I start a new job soon. What do I do first, and what do I leave alone?
A 30, 60 and 90 day plan for a new job: what to learn, who to ask, what to deliver and what to leave alone.
Sequence 7 steps Your first month, 10 min at a time
New job, first month.
Arrive prepared, learn fast and get on well with your manager.
Seven prompts in the order a new job asks for them. Start before day one with a plan and a short introduction, use the middle ones as you meet the tools, the field and the meetings, and save the last two for when you know the people.
From Work, Write and create, Learn, Focus, Know yourself
One step at a time.
Run them in order. Each step says why it comes when it does.
7 steps
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- Step 01
Before day one: a 30, 60 and 90 day plan, and what to leave alone.
Work 10 min - Step 02
You’ll be asked to introduce yourself, so have a short bio made of facts.
Write and create 5 min How do I describe myself without sounding smug or small?
Three short bios built from facts, in three tones, and the one detail people will remember.
- Step 03
In week one, learn the few parts of the new tool your work needs.
Learn 5 min I have to use a new tool at work. What do I learn first?
The few things to learn first in a new work tool, mapped from the one you’re leaving behind.
- Step 04
Then learn how people in this field think, not only their vocabulary.
Learn 10 min Show me how people in this field think, not just what they know.
The few ideas a field’s people think with, the mistakes outsiders make, and a case to try them on.
- Step 05
As the meetings pile up, turn your notes into decisions, owners and dates.
Focus 5 min Who’s doing what by when? Here are my messy notes.
Decisions, actions with owners and dates, open questions, and a follow-up message ready to send.
- Step 06
Once you’ve settled in, write the one-page manual for working with you.
Know yourself 20 min Write the user manual for working with me.
A one-page guide to working with you that you could hand to a new manager or teammate.
2 versions
- Step 07
After a month you know enough to ask what your manager needs from you.
Work 10 min Why do my manager and I keep missing each other?
A one-page read on what your manager needs from you, three changes to try, and one question to ask them.
More that go together.
There are 16 packs. These two sit on either side of this one.