Weeknotes #22
The intentional time out one
Weeknotes 📝
Longform
I posted recently about that feeling of “after this week/month, things will calm down!” Excuse me, but it’s September next week, the year is evaporating, and things never seem to calm down.
I’m getting to the end of each week feeling like I’ve achieved nothing. My to-do list repopulates like some sort of one-in-one-out nightclub policy. The moment I cross one thing off, another appears at my door.
You’d be forgiven for glancing at my calendar and assuming it’s full of unnecessary busywork, but it isn’t. It’s the bread and butter of being a squad lead and engineering manager:
7 direct reports means 7 rounds of 1:1s
Daily squad calls most mornings, with a longer planning call on a Tuesday
Mentoring or coaching 4 people regularly, with ad-hoc calls sprinkled in
Two or three communities of practice, whether facilitated or joined
Writing internal blogs as a creative outlet
Writing here as a way to process my own thoughts
All of this ties to my role, my responsibilities, and my desire to be a positive cultural multiplier in the organisation.
Which is why it feels counterintuitive that I’ve started making a more conscious effort to leave the house for longer breaks. But lately it’s been necessary to enforce slack in my own system. This week I took myself out for lunch at a place I’ve been meaning to try for ages: a pint of Pepsi with ice and a slice, medium-rare flat iron steak with fries and peppercorn sauce, chocolate mousse for dessert, and one full hour of peaceful solo dining. I’m aiming to make this a fortnightly ritual.
My mood has been up and down lately, and I’m noticing it more keenly. I’ve spent a lot of time championing slack time for teams and systems, but overlooked the need for it myself. The trick now is reminding myself that this isn’t “stealing” time. It’s an exercise in making sure I’ve still got some energy left by the time the weekend rolls around.
As a mentor once told me: “[company redacted] will take and take from you. You have to learn what your limit is.”
Pretzels 🥨
Pivoting my guild sessions from discussion based to knowledge share for one last hurrah before it probably fizzles out before the end of the year
Preparing for a panel event next week
Listening to 🎧
Reading 📚
Eating 🍕
