Time Management for Engineering Leaders
When everything's a top priority, nothing is.
Being a leader often feels like an endless juggling act. Your calendar is packed, your to-do list keeps growing, and somehow, there’s always another “urgent” message demanding your attention, and there is no time left in the day to do “real work”. Time management isn’t just about squeezing more into your day. It’s about creating the space to focus on what truly matters, both for your team and yourself. Here are some practical strategies to help you take back control of your time.
1. Audit
Where is your time actually going? Start by tracking everything you do for a week. You can use a time-tracking app, a spreadsheet, or even a simple notebook. If you’re like me and you live and die by your calendar app, you can also just pull up the weekly view and do an assessment from there.
The goal is to uncover patterns: Are you spending too much time in meetings? How are you spending the time in between them? Are you losing chunks of the day to emails or context switching? Once you have a clear picture, categorize your activities into high-value (e.g., strategic planning, mentoring) and low-value (e.g., repetitive tasks, unnecessary status meetings). If you use Google Calendar, pick colors to represent different types of tasks and the page will show you in the left nav what proportion of time you spend on each activity.
From there, you can eliminate, delegate, or streamline the tasks that don’t align with your priorities. It’s a small investment of time that pays big dividends in clarity and focus.
Eliminate: What meeting are you in right now, and what is your participation level? If you are reading this blog instead of paying attention to the meeting, you are fragmenting your attention and not contributing value to either activity. Decline meetings that don’t require your active participation.
Delegate: What responsibilities are you doing currently that could be shared among your team? Evaluate your task list with a critical eye to determine which tasks absolutely must be done by you. Everything else is on the table for delegation. Try to match responsibilities with folks who are looking to grow in those areas.
Streamline: Are you spending your time doing repetitive tasks that could be automated? As a software engineer, it was usually worth the time to build a script, write a macro, or find a tool that could speed up the repetitive tasks that don’t require as much deep thought to perform. Try chatGPT or a snippet/text expander to speed up your next task. At the very least, try batching tasks so that you are reducing switching costs.
2. Set Priorities That Stick
Setting priorities that stick is all about aligning your time with what truly matters. As a leader, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily whirlwind of urgent tasks and immediate demands, leaving little room for the bigger picture.
Start by clarifying your long-term goals—both personal and professional—and breaking them down into actionable steps. Tools like the Eisenhower Matrix can help you separate what’s urgent from what’s important, ensuring you focus on tasks that drive meaningful progress. Another approach is using OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to align your priorities with your team’s goals. The key is consistency: revisit your priorities regularly to adjust as needed and avoid drift.
3. Master the Art of Saying No
Saying no with grace is one of the most powerful time management skills a leader can develop. It can be difficult to admit when you are operating at your capacity, but it is important to recognize that every “yes” to something new is a “no” to something else, often something more important.
When you need to say no, do it with empathy and clarity. Acknowledge the request and its importance, explain your constraints, and, if possible, offer an alternative solution or delegate the task to someone better suited. For example, you might say, “I’d love to help, but my focus this week is on [top priority]. I think [colleague’s name] might be able to assist.” Practicing these conversations can help you feel more confident and find the right words for tricky situations, turning a hard “no” into a productive dialogue.
4. Lead Your Time, Don’t Let It Lead You
Proactively planning your time is the secret to staying ahead of the chaos and making space for what truly matters. Just like preparing your meals for the week on Sunday, preparing your schedule in advance means that you are out of reactive mode and taking charge of your time. One effective strategy is time blocking—dedicating specific chunks of your calendar to particular tasks or priorities. Start by identifying your energy peaks and schedule your most demanding work, like strategic planning or problem-solving, during those times. Block out time for recurring responsibilities, deep work, and even breaks to recharge. At the start of each week, map out your top goals and allocate time for them on your calendar, leaving some buffer for the unexpected. Pair this with a quick daily review each morning to adjust as needed and stay focused.
Every Monday morning I ask myself three questions and write down the answers:
Where do I want to win this week?
What actions do I need to take to get this win?
What positive soundtrack do I need to play in order to help me get this win? (If you like this, check out Soundtracks by Jon Acuff)
And every day I post in a public channel on slack:
What is my main focus for the day?
Why is it important?
What outcome am I driving?
This intentional approach not only increases productivity but reduces the mental load of constant task-switching. A coach can help you refine this system, ensuring your plan aligns with your values and leadership goals while holding you accountable for sticking to it.
Time management isn’t about packing your day to the brim—it’s about creating the space to lead effectively, focus on what matters most, and avoid burnout. By auditing your time, setting clear priorities, learning to say no, and planning proactively, you can take control of your schedule instead of letting it control you.
Thanks for reading Keeping Steady. I’m Katie, an engineering manager turned coach, writing for the people doing the hardest version of the job.
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