1. I can do anything in 6 hours a day: 30 minutes on, followed by 60 minutes off.
2. Selfish time to myself doing what I feel like = thoughtful, effortless, higher-quality creative work.
3. It’s not how much time it takes, but the quality of attention. 5 seconds could do the work of a month.
4. I commit to being open and ready for anything—even an idea that sounds absurd.
5. Just start writing—like rolling out of bed, make it an unanticipated, impulsive event.
6. Lightly, lightly, trust. Things are allowed to take less time than I expect.
7. I’m open to the possibility that in my mind are creative forces that contain within them the wisdom of generations of humans going back thousands of years.
8. Optimal = Standard. There shouldn’t be a difference between my Optimal Operating Conditions and my Standard Operating Conditions.
9. Change your location, change your luck.
10. I’m curious what will happen next.
11. There’s no substitute for a real conversation with a real person.
12. I can always take a nap.

Two weeks ago, you were on top of the world. Brilliance! Best thing I ever wrote! They will love this! Now here you are, fighting back tears and questioning the meaning of life.

Several people just sent you their own, heavily-marked-up versions of the document you created. Getting their feedback took forever. Somehow they’ve made it worse than before.

Let me guess. You asked them for feedback, or you said, “let me know what you think.”

These seemingly innocent phrases open up the doors that separate our normal universe from a parallel universe called The Feedback Zone. Only use them with trusted colleagues.

No one actually dies in The Feedback Zone, but your content never looks the same again.

Escaping The Feedback Zone isn’t easy, so let’s try not to go there in the first place.

Remember this for next time.

You need to give each person one very specific thing to look for.

Here are four sample requests based the job title or role of the person you’re asking—which is based on their personality type. I’ve made wild over-simplifications here, so please don’t take these job titles as definitive personality-type indicators. People are complicated. This is a starting point. Use these scripts word-for-word, or repurpose and make them your own.

(You can use personality type to inform the way you create content, too. See the Content Dreamhouse for inspiration.)

1. Getting feedback from The Engineer

(Other possible job titles: Administrator, Executive, Physician)

In a nutshell: Engineers love The Feedback Zone. They’re efficient and thorough and they can’t help but see all the ways you’re doing it wrong. Nothing personal. Their superpowers are logistics and resource management. Managing processes, marshaling the troops, and generally being on top of things you didn’t know existed.

“We’re just about to pass this off to production. Can you review this and let me know if anything here is factually inaccurate? If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow, I’ll assume everything is correct, and we’ll post it.”

You just saved yourself from: Death by a million edits. Dilly-dallying while they puzzle over the most efficient, correct way to put it. When they know what facts to look for, they forget about their natural inclination to spot every single possible inefficiency. You don’t have to wait as long for their feedback. When you get it, it’s in a form you can use.

2. Getting feedback from The Designer

(Other possible job titles: Photographer, Artist, Web Developer)

In a nutshell: They’re natural cool-finders who live in the moment, notice everything, and love to use tools. They’re concrete thinkers who don’t always follow every metaphor. They will keep you grounded if you let them.

“This will take 5 minutes. Can you read this and let me know if there’s anything that’s unclear or doesn’t make sense? If so, maybe you can help me. What is it you think I’m trying to say? How can I be more clear?”

You just saved yourself from: Having to follow up with them several times because they didn’t know where to start. Hearing unhelpful feedback like, “Maybe I’m not one of your people, but I just don’t get it.” By giving them a specific thing to look for that fits the way they process information, you made it easy for them to get back to you quickly. And you get feedback on any areas where you might have gone overboard with the metaphors. I do this often.

3. Getting feedback from The Strategist

(Other possible job titles: Project Manager, Architect, Analyst, Professor, Lawyer)

In a nutshell: Can see systems others can’t see, and love to understand how and why things work.

“After reading this piece, what unanswered questions do you still have? Is there one critical step or idea we’re leaving out?”

You just saved yourself from: Getting back several pages of feedback and analysis, ideas to consider adding, nuances to explore, and ruminations way beyond the scope of the actual topic. By asking them for the single-most critical missing element, you focused their feedback on what you could use today.

4.  Getting feedback from The Writer

(Other possible job titles: Entrepreneur, Author, Coach, Designer, Catalyst, Photographer)

In a nutshell: They’re natural advocates who love to support causes, people, and ideas they believe in. On a covert mission to change the world. Addicted to metaphors.

“What did you love about this? Are there any parts that felt off, and how would you improve them?”

You just saved yourself from: Getting strong emotional reactions without any specifics on what they’d improve or change.

Got any feedback requests you’ve used with success? Am I way off base about your zone? Please do share in the comments.