• How I Like to Communicate
• Meetings
• Office Style
• My Personality

How I Like to Communicate

I’m not a fan of IM/chat because it tends to be disruptive to my focus and it doesn’t save history so useful information often gets lost. I prefer email because I can respond to messages when convenient for me and it gives me a more persistent and searchable record of conversations. I understand that sometimes the immediacy of IM is really helpful so you should never let my preference stop you if you have an urgent need to reach me.

I rarely spend time in chat rooms for similar reasons: signal to noise seems low and I find the constant flood of messages antithetical to deep work. If you think I should see something or need my help, please feel free to @ me into a conversation.

Given that my communication preference is email, I generally maintain a small backlog (typically less than 50 messages) and usually respond to requests within 24 hours, often sooner.

Meetings

I try to avoid meetings unless there’s a clear reason some number of people need to synchronize interactively. If you invite me to a meeting, whenever possible please include a short agenda so that it’s clear what we want to accomplish.

Office Style

I dislike the ubiquitous open office plans, because I find this arrangement undermines my focus. Consequently, I often wear headphones to avoid distraction, however, if you need to talk with me for any reason, please feel free to interrupt.

Similarly, in order to maintain focus, I often work in quiet areas away from my desk. If you don’t see me at my desk and need to talk, please feel free to ping me by email (or IM, if urgent).

My Personality

I love puzzles and challenges. If you tell me something can’t be done, there’s a decent chance I’ll spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to prove you wrong. Also, I’m a big believer in forgiveness is better than permission and proof of concepts are better than speculation.

I love to write - I think writing is a really important thing to do, not just for expressing your thoughts but also for organizing them and moving from a random collection of ideas to a strategy/plan. I also find it highly therapeutic. Have you ever had that experience where you write an angry letter and by the time you’re done you no longer need to send it? :)

I’m a bit socially awkward. Over the years, I’ve learned how to simulate a confident, even extroverted, individual but my model constantly breaks. Oh well.