The MVD: How to Document Less and Scale More

"I have to document all of this?"

Avoiding "The Mountain"

In our last post, we broke through the "Documentation Wall" and realized that an "ugly" entry in Midgard is better than no entry at all.

But once you start, the scale of the task can feel like a mountain. You look at your business—marketing, sales, operations, HR, finance—and think, "I have to document all of this?"

The answer is: Start with the Minimum Viable Documentation (MVD).

The Pareto Principle: The Hidden Law of Growth

To understand the MVD, we have to look at the Pareto Principle, commonly known as the 80/20 Rule.

Named after economist Vilfredo Pareto, this principle suggests that in almost any endeavor, 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. In a business context, this is a game-changer:

• 80% of your revenue likely comes from 20% of your clients.

• 80% of your headaches come from 20% of your processes.

• 80% of your business freedom comes from documenting the critical 20% of your tasks.

  
  

  

  Pareto Principle

  
  

By focusing your documentation efforts on that "Vital Few" (the 20%), you create the highest possible ROI on your time. You don't need to document the entire company on day one; you just need to document the engine that drives it.

Granularity: From 30,000 Feet to the Mouse Click

One of the biggest debates in the world of systems is how detailed you should be. Some say "just the results," others say "every single step."

In Midgard, the choice is yours. Documentation is the "Source of Truth" for your business. Depending on the task, you might need different levels of detail:

• The Strategic Level: High-level goals and "Why" we do things.

• The Tactical Level: The specific sequence of events to get a job done.

• The Granular Level: If a task is technical or sensitive, you might want to document every single mouse click.

Whether you are writing a quick summary for a senior manager or a step-by-step manual for a new freelancer to follow exactly, the right tools provide the canvas. If the detail is what gives you peace of mind that the job is being done right, then the detail belongs in your documentation.

How to Identify Your "Vital 20%"

If you aren't sure where to start inside Midgard, look for the "Three Red Flags":

1. The "Groundhog Day" Task: Anything you find yourself explaining to a team member or a client more than twice a month.

2. The "High-Stakes" Task: A process where a single mistake costs you significant money or a client’s trust (e.g., the final checkout process or data backups). This is where those "mouse-click" details are vital.

3. The "I Hate This" Task: The repetitive work that drains your energy. Document this in high detail so you can hand it off and never look at it again.

   
   

Your Challenge: The "Exit List"

Let’s get tactical. You’ve already made your "Ugly Entry" in Midgard. Now, let’s give it some direction using the 80/20 rule.

The Midgard Challenge:

1. Open Midgard.

2. Create a new document titled "The Exit List."

3. Write down the top 3 tasks that fall into the "Vital 20%". The ones that, if offloaded, would give you 80% more time.

4. For the most annoying one, try to write down every single step you take to finish it. Don't skip the "mouse clicks."

   
   

By doing this, you aren't just taking notes; you are building an asset that can be handed to someone else tomorrow.

Coming Up Next...

We’ve identified what to document and how detailed to be. But how do you do it without adding "Documentation Time" to your already packed calendar?

In Documentation as a Flow, we’ll show you how to document while you work—so your systems build themselves in Midgard without you even trying.

Check the Interrupt Method