The async worker's guide to reading
Summary
To be an effective async worker, you must read what your colleagues write.
Set aside time to read. Use the 265 words-per-minute reading speed as a rule of thumb to budget how much time you may need.
Read actively by taking notes and writing feedback. This will help you remember what you've read and understand it better.
Acknowledge the author after reading. This shows that you appreciate the author's work and that you've taken the time to think about it.
A couple of weeks back I posted the async worker’s guide to writing. It chuffed me to see that many people found it useful. My colleague, Kuldeep, recommended a companion guide to that article - one for reading. You know I love a good request. Here it is then. A simple set of good practices that you can follow, to be a model async-citizen on your team. This is admittedly easier than writing. No wonder then, that this is a shorter guide!
Set aside time
Communication is part of your job. You must set aside time for it. If you’ve received a longish document you must read, first find out when you must read it by. Asking the author this question, helps them think about their timelines if they haven’t already. Next, block time on your calendar to give this the time it deserves. How do you know how much time to set aside? Well, the average person reads about 265 words per minute. Use that rule of thumb to budget your time. I suggest blocking double the time because you’ll need it not just to read, but also to write notes, comments or feedback.
The key to being an efficient reader is to work distraction-free. Don’t do this piecemeal - a few minutes here and a few minutes there. It’s best to finish every reading gig in a contiguous block of time. For example, if I had to read a 3000-word document, I’d set aside 25 minutes. That’ll be plenty of time to absorb the details and to write feedback, if any.
And hey, don’t make this a second shift. Let me repeat. Communication is part of your job. If you’re having to work eight hours and then read stuff in your time, then you’re setting the precedent for an unsustainable schedule and pace of work. The time to consume artefacts must be part of your day job.
Practise active reading
One of the significant advantages of remote work is that each of us gets to set up our home offices the way we like. I have a pretty elaborate setup with multiple screens. When I have to read something, I have the document on my primary display and a note-taking app on a secondary or tertiary display. This helps me write my reflections as I go.
Place your document and note-taking windows side-by-side
That said, if you don’t have multiple screens, it’s not the end of the world. On both Windows and Mac, you can split your screen as you see in the image above. Give two-thirds of the screen to the document you’re reading and a third to your notes application. Whichever approach you choose, the idea is to read actively. Active reading has two key benefits.
Writing your thoughts helps you comprehend and remember the content more effectively than a more passive approach.
You can synthesise the thoughts you write, as feedback for the author, once you finish reading.
Provide acknowledgement
Speaking of finishing reading, you’ve not “finished”, until you’ve acknowledged the author. Think of it this way. If someone were talking to you, it’d be impolite to respond with stony silence. Similarly, it’s only sensitive to respond thoughtfully to what your colleague has written. If you’ve practised active reading, this shouldn’t be too hard.
Provide your comments and feedback in line with the text you’re referring to
Start by reviewing your notes. If you made some knee-jerk observations in the flow, be sure to get rid of them.
Wherever possible, add your comments, questions and feedback in the same context as the text you’re referring to. This makes it easy for the author to know what your reactions are about and to resolve them.
Think about what would make the document easy to understand with minimal context. Place yourself in the shoes of a future team member. Would enhancing or simplifying the artefact make it easy for them? Be sure to provide that feedback as well.
It’s also likely that you have no comments to offer on the document. That’s OK. As we get better at writing clearly, this could be a common occurrence. If this is indeed the case, you must at least provide the author an acknowledgement. You could write, “Thanks! This is clear to me.” or react in line with the using emojis such as ❤ ️, 👍🏽, 💯, 🎉. Never underestimate emojis - in an asynchronous, text-based communication environment, they’re an excellent way to convey emotions.
And that’s all there’s to it. Honestly, there’s no reason to complicate it further. The author already did most of the hard work to put their thoughts out there. All you must do is give them your undivided attention and considerate feedback. No big deal, right?