The way I do it is to pull the lever back against the spring pressure while checking the clearance; but that's only so I don't have to fight that spring on and off just to check the adjustment. There is no other reason the spring needs to be installed first.
The .030" number is for the early Lockheed slave (note the comment about "twin-bore" master cylinder); if you check the early handbook at the front of the Bentley (page 41) it says .075" instead. That number was increased to .100" in later handbooks. Some sources even give .125" as I recall; others .063" (1/16").
The actual clearance isn't critical, the main thing is to ensure that it never goes to zero (it will get narrower as the clutch wears, zero means the clutch is not fully released). So I generally just pull the lever away from the slave (against the spring pressure) and check that I can rattle the pushrod around a bit. Once you get accustomed to the car, you can alter the meaning of "a bit" to suit your tastes. The more clearance you have, the farther you have to depress the pedal to release the clutch. When the pedal becomes noticeably higher, it's time to adjust the slave.
PS, be sure the slave piston is bottomed in the bore while you are checking the clearance. It should have already been pushed there by the spring, but sometimes the spring is weak or has been replaced with the wrong spring by a DPO. If the spring isn't strong enough to push the piston to the bottom immediately, the spring should be replaced. Otherwise, the pedal height becomes erratic while driving, which is really annoying.