Hey, it's Chad Jifinity here. I've been OEing for over two years now, juggling a J1 at a big-name management consulting firm and a J2 at a boutique one. Fresh out of an Ivy League undergrad and a top-7 business school, I doubled my income in the first year and tripled it since— all while working remotely from Bangkok and bouncing around the world. Trust me, I've learned the hard way that raw talent gets you in the door, but smart optics keeps you paid and free.

Everything boils down to optics. It's not just a work thing—it spills into your personal life, your team dynamics, company politics, and even your relationships. Think about it: how people perceive you shapes their expectations, how they treat you, and what you're known for. Sure, folks say "just do good work," but I call bullshit. Good work only shines in the right light. If your optics suck, even killer results get overlooked.

I argue optics should come first. Balance the effort you put into tasks with how those tasks look to others. Too many grind away thinking work is king, but anyone who's managed a team knows perception matters as much as output. On your level, don't just manage optics—cultivate them like a skill. It's what lets you stand out without doubling your hours.

Take my story: Back in school, I was the nerdy kid focused on grades. My mom picked my clothes, and I'd rotate the same three sweatpants— no surprise I struck out with girls. I nailed a near-perfect SAT, stacked AP classes, and landed in an Ivy League program. But it hit me later, shifting from school to corporate America, that optics isn't something to notice—it's something to master. That mindset flip changed everything (check my piece on paradigm shifts for more). Hell, I even renamed "mindset paradigm shifts" to "modes of thinking" just for better optics!

In OE, optics is gold. It's not about doing double the work; it's getting so efficient at J1 that you have bandwidth for J2. Or hell, use this as a guide to reclaim your time—most corporate gigs are full of bullshit tasks that add zero value anyway. Optics helped me compress my 8-hour day into 0-2 hours, leaving room to hustle and stack cash.

First off, be a damn strong talker. Use soft skills to build confidence in others—speak like an executive, with authority. I won't dive deep into how-to's since everyone learns differently, but I've got an article on speaking with command that grabs respect (link coming soon). This skill saves your ass in sticky spots, like juggling two meetings at once—something I've pulled off more than once.

Your confidence multiplies everything else. Delivery beats substance every time. A weak message said with total belief crushes a strong one mumbled with doubt. In OE, this lets you shine even when you're winging it.

At its core, keep your manager happy, especially in meetings or updates. Use this simple structure every time: Start with a bit of small talk, then hit A) key takeaways from what you did, B) quick dive into methods or challenges overcome, and C) your next steps.

Always have something solid for A, even if B was light. Use the 80/20 rule—knock out 20% effort for 80% insights. A quick Google or initial stab works. This goes for meetings, Slack, or Teams. BLUF (bottom line up front) the insight, add a couple points on how, and end with what you'll do next.

For C, always drive it yourself. Say, "I've nailed X and Y so far—next, I'll tackle Z." This eases their load, makes you seem self-directed. They won't pile on more or probe deeper. It's optics magic: Save time by looking ahead. Here's the logic on C: Your manager is lazy at heart (aren’t we all!). He doesn't want to think on your behalf. Do the thinking for him, and think in terms of the easiest task for you. Frame next steps as low-lift wins that keep things rolling without deep dives. This isn't some bullshit "manage yourself" Harvard Business School tip (actually, I did go to business school too). It's rather a psychology 101 trick to make sure that you come off as more reliable than you are.

Even if I don't do upwards reporting in meetings, this can also happen via chat. Slack a quick ABC update to stay visible without invites.

Sometimes, I wing it: Throw some thoughts into ChatGPT five minutes before the meeting and have it spit out some half-baked insights. Then try to be as confident as I can on the meeting to talk about it. Looks like deep thought, buys you time.

If your role has long deadlines with less oversight, still ping stakeholders regularly on next steps. Set regular upwards reporting cadences. Visibility builds trust without extra effort.

Some think, "Chad, isn't this just basic good work?" Yeah, but here's the hack—you're not adding work; you're overcommunicating the bare minimum to seem busy. Always share insights, next steps, and improvements. It makes life easier daily and stacks proof for reviews.

As a more advanced step: I track every action across jobs in Notion dashboards—exposed to managers so nothing slips. When promo time hits, you've got a trail showing you're a star.

Here's the real mind-bender for OE: Don't hide—over-report. I thought laying low was key when I snagged J2, but nope. Build systems to streamline, then optically amplify. With caveats on undersharing when the situation calls for it(article coming), over-reporting stops questions. They see you as valuable, not suspicious.

Optics isn't fluff—it's your edge in OE and life. Prioritize it over pure grind, use structures to report smart, and over-communicate to under-work. You'll free hours, boost perceived value, and open doors to more income. Remember, success isn't just effort; it's how you project it. Hit me up in comments—what's your optics hack? Let's hustle smarter.

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