Longer Instructions Are Not Better Instructions

Entrepreneurs and managers who write instructions for freelancers and employees should repeat the famous apology “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so all I have is a long one.”

Writing instructions saves time, avoids mistakes and allows for delegation, but your instructions become a liability if they take too long to read.

A Bible is good, but for daily use the 10 Commandments are better.

Expecting people to run like software is dumb.

• “I made a change on page 28. Please update how you work forever now.”

• “You’re using last-months process. Didn’t you see what I added last week?”

A Process To Write Instructions

1. Write the A,B,C instruction as you do the work.

2. Follow your own instructions. Can you?

3. Add steps as you find failures

4. Remove infrequently used processes. (Maybe save in an out-of-sight archive)

5. Ask people “Can you easily use this?”

6. Slash, Cut, Shorten Everything.

If you cut a page to a sentence, there’s a chance someone will at least read it as they work.