Personal Operating Manual
Half of workplace and relationship friction is unspoken mismatch — you need quiet mornings, they schedule 9am calls; you want direct feedback, they hint. A "how to work with me" manual makes the invisible explicit. This writes yours: how you communicate, when you're at your best, what drains you, how you like feedback, and your hard lines — so people can adapt to how you actually work instead of guessing.
What This Skill Produces
- How I communicate — your preferred channels, response speed, and style (direct vs. warm, written vs. talk-it-out)
- When I'm at my best — your energy windows and the conditions for your best work
- What drains me — the things that wreck your focus or energy (context-switching, surprise meetings, ambiguity)
- How I like feedback — direct, private, written, immediate — however it actually lands well for you
- My non-negotiables — the few hard lines (protected focus time, no weekend messages, whatever's real)
- How to get the best from me — the practical "if you do X, I'll deliver Y"
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- The audience — a manager, a whole team, a partner, or just for yourself
- How you work best — your conditions, energy, and style (drawn out if needed)
- Your friction points — where mismatches keep happening
- Feedback preference — how criticism actually lands well for you
- Your non-negotiables — the genuine hard lines
Framework: Make The Invisible Explicit
- Cover the high-friction areas. Communication, energy/best-conditions, drains, feedback, and non-negotiables — these are where unspoken mismatch causes the most friction.
- Be specific and honest. "I need 2 hours of uninterrupted morning focus" beats "I like focus" — specifics let people actually adapt.
- Frame as enabling, not demanding. Present preferences as "here's how to get the best from me," not a list of complaints or rules.
- Distinguish preferences from non-negotiables. Most items are "nice if"; a few are genuine hard lines — separate them so the real ones carry weight.
- Keep it a one-pager. Short enough to actually read and remember; this is a quick reference, not an autobiography.
Output Format
How to work with me — [for audience]
How I communicate: [channels · speed · style].
I'm at my best when: [energy windows + conditions].
What drains me: [the focus/energy killers].
How I like feedback: [direct/private/written/etc.].
My non-negotiables: [the few real hard lines].
Get the best from me: [practical "if X then Y"].
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Vague preferences no one can act on.
- A list of demands rather than an enabling guide.
- Everything as a "non-negotiable" — diluting the real ones.
- An autobiography instead of a one-pager.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Write my 'how to work with me' guide for my new team."
- "Help me make a user manual for myself."
- "My manager should know how I work best — help me put it in writing."
- "A working-with-me guide for my partner about how I operate."
- "Help me articulate my non-negotiables and work style."
1---2name: personal-operating-manual3description: Write the manual for how you work best — your energy, triggers, communication style, and non-negotiables — to share with a manager, team, or partner (or to know yourself). Use when asked to write my user manual, how I work best, a working-with-me guide, or help my team understand me. Produces a clear one-pager covering how you communicate, when you're at your best, what drains you, how you like feedback, and your non-negotiables — turning invisible friction into stated expectations, so people can work with you instead of around you.4---5
6# Personal Operating Manual
7
8Half of workplace and relationship friction is unspoken mismatch — you need quiet mornings, they schedule 9am calls; you want direct feedback, they hint. A "how to work with me" manual makes the invisible explicit. This writes yours: how you communicate, when you're at your best, what drains you, how you like feedback, and your hard lines — so people can adapt to how you actually work instead of guessing.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **How I communicate** — your preferred channels, response speed, and style (direct vs. warm, written vs. talk-it-out)
13- **When I'm at my best** — your energy windows and the conditions for your best work
14- **What drains me** — the things that wreck your focus or energy (context-switching, surprise meetings, ambiguity)
15- **How I like feedback** — direct, private, written, immediate — however it actually lands well for you
16- **My non-negotiables** — the few hard lines (protected focus time, no weekend messages, whatever's real)
17- **How to get the best from me** — the practical "if you do X, I'll deliver Y"
18
19## Required Inputs
20
21Ask for these if not provided:
22- **The audience** — a manager, a whole team, a partner, or just for yourself
23- **How you work best** — your conditions, energy, and style (drawn out if needed)
24- **Your friction points** — where mismatches keep happening
25- **Feedback preference** — how criticism actually lands well for you
26- **Your non-negotiables** — the genuine hard lines
27
28## Framework: Make The Invisible Explicit
29
301. **Cover the high-friction areas.** Communication, energy/best-conditions, drains, feedback, and non-negotiables — these are where unspoken mismatch causes the most friction.
312. **Be specific and honest.** "I need 2 hours of uninterrupted morning focus" beats "I like focus" — specifics let people actually adapt.
323. **Frame as enabling, not demanding.** Present preferences as "here's how to get the best from me," not a list of complaints or rules.
334. **Distinguish preferences from non-negotiables.** Most items are "nice if"; a few are genuine hard lines — separate them so the real ones carry weight.
345. **Keep it a one-pager.** Short enough to actually read and remember; this is a quick reference, not an autobiography.
35
36## Output Format
37
38### How to work with me — [for audience]
39
40**How I communicate:** [channels · speed · style].
41**I'm at my best when:** [energy windows + conditions].
42**What drains me:** [the focus/energy killers].
43**How I like feedback:** [direct/private/written/etc.].
44**My non-negotiables:** [the few real hard lines].
45**Get the best from me:** [practical "if X then Y"].
46
47## Quality Checks
48- [ ] Covers the high-friction areas (comms, energy, drains, feedback, non-negotiables)
49- [ ] Items are specific and actionable, not vague
50- [ ] Framed as enabling, not demanding
51- [ ] Separates preferences from genuine non-negotiables
52- [ ] Fits on one readable page
53- [ ] Tuned to the intended audience
54
55## Anti-Patterns
56- **Vague preferences** no one can act on.
57- **A list of demands** rather than an enabling guide.
58- **Everything as a "non-negotiable"** — diluting the real ones.
59- **An autobiography** instead of a one-pager.
60
61## Example Trigger Phrases
62- "Write my 'how to work with me' guide for my new team."
63- "Help me make a user manual for myself."
64- "My manager should know how I work best — help me put it in writing."
65- "A working-with-me guide for my partner about how I operate."
66- "Help me articulate my non-negotiables and work style."
Mohit Aggarwal