Instructions: How to Write Procedures for Busy Grouches


Write instructions for busy grouchesJerz > Writing > Technical & Professional

People hate reading instructions. Write procedures for busy grouches who are already frustrated. Key tips:

  1. Respect the tl;dr crowd. (Cut the fluff.)
  2. State the task. (Say what your document does, and point readers elsewhere if needed.)
  3. Give commands. (Use direct verbs so readers know exactly what to do.)
  4. Number required steps. (Use bullets instead for options or nonhierarchical details, such as the list you are reading.)
  5. Test and revise. (Make each draft harder to misread.)
  6. Follow models. (What is, and what is not, a set of instructions?)

This document does not cover how to boost clicks or hook visitors. (That’s a different writing task.)

1. Respect the “too long; didn’t read” crowd. (Cut the fluff.)

People in the real world turn to instructions when they are impatient, fatigued, or even terrified. They don’t want to be impressed by your cleverness. They won’t read as thoughtfully or carefully as a writing teacher would.

Your writing must be clear enough that readers can understand with minimal effort. This does not mean using baby language or avoiding complex details; it does mean using vocabulary appropriate to your audience, and including details that your readers need to perform the immediate task. (How do you know how much detail to include? Conduct a usability test.)

2. State the task.

In plain language (without marketing hype) say what this document is for. Start with the title.

“Renting Your First Apartment: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Credit and Paperwork”

In just a very brief intro, state who should read it, and why. If you can tell your reader what your document does not do, and where they should go to find what they really need, then your intro has served its purpose. (Marketers will want you to tease the reader, to get them to stick around, but but that’s not a writing task this document covers.)

  • Readers will typically skip right to the first numbered step. Don’t put anything vital in the intro.
  • Technical support documents are no place for marketing — the reader has already got the product, and is probably annoyed with it at the moment.

3. Give commands. Use direct verbs.

Each step should answer the question, “What should I do next?”

No 
(Not phrased as a command.)
One of the most important steps is knowing how much flour to add. In most cases, between 2 and 2 1/2 cups should be added. More flour will make the cookies more like cakes.
The “should be added” phrasing de-emphasizes the action. One might agree wholeheartedly that a faulty component “should be removed,” but still have no idea what to push or twist in order to remove it.
Yes 
(Phrased as a command.)
Add 2 cups of flour. (Or 2 1/2 for a spongier result.)
The revision emphasizes (in bold type) the main step the reader is supposed do, and de-emphasizes minor details. If a choice really matters, then it deserves its own step: “Decide whether you want crunchy or spongy cookies.”

Write steps as commands. (See the section on the “imperative voice” in my handout on active and passive verbs.)

4. Number required steps. (Use bullets for options or nonhierarchical details.)

Busy readers scan for the next step. Orient your reader with headings, and within each section, present important steps as a numbered sequence of commands.

Yes 

How to manage your YouTube recommendations
Stuck in a “skibidi” rabbit hole? Hoping to avoid spoilers for your favorite show’s new season? Follow these steps to reset your YouTube recommendations.

Resetting YouTube recommendations on your iPhone

  1. Tap “You” (your profile icon) > Settings (the gear) > Manage all history.
  2. Select “Delete.”
  3. Choose from options:
    • “Delete today” (to back out of today’s rabbit hole)
    • “Delete custom range” (to target a few weeks or months)
    • “Delete all time” (the nuclear option)
  4. Clear your “Watch history”
  5. Clear your “Search history”
If you omit numbers, readers will get lost. If you number everything, a reader who is plugging along through a list of numbered steps might not notice the difference between a “do all the things” checklist and a “choose your fighter” lineup.

Midvale School for the Gifted Comic
5. Test and Revise.

In the real world, we get distracted, we skip around, we overthink. Real human beings who read your first draft will probably make mistakes you didn’t expect. (“I didn’t realize they’d skip that part,” or “I didn’t expect them to treat that option as a requirement.”)

Instead of guessing how your readers will misinterpret your draft, create a prototype and conduct usability testing on it. You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn.

What is a usability test?

  1. Find a volunteer and simulate, as closely as possible, the environment in which your reader will need to follow your instructions.
    • This might mean putting the instructions inside a greasy machine, on a sticker that the user has to read while lying on their back, in a puddle.
    • The point is not for you to prove that your instructions are correct if a user reads them carefully enough; but rather, for you to match your instructions to the reader’s real-world needs.
  2. Watch your volunteer try to use your document.
    • Keep your mouth shut. Don’t tell them how they *should* use your document.
    • Pay attention to the whole system. Was the text too small? Did the sticker get covered with dirt after three weeks?
  3. Revise your document.
  4. Repeat until you are satisfied with the results.

6. Examples: Instructions vs Helpful Tips

Yes Instructions: “How to Do ‘The Hokey Pokey’ Dance”

(This example includes numbered steps that must be performed in a particular order.)

The “Hokey Pokey” is a simple dance that helps teach toddlers the parts of the body. It also helps tire youngsters out.

Warning: encouraging your toddler to perform this dance just before naptime may cause the child to become excited or cranky.

  1. Stand in a circle.
  2. Sing the following words, performing the actions described.
    1. “You put your right hand in.”
    2. “You put your right hand out.”
    3. “You put your right hand in.”
    4. “And you shake it all about.”
    5. “You do the Hokey Pokey [point at the ceiling with alternating hands] and you turn yourself around.”
    6. “That’s what it’s all about!” [A ‘”ta-da” pose.]
  3. Repeat step 2, substituting “right hand” with other terms (such as “left hand”, “right foot,” “left foot,” “head”, and “whole self”) as desired.

There is no specific end to this song. Continue as long as you wish.

Hint: If your objective for performing the “Hokey Pokey” is to tire out your toddler instead of yourself, you may omit the action of turning in a small circle at step 2.5.

No Not Instructions: How to Entertain Your Toddler

(Even though this example presents a numbered list, the items are not steps that must be performed in a certain order, so this is a “listicle,” not an example of instructions.)

How to Entertain Your Toddler

  1. Consider your child’s developmental stage.
  2. Pay close attention to what your child does and doesn’t like.
  3. Remember that children imitate everything they see.

1. Consider your child’s developmental stage

A youngster who is just learning to walk may be frustrated by the “Hokey Pokey” dance (which requires children to stand on one foot part of the time). But if you play the game on a nice soft rug, and if you don’t mind falling down yourself in order to keep your child company, then before you know it, your toddler will be able to perform all the steps without any help.

2. Pay close attention to what your child does and doesn’t like.

If your toddler keeps grabbing the book out of your hand while you read a classic, don’t punish them. Just sit back and let their imagination blossom.

3. Remember that children imitate everything they see.

If you want your toddler to clean up their toys, they need to see you organizing your own space first. They don’t just follow the rules; they follow the leader.

Yes Instructions: How to Make a Lime and Coconut Drink

(This example includes a numbered chronological sequence of steps.)
These instructions describe how to make one serving of the beverage described in Harry Nilsson’s 1971 “Coconut” song. It also explains what to do if the drink makes you sick.

You will need one (1) lime and one (1) coconut.

I. Preparing the Drink

  1. Take lime.
  2. Take coconut.
  3. Put the lime in the coconut.
  4. Drink it right up.

II. If You Get Sick

Drinking the lime and the coconut may result in indigestion. In case of a bellyache, do the following:

  1. Call the doctor.
  2. Wake him up, if necessary.
  3. Say, “Doctor! Is there nothing I can take, I say Doctor! To relieve this belly ache!”

III. Suggestions for Getting the Tune Out of Your Head

  • Bonk yourself on the head with the coconut, or
  • Listen to a vintage Britney Spears album, or
  • Dwell in misery upon your misguided, sinful life.

See also:

MLA Style: Using MS-Word to Format a Paper (example of detailed instructions)

Dennis G. Jerz

28 Apr 2000 — first posted
23 May 2000 — minor edits
10 Nov 2002 — minor update
16 July 2011 — refreshed and tweaked
28 May 2020 — added new graphic; tweaked intro
19 Feb 2021 — tweaked subtitle (added reference to “procedures”)
17 Oct 2022 — minor adjustments
27 Feb 2026 — integrated new apartment and YouTube examples; standardized model layouts

50 thoughts on “Instructions: How to Write Procedures for Busy Grouches”

  7. Pingback: People hate reading instructions, and will only glance at them after they are already frustrated and behind schedule. | Jerz's Literacy Weblog (est. 1999)

  9. Have you considered updating this site to have a modern feel to it? The current 90s era design makes it difficult to read.

    Reply

  10. I am taking a course in Advanced Technical Writing or WRTG 393 and our first writing assignment is an instruction manual.

    I find the information contained in this particular blog exceedingly useful. The information is clear, concise, and easy-to-follow from the introduction through each of the five points he covers. The five points he covered included : Know your audience, provide a brief introduction, write each step as a command, use numbers for commands, bullets for options, and plan to test and revise. Not only are each of these useful for what I am expected to accomplish in this course, but he even goes deeper into detail with each point allowing easy comprehension. The examples are thorough enough, I can directly apply them to the information in this blog and what I am learning in class right.

    Thus, this blog piece serves a great purpose in helping me prepare for the instruction manual as well as other technical writing in the future.

    Thanks for sharing Professor Jerz.

    Reply

  12. This has been on the internet for 17 years and people are still posting on it. That’s pretty cool.

    Reply

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  16. Pingback: How to Write a Good "How To" | Breaking Even Communications

  18. For the past several semesters, I’ve used your article (credited, for sure) as supplementary reading for a class I teach at Missouri State University. Not only is it a fine example of well-written instructions, it’s also such a fun read…and acquaints my scholars with that fine musical classic “Lime in the Coconut.” Thank you for helping me show my students how much fun technical writing can be!

    Reply

  20. Pingback: Writing Instructions That Lead to Action | DOUG TOFT

  21. Dennis, I agree with your points as they match my experience. I’m developing a training class and I’m trying to find quantitative research to reference that supports my observations. Do you know of any research studies that have tested reading comprehension of lists versus narratives/essays?

    Reply

    • http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/

      This is from 1997. I’m sure there are more recent studies, and I am sure there are studies that cover reading in general (this one covers online reading). I have not taught technical writing for some time, but here is a 2003 article that argues that bullet lists are shallow and make us dumber.
      http://www.units.miamioh.edu/technologyandhumanities/tuftebullets.htm

      White papers, annual reports, vision statements, and other important big-picture documents really do need narrative, so I won’t say that bullet points are superior to narrative in all cases. In the case of online writing and the specific case of writing instructions, the context of the reading act means that putting your ideas into bullet points can often increase the chances that your readers will actually read what you write, but I’d say that most important things probably should be written as narrative first, for the small audience that really needs to know all the details, but for the general public or for people who only need to get the general idea, bullet points are ways that the writer can make best use of the limited attention that general audiences will give.

      Reply

  23. Pingback: Instructions | Technical Writing

  24. I have shown this article to many people as a quick overview for technical writing, and it’s been a wonderful resource. I can’t thank you enough for this!

    Reply

  25. Pingback: Bedford Bits: Ideas for Teaching Composition » Blog Archive » Teaching about Writing Instructions with Comics

  26. May I please I use this example of writing instructions for a technical writing course I teach in for Harrisburg University?

    Reply

  30. Writing guidelines is usually the easiest and fastest thing to write. Writing instructions has to be very precise and exact.

    Reply

    • Good point. Just in case the subtitle of this document might give the impression that instructions and guidelines are interchangeable, I’ll second what you wrote, Logan.

      Reply

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