Standing instructions are useful when they describe how you consistently want work done. They become confusing when they mix permanent preferences with facts that change every week. A personal assistant needs a clear distinction between operating style and the current task.
Keep stable rules small
Useful standing rules might ask for source links, explicit uncertainty, concise language, and a pause before sending an external message. They should be specific enough to evaluate. “Always do excellent work” provides little guidance when two choices conflict.
Task-specific facts belong in the task brief: the current customer, deadline, document version, and intended output. A temporary discount or a one-time exception should not become a default for future work.
Label the lifetime of information
For an illustrative research task, you might prefer tables for comparisons but only want to study one market this week. The table preference can be stable; the market scope is temporary. If a product's exact persistence behavior is not verified, keep an explicit briefing document you can inspect and reuse.
Do not use a general instruction document as a secret store. Access credentials should use the appropriate protected connection mechanism. Sensitive context should be limited to what the task needs and what you are allowed to share.
Correct the rule, not only the sentence
When a draft repeatedly overstates certainty, explain the pattern: distinguish published claims from observed facts. That is more useful than correcting one adjective. Test the revised rule on a new example to see whether it generalizes.
At the same time, avoid accumulating contradictory instructions. Periodically review the brief, remove outdated temporary details, and resolve conflicts explicitly.
Golub Bot can be evaluated with a clear personal operating brief. The guide library includes instruction-writing examples. Contact us when the requirement involves shared organizational policies or managed access rather than a single user's preferences.