Manual of Me

I've been talking about putting together a proper Manual of Me for so long now, so here it is. 💜 This largely applies to those who work directly with me, but hopefully it's useful to those I interact with elsewhere.

So to begin with, the basics. I'm Joe, I'm a Senior Site Reliability Engiqueer at the Government Digital Service in the UK. My pronouns are They/Them, I'm 28 (TODO: update this/work out a way to automate this before it becomes outdated) and I live with my Corgi/Poodle Peggy!

Usual disclaimers apply, this is super WIP, will update as I think of things!

Conditions I like to work in

I like my space, I like quiet, I like to be able to think.
I prefer asynchronous communication as a result, if something doesn't need to be a meeting, just poke me about it and I'll answer. I try to keep myself light on meetings so I can not stress too much about it all.
I definitely prefer working from home, too. Being in my own environment, with my own things, and having a dog to cuddle, it just helps me zen and get to work.

The times I like to work

Generally, I keep to core hours of 1000-1600. I'll usually be around before and after, but those are when I'm definitely available.
Outside of work, if I like you, I might respond at any time. Just know the people paying me take priority.

The best way to communicate with me

If you work with me, please use Slack or email. Slack is preferred for conversations, of course! I would also prefer conversations to happen in public channels, but happy to chat privately if it suits you better.
Otherwise, the best way to reach me is email or Mastodon, both of which are in the About Me section of this site!

The ways I like to receive feedback

Just get in touch! Honestly, I love getting feedback, and don't mind if it's positive or constructive. Just be nice about it, okay?
If I'm doing performance stuff at work, I'll probably ask specific people for targeted feedback, but at other time just go wild!

Things I struggle with

Communication. Honestly, I'm just blunt most of the time, I'll say what I'm thinking before realising I shouldn't say it. One of my personal goals is 'remember other people have feelings too', and I'm trying to get better at it.
Timekeeping. I get immersed in what I'm doing a lot. Sometimes this means I forget about meetings (though I do tend to have alerts for these), forget to eat, take breaks. I'm getting better at this, and putting in reminders to take a breather is helping.
Volunteering. I volunteer way too much! If there's ever an opportunity to do something, I will take it. I forget that I already have way too much already going on, and it always comes back to bite me. I've been making an effort recently to say no to things, or at least limit ongoing responsibilities I take on.

Things I love

Getting things done. This is both a strength and a weakness. If I see something that needs fixing, I'll just fix it. But sometimes I will steam ahead and do something on my own, and either it's too much work for me or I should involve others. On the whole, I see it as a plus, and I'm getting better at spreading the love when it comes to bigger projects.