpose. But what I did know was that people were interested in what I had to say, and I began to go down that path, and unfortunately what I ran into was it takes six to eight months or whatever it did to prepare myself for a strong year in twenty twenty, and then that whole sneaky pandemic came up on us and all of that work disappeared. But what the really great thing about the pandemic was for me was that it forced me to really consider what I wanted to do. And in that time, what I recognized was two things. One, I wasn't fully fully done with the life that I just led in my football career, and that I actually wanted to write about it, and I wanted to sort of tie it in a bow and put it out as the book knowa to Hide, And that was really important filming mentally, because it's a very difficult task writing a book from my experience. And the other one was that I recognized that for the first time in my life as a twenty three year old going on twenty four, was I didn't have a team around me, and I didn't have anyone to turn to on a daily basis.

I could call my dad, I could call.

I could call my dad, I could call.

My manager, but they weren't living with me, they weren't working with me. They were support staff or support networks rather than people that were on the ground and dealing with my day to day And actually that's where I began to sort of reach out and start looking at what a flexible arrangement of work could be for me, where I could contribute to a team that I respect and cared about on a mission that I believed in. And that's where I found ever Perform, which is the business that I work three days a.

My manager, but they weren't living with me, they weren't working with me. They were support staff or support networks rather than people that were on the ground and dealing with my day to day And actually that's where I began to sort of reach out and start looking at what a flexible arrangement of work could be for me, where I could contribute to a team that I respect and cared about on a mission that I believed in. And that's where I found ever Perform, which is the business that I work three days a.

Week four now.

Week four now.

So you know, amongst all of the challenges the pandemic presented, I think, you know, if there's one thing I'm proud of in terms of my experience was that I just made it work and I found a way to actually take the good parts out of it amongst all of the sea of negatives.

So you know, amongst all of the challenges the pandemic presented, I think, you know, if there's one thing I'm proud of in terms of my experience was that I just made it work and I found a way to actually take the good parts out of it amongst all of the sea of negatives.

I hope you enjoy this little quick win episode today. If you would like to listen to the full interview, you can find and a link to that in the show notes. If you're looking for more tips to improve the way that you work, I write a short fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things that I've discovered that helped me work better, ranging from software and gadgets that I'm loving three to interesting research findings. You can sign up for that at Howiwork dot com. That's how I Work dot co. Thank you for sharing part of your day with me by listening to How I Work. If you're keen for more tips on how to work better, connect with me via LinkedIn or Instagram. I'm very easy to find. Just search for Amantha Imba. How I Work was recorded on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, part of the cool And Nation. I am so grateful for being able to work and live on this beautiful land and I want to pay my respects to elders, past, present and emerging. How I Work is produced by Inventium and hosted by me Amantha Imba, and a big thank you to Martin Inva who did the audio mix and makes everything sound better than it would have otherwise.

I hope you enjoy this little quick win episode today. If you would like to listen to the full interview, you can find and a link to that in the show notes. If you're looking for more tips to improve the way that you work, I write a short fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things that I've discovered that helped me work better, ranging from software and gadgets that I'm loving three to interesting research findings. You can sign up for that at Howiwork dot com. That's how I Work dot co. Thank you for sharing part of your day with me by listening to How I Work. If you're keen for more tips on how to work better, connect with me via LinkedIn or Instagram. I'm very easy to find. Just search for Amantha Imba. How I Work was recorded on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, part of the cool And Nation. I am so grateful for being able to work and live on this beautiful land and I want to pay my respects to elders, past, present and emerging. How I Work is produced by Inventium and hosted by me Amantha Imba, and a big thank you to Martin Inva who did the audio mix and makes everything sound better than it would have otherwise.