Why Preference Documents Are An Effective Delegation Tool

When you bring an executive assistant into your world, you're not just delegating tasks. You're inviting someone to become an extension of your professional self.

One way to fast-track this partnership is to spend time upfront outlining your preferences, instead of having your assistant learn largely through trial and error over time.

The Preference Doc Principle

To reach the promised land of compound leverage, you need to give your assistant deep context — in the form of big-picture goals, your vision for your company, your personal aspirations, etc.

A way to front-load this context? This is where the ‘Preference Doc” comes in.

This is an initial guide that serves as a reference manual for your assistant to enable them to make informed decisions and complete tasks in alignment with your style and expectations.

Here are a set of templates from an Athena power user:

For more general guidance, but here are some starters on which preferences may be worth detailing in advance:

Basics

• Personal Information:
  • VIPs: a list of people who come first, including their contact info and birthdays, important anniversaries, or special dates
  • Addresses: home(s), office(s), kids' schools, etc.
  • Preferred banks and payments: primary bank account, credit cards, Venmo, etc.
• How you live:
  • Sleep schedule and evening wind-down routine
  • Exercise routine and preferred fitness activities
  • Dietary guidelines or meal planning preferences
  • Preferred methods for managing stress or recharging
  • Medical - all providers, appointment cadence, health insurance information, health history
• Travel and Logistics:
  • Allergy and dietary information for you and your family
  • Pre-flight routines and airport arrival times
  • Passport information and expiration dates, Known Traveler and Global Entry
  • Flight preferences: business vs. economy, window/middle/aisle seat, airline preferences, airports ranked (LGA vs. JFK vs. EWR)
  • Lodging preferences: hotel vs. AirBNB, in the city vs. scenic, preferred chains

How you work

• Communication:
  • Meetings:
    • Ideal meeting hours (earliest and latest), max number of meetings per day
    • Preferred meeting durations and formats (in-person, video, phone)
    • Meeting levels - VIPs, key stakeholders, direct reports, etc. Which ones in person vs. Zoom vs. calls
    • Assistant involvement - should they join external meetings (which ones, video/audio on or off)
  • Calendar:
    • Deep work blocks
    • How to handle meeting conflicts and cancellations
  • EA:
    • Frequency of communication: Batch process asks vs. one-off
    • Assistant/Client workspace - form a “hub” in Notion or Google Drive
    • Speed vs. quality, acceptable “error-rates” (% or $-threshold)
  • Technology and Tools:
    • List of essential software and apps for daily work
    • Preferred devices and operating systems
    • Password management system and access protocols (1password/Lastpass, etc.)
  • Decision-Making Framework:
    • Your process for evaluating new opportunities or challenges
    • Preferred sources for industry news and market data
    • Risk tolerance levels for different types of decisions
    • Key stakeholders to consult for major decisions
  • Professional Objectives and business context:
    • Quarterly and annual targets for your role and the company
    • Key metrics you use to measure success
    • Your top 3-5 priorities for the next 6-12 months
    • Key terminology in your line of business
    • Walk-through of your business
  • Learning and Development:
    • Preferred learning formats (e.g. books, podcasts, online courses)
    • Target number of learning hours per week or month
    • Industry conferences or events you'd like to attend
    • How you like to apply and share new knowledge within your team

Implementing the “Preference Doc” Principle

Let’s take this principle from theory to practice. Here are 4 simple steps to set up Preference Docs early on:

1/ Create a Living Document

Start by compiling a comprehensive document that covers all aspects of your professional and personal preferences. This should include everything from travel preferences to communication styles, dietary restrictions to decision-making processes.

2/ Tell Stories as Context

Don't just list preferences — provide context through stories. For example, instead of simply stating "I prefer early morning flights," you might explain: "I once had a breakthrough idea for our product during a 6 AM flight. The quiet cabin and the perspective from 30,000 feet seem to spark my creativity. Now, I always try to schedule early flights for important business trips to capitalize on this productive time."

3/ Make it more real

Instead of simply having generic conversations, try a more targeted strategy to articulate your preferences:

1. Conduct "Experience Autopsies": Schedule sessions to dissect particularly memorable experiences, both positive and negative.
2. Use Visual Aids: Share screenshots or photos to illustrate your preferences concretely:
   • Show your assistant a screenshot of your ideal calendar layout.
   • Share photos of well-organized vs. cluttered workspaces to convey your organizational preferences.
   • An example: after an Athena shared selfies at various restaurants he visited, his assistant started to get a feel for the type of places he likes; they were “90% in sync” with his preferences in just a few short months.
3. Conduct "Day in the Life" Simulations: Walk your assistant through hypothetical scenarios like:
   • "Here's how I'd like a typical Monday to unfold..."
   • "If an urgent client request comes in after hours, here's how I prefer to handle it..."

4/ Loop Your Feedback

Establish a clear process for your assistant to provide feedback on your preferences.

Encourage your assistant to be your professional "mirror," reflecting back observations that you might miss in your day-to-day rush.

For instance, they might notice that your preference for lengthy, open-ended meetings often leads to project delays. Invite them to suggest a structured agenda format that could streamline these sessions.

Or imagine they observe you handling all client emails personally — and know it’s eating into strategic planning time. They could propose a draft response system for your review, potentially freeing up hours each week.

A constructive dialogue, looped with feedback, will refine your assistant’s (and your) habits.

Preferences Are Dynamic

While front-loading information is key, it's important to recognize that your preferences and needs will evolve over time.

Have your assistant keep track of moments when your stated preferences didn't quite fit the situation. Maybe you said you hate early meetings, but you've been scheduling them anyway for a big project.

As needed, sit down together and go through these in a post mortem. Talk about what happened and why, then update your preference doc accordingly. This way, your preferences stay current and actually useful — not just a set of outdated rules.

Conclusion: Beyond Task Management

An assistant who deeply understands your preferences, goals, and decision-making style becomes an invaluable asset in your ecosystem.

They can represent you effectively in communications, make decisions in line with your vision, and free you to focus on the high-level strategy that drives your business forward.

They can extend your capabilities and multiply your impact.

Remember:

The best time to train your assistant on your detailed preferences is within the first few weeks of onboarding. The next best time is now.