How do you set yourself up to be productive?

Question

I feel like I lack clarity I know I should be taking the time to plan my day but I find myself getting pulled into the working context at any point in time. How do more senior engineers approach this? Are there personal rituals and routines that people use on a daily or weekly basis to move the needle?

Accepted Answer

This is something I see so many engineers struggle with! A few thoughts:

have 1 clear item you want to get done that day. You can have others on your list, but it should be obious
spend 2-4 hours of deep work time on that #1 priority. This should be sacred time to protect. That means no chats with coworkers, turn off your work chat, don't check your phone, etc.
for meetings where you're optional, don't show up. One experiment to try is simply to skip meetings where you don't have anything to contribute. If no one calls you out for skipping the meeting, skip the next one as well :)

Also check out the full session we gave about time management here

Another important principle is reflection.

How do you set yourself up to be productive?

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