Time Management for Engineering Managers Vidal Graupera, October 2019 @ SV Code Camp @vgraupera 

Topics ● Introduction ● Concepts ● Interruptions ● Emails ● Calendar ● Planning ● Meetings ● To-dos ● Tips and More Tips ● Resources and Wrap up 

Introduction ● A bit about me… Always been interested in this… & my mission ● Never enough time…. ● Can be overwhelming especially for new managers! ● Time management is a constant challenge for all EMs interviewed on managersclub.com ● “What’s your work day like and how do you manage your time, emails, etc.?” 

Concepts ● Everyone has the same amount of time ● You will not get everything done! ● Manager’s schedule vs maker's schedule, article by Paul Graham ● Be really conscious of how you manage other people’s time. ● What we can learn from computers ● Parkinson's Law 

The Fallacy of Multitasking ● Very tempting. It’s a myth that this works. ● Human beings are single threaded ● Subject much research ● Your effective IQ goes down by 10% on these tasks! 

Interruptions ● Learn to love internal interruptions: they’re often your job ● Interruptions from your team, your boss, your peers are almost always important. You are an unblocker. ● OK to be strict with external interruptions from 3rd parties, vendors, social visits, etc. 

Emails ● Inbox Zero - very popular ● Quickly scan for fires. Priority one: Can I unblock anyone or another team? ● Work toward acting on an email when you read it – delegate it, reply to it, trash it, etc. ● 80/20 rule. ● Turn off all alerts. ● If you can, only review a few times a day at fixed intervals. Block time for communications. Keep this time sacred. 

Emails Continued ● Filters and rules ○ Addressed only to you, or where you are named ○ From manager or manager’s manager ○ From team(s) and peers ○ With “Action Required” or Invite to Edit or Comment ○ Code Reviews, Alerts, Outages, etc. ○ Automated emails and newsletters -> File ● Last resort declare email bankruptcy 

Calendar ● Whatever happens…. Your Calendar is not the enemy ● Scan calendar first thing, which meetings can I skip, cancel, etc.? ● Defrag calendar ● Schedule like items together, e.g. 1:1’s but not more than 3 ● Themes by day of week, e.g. Monday 1:1s, Tuesdays on Project A ● Defensive calendaring; avoid temptation to over schedule your day ● Plan breaks for unplanned work and add (do not schedule) DNS blocks. ● Prep for meetings 1 day in advance 

More on Calendar ● Decline meeting and send representative. Delegate as learning opportunity. ● Declare a no meeting day, e.g. No Meeting Weds ● Color code your calendar for easy scanning ● Set meetings with your future self to get work done, or to check in with people. 2+ weeks out. 

Planning ● Consider using an asset allocation strategy ● Develop a Time Map showing a picture of when you’d like to do each of your major activities during a normal week, e.g. 20% on recruiting ● End of week review on Friday or Sunday 

Meetings ● Meetings are often the main work up to 80% of time ● Learn to love meetings! ● Running effective meetings is super important ● Action items, agendas, meeting notes, etc. “If there are no notes and AI, then meeting never happened.” ● End early and return time to people! ● Keep short (Parkinson's Law) ● Laptops down. Take note of how many people are not paying attention. ● Send surveys after meetings to improve them. ● “Writing over talking” e.g. use Google docs 

Eisenhower Matrix (EM version) Adapted from a system used by General Dwight D. Eisenhower and later popularized by Stephen Covey, as the “Time Management Matrix” 

To-dos ● Create a daily “TO-DO” list of most important 1-3 items. ● To-Do lists and apps are very popular ● They do not have a sense of time so instead put items on calendar ● Create checklists, daily and weekly so things don’t slip through the cracks ● Pro-tip consider a Personal Kanban Board! 

Personal Kanban Board 

Tips & Ideas ● Get in early before everyone else and things get busy or plan it out night before. ● Or “Work 1 late night” e.g., stay late on Mondays to get week off to strong start and build momentum ● Think what is the most important thing I can do, or that no one else can do or is able to do ● Always leave at least 30 min a day unscheduled ● Exercise and meditation to keep energy ● Study and learn using Audio books will driving or commuting 

More Tips ● Become a faster typer ● Autocomplete app e.g. TextExpander ● Leave your desk and book a conference room to work with focus, e.g. writing perf reviews ● Most productive 2-4 hours after waking up. Don’t squander with e.g admin stuff, routine staff meeting, etc. Use it for deep, creative work work. Avoid getting sucked into email and calendar first thing. ● Capture system. Get things out of your head it’s stress inducing. (GTD). I carry a paper notebook and Evernote. 

Books on “Time Management” ● Getting Things Done by David Allen ● When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing ● The Checklist Manifesto ● Personal Kanban ● The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ● The Surprising Science of Meetings 

Times Up - Wrap Up - Q&A Thanks for your time! I hope you found this useful. Contact Info ● Twitter: @vgraupera ● [email protected] Deck: https://managersclub.com/talks Images from Unsplash & pixabay