Workplace essentials

At work, people judge you by your messages long before they judge your results. Clear writing is the fastest way to look reliable.

• Put the point first. "Can you approve the Ikeja invoice by 3pm?" before any background.
• One message, one topic. Two topics get half an answer.
• Say what you need and by when. "When you get a chance" means never.
• On WhatsApp at work, write full sentences, avoid voice notes unless asked, and do not post outside working hours unless it is urgent.
• In email, the subject line is the message in five words: "Approval needed: Ikeja invoice, today".

Read every message once before sending, as if you were the person receiving it with no context. Cut anything they do not need.

Exercise: rewrite the last three work messages you sent so the request is in the first line.

Managers rarely ask for brilliance from new hires. They ask for reliability: doing what you said, when you said, or saying early that you cannot.

• Write down every task you are given, with its deadline, the moment you get it.
• Confirm what "done" means before you start. Ask: "What should this look like when it is finished?"
• If something will be late, say so as soon as you know, with a new date and a reason. Bad news early is useful; bad news on the deadline is a problem.
• Close the loop: tell people when a task is done. Do not make them ask.

Lateness to meetings is noticed more than you think. If traffic makes you late, message before the start time, not after.

A simple daily system beats a complicated one you abandon.

• Each morning, list everything open. Mark the three that matter most today.
• Do the hardest of the three first, before messages and meetings take the day.
• Batch small tasks — replies, filing, calls — into two blocks rather than all day.
• Protect one hour without notifications for focused work.

When everything feels urgent, ask your manager to choose: "I have A, B and C due this week. Which comes first?" That is not weakness; it is how good teams work.

At the end of the day, write tomorrow's three. You will start faster.

The first three months shape how you are seen for years. Plan them.

• First 30 days: learn. Meet everyone you will work with, ask how things are done, write down what you learn. Ask your manager what success looks like at 90 days.
• Days 31–60: contribute. Take ownership of something small and finish it well.
• Days 61–90: improve. Suggest one thing that could work better, with evidence and a plan, not a complaint.

Book a short check-in with your manager every two weeks. Ask: "What should I keep doing, and what should I change?"

Keep a private record of your results from day one. You will need it for your review, your next CV, and your next salary conversation.