What is a "Hat Manual"?

16 years of running my business, and one simple tool has made the biggest difference in staying calm and productive — hat manuals.

These are basically checklists — step-by-step recipes for any task or project you do regularly.

Why is it called “hat manual”? You wear different hats in your business — when you put on your bookkeeping hat, you have a manual for that. When you put on your content creation hat, there’s a manual for that too.

Here’s the thing: a hat manual doesn’t need to be a 500-page document.

It can even be three lines on a Post-it note. The usability matters far more than the length.

Why they’re useful

I don’t know about you, but I can easily escape projects that I’m not 100% clear and confident about.

Even though people might see me as productive, it’s so easy for me to resist something that feels unclear. Oh, there’s always email to respond to. Social media to check. It’s always easier to help someone else by commenting on their post, than to help ourselves with our own vague projects.

But when you have a hat manual — especially one that’s pleasant to look at! — you can simply follow the steps and feel clear about what to do next.

MSU :)

Here’s the secret I use for creating hat manuals and pretty much everything else:

MSU — Make Stuff Up (first) then improve over time.

There’s no perfect hat manual. There never will be. Every hat manual is a work in progress that helps you make progress.

You make it up as you go along. What’s step one? What might be step two? If you’re stuck, ask for help from someone who’s done it (or ask Ai), then write your own version that suits your style.

When to create a hat manual?

Don’t write hat manuals for things that are super obvious.

If you’re a chef, you don’t need instructions for boiling water. Step 1: Take out pot. Step 2: Put water in pot. LOL!

But whenever you feel like escaping a project? That’s your trigger. You need a hat manual.

And whenever you think “next time, don’t forget to do that” — that’s another trigger.

The more you can refer to written instructions, the more you can use your brain for what it’s ACTUALLY best at doing — innovation… pattern recognition… relationships… intuition… rather than remembering exact steps!

Example of a hat manual:

Let me show you how simple this can be. Say I’m creating an online course:

Step 1: Create a google drive folder for the course.

Step 2: Create a new document, using this shortcut link:

https://doc.new

then place that new document in that new folder.

Step 3: On that document, brainstorm 3 key skills I’d love students to have learned and practiced by the end of the course.

Step 4: Look at these 3 skills. Do I have additional ideas? Keep writing.

I’m well on my way to outlining the course. See how calming that can be? :)

When I see these simple steps with space between them, I no longer need to escape.

Creating your first Hat Manual

Think of a project you could easily escape from. Something you know you need to do but don’t want to.

Open a blank document.

Name your document (you can always change it later.)

Then write “Step 1…”

…and whatever first step comes to mind. Simply start!

Remember, you are a genius — you just need a timer! :)

Most hat manuals are created while you’re doing the task, not from scratch. As you work on something, pause occasionally to note what steps you’d want to remember next time.

How I organize my hat manuals

First, I have one giant Google Doc with all my hat manuals organized by headers. I can scroll through the document outline on the left or use Ctrl+F to find what I need. For example, when I type “Focusmate,” it jumps right to my template for inviting people to co-work.

Second, for processes tied to my calendar or recurring tasks, I have separate documents. My monthly PayPal bookkeeping has its own doc linked in my recurring to-do item. When the task pops up, the link to the hat manual is right there.

The key is that everything pops up at the right time.

I don’t have to remember where things are filed — they appear when I need them.

Hat manuals vs. Project documents

A hat manual is for recurring tasks — the steps stay mostly the same each time.

A project document contains notes for a specific instance.

For example, I have a hat manual for launching courses. The first steps in that hat manual might say “Create course folder then new document for the course.” But then the actual notes about the course will be in a separate project document.

The hat manual is the recipe; the project document is today’s meal.

Keeping hat manuals fresh

Your first draft won’t be perfect, and that’s okay.

As you use a hat manual, make small improvements. Maybe change the font, add an emoji, reorder steps, or update links.

I recommend making tiny tweaks every few weeks — even just adding a pretty header keeps the manual feeling alive and fresh.

Some hat manuals get bloated over time. I had steps for uploading to YouTube that I don’t use anymore. Time to delete those and keep only what’s current and useful.

Real results

This system has transformed how I work.

When my calendar says “Write article,” I no longer feel resistance. I open my hat manual and see:

Step 1: Open a blank document (I can do that!)

Step 2: Take 15 minutes — brainstorm 3 ideas, no matter how messy or incomplete

Simple, calming steps that make even challenging tasks feel doable.

I have hat manuals for everything now — content creation, course launches, bookkeeping, morning routines, even vacation prep. Each one saves me from reinventing the wheel and wasting time in confusion.

One of my students shared this:

“I started writing mine maybe 2 years ago… I’m now using it almost every day, and am so relieved many times a week when I go in there and can find the exact recipe I need! It’s truly a massive time saver… My accounting processes are in there, my client processes, my workshop processes… Start simply. Next time you do a repetitive task, just write that one.”

Next steps

You can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

You just have to take it step by step. A hat manual helps you to stay clear and calm.

Start simple. Next time you do a repetitive task, write down the steps. Next time you think “I should remember this,” add it to a hat manual.

Build your hat manual collection, one process at a time!

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If you are interested in diving deep into this method, getting guidance for your own hat manual creation and connecting with others about it, consider the JoyPro program. Together, we’ll build the systems, step by step, that make your business run smoothly and joyfully.