1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: tip is to write your own operating manual. Letting people 4 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: know about how you work can make you more productive 5 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: and hopefully limit the chances for misunderstandings. Today's tip, like 6 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: some others this week, comes from Amantha Imber's new book 7 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: time Wise. In this book, Amantha shares tips from lots 8 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,480 Speaker 1: of successful people on how they work and make time 9 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: feel more fun. One of the tips is called why 10 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: you need a one page operating Manual. Amantha interviewed Darren 11 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: Murph of git Lab. Murph noted that he had created 12 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,040 Speaker 1: his own one page document, which is, as Murph puts, that, 13 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: an operating manual of how you can quickly get up 14 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: to speed about working with me. It explains how I 15 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: like to be communicated with, what I hope to learn 16 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: in working with you, and what you need to know 17 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: about me, things like personality type, my working style, and 18 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,279 Speaker 1: when I generally prefer to work. Amantha notes that reading 19 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 1: this manual only takes a couple of minutes, but you'll 20 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: learn more in those few minutes than it would normally 21 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 1: take in the two weeks or longer that it takes 22 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: to understand a coworker that you are meeting for the 23 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 1: first time. I think this is a wise idea. It's 24 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: just efficient. Now. I know that it might seem a 25 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: little presumptuous to create such a manual. I mean, perhaps 26 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: the idea comes across like those artist contracts where they 27 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: specify the kinds of candy in the green room. I mean, really, 28 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: I know I am a generally agreeable person, and I 29 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: am happy to work with agreeable people, and I hope 30 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: that as fellow human beings, we can figure each other out. However, 31 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: if you start to think this through, you can realize 32 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: that there is a ton of knowledge that you learn 33 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: in time, but that it would be better to know 34 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: at the beginning. For instance, maybe you like to work 35 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: at ten pm. You certainly don't expect anyone else to 36 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: work at ten pm, so people shouldn't think anything about 37 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: your late hours, or they shouldn't wait up for your emails. 38 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: That's good to know. Or maybe you don't eat meat. 39 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: Most agreeable coworkers would like to know that before they 40 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: propose a team kickoff dinner at a steak restaurant. Since 41 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: I work for myself. I have all sorts of other 42 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: quirks that I am sure drive people crazy for the 43 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: first week or two until they figure them out. For instance, 44 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: I don't use an electronic calendar. I love my paper calendar, 45 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: and I'm probably not changing now. You can send me 46 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: an electronic calendar in but if you are waiting for 47 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: an acceptance to actually put it on your calendar, you 48 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: might need to wait for a while, since it's not 49 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: a standard part of my workflow. In any case, you 50 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: might think this through and write something down. If you 51 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: are the sort of person that lots of people seek 52 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: out to work with, it might be helpful to post 53 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: this somewhere publicly, like your website or your LinkedIn profile. 54 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: If you have a more standard job where you just 55 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: work with new coworkers from time to time, propose that 56 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: everyone creates such a document before your first team meeting 57 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 1: so you can all read up on each other. Who knows, 58 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: you might find out that you and one of your 59 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: colleagues are equally in love with the Oxford Comma. Now 60 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: you can bond over that, and if nothing else, creating 61 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: this document will boost your own self knowledge. Sometimes we 62 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: just work in certain ways because we always have. We 63 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: don't think about it committing these approaches to paper. Lets 64 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: us think about them and think about why we do them. 65 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: Knowing yourself is just always a good thing. In the meantime, 66 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 67 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 68 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 69 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 70 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the 71 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me 72 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. 73 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 74 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: Thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch. 75 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 76 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 77 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:15,119 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.