Fifteen rules for remaining employed, reasonably sane, and difficult to blame until the train takes you home.

The objective is not promotion. It is not fulfillment. It is not becoming indispensable.

The objective is to remain employed, reasonably sane, and difficult to blame until the train takes you home.

01. Arrive slightly before you are expected

Arriving dramatically early creates expectations. Arriving late creates evidence.

Aim for the narrow zone in which everyone thinks, Yes, he was already here.

02. Never be the first person to leave

You do not necessarily need to work late. You need to understand who notices when you leave.

If your boss is putting on his coat, congratulations: you have suddenly remembered that you also own a coat.

03. Carry something

A folder. A laptop. A notebook. Three pieces of paper.

A person walking quickly while carrying a document is almost universally presumed to have somewhere important to be.

04.…