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Often people can be a bit vague when they are giving instructions or explaining what they want. This may not appear to be much of a problem at first, but it can lead to a lot of wasted time. If someone asks you to do something for them, make sure you are 100% certain about what’s required.

1 Whenever possible, get a written instruction or request; the act of writing down instructions makes people think more carefully and fully about what they actually want. It also saves you having a difference of opinion later about what was said and heard.

2 Whether written or spoken, try to get the request in as much specific detail as possible. For instance, “Pick me up outside the west door of the HSBC Bank”, rather than “Pick me up at the bank.”

3 Getting it done late is no good; you need to know the deadline for the job to be done. Again, make sure you get specific detail: “by 5.30pm on Friday afternoon” rather than “by Friday” or “this week” or “as soon as possible”.

one minute wonder Before you start on any task, make sure you know the What, Where, When and How of the job you are about to undertake. If you don’t, you will quite possibly end up wasting all the time you spend.

At work there may be specific quality standards to be achieved. For example, your manager wants a report on sales to date this year, broken down by product and region and cross referenced by sales person. The report is needed by 5pm on Friday the 12th of July.

Ok, those were your instructions, which on the face of it seemed clear, with a specific deadline. However, is there really enough detail about how the report should be submitted? You shouldn’t be starting on this task until you know the specific details, such as:

• Is it in draft form or final form?

• Is it to be in a specific format (for example a company template)?

• Does it need to feed into other standard company forms?

If the person giving the instructions doesn’t offer all the essential detail, then you are going to have to ask. Never be shy about asking for more detail. The best way to start is to repeat back your understanding of the instruction to the person who gave it to you. That’s what pilots do!

See also Secret 7.3 when you need to give good instructions.

Getting it right first time is always better than having to come back and do it again.