That distinction between climbing efficiently and leaning against the right wall is painful but accurate.
I think this is why so many of us in engineering struggle to move from "Senior" to "Staff" or Management. We are addicted to the "micro" because it's loud and immediate.
I'll admit, the Lag Time you mentioned is still my personal weakness. When I set a macro strategy and the feedback loop is six months long, I get anxious. I have a bad habit of trying to invent micro tasks just to get that dopamine hit of feeling productive, even if it's just busywork that distracts from the real goal.
It takes a massive amount of discipline to sit on your hands and trust that the silence isn't stagnation. Thanks for the reminder.
I like all of this article, you make some great points, especially on clarity and focus. We've been sold a lie these past several years that the ability to multi-task is the mark of a successful, high-performer. The FACT is, that whenever you multi-task you do several things at once...all below the level you could have achieved if you single-tasked...more mistakes happen, creativity drops, miscommunication happens and it causes fatigue over the long-term. What's your experience with this? How do you avoid multi-tasking or do you. Thanks! Happy New Year
That distinction between climbing efficiently and leaning against the right wall is painful but accurate.
I think this is why so many of us in engineering struggle to move from "Senior" to "Staff" or Management. We are addicted to the "micro" because it's loud and immediate.
I'll admit, the Lag Time you mentioned is still my personal weakness. When I set a macro strategy and the feedback loop is six months long, I get anxious. I have a bad habit of trying to invent micro tasks just to get that dopamine hit of feeling productive, even if it's just busywork that distracts from the real goal.
It takes a massive amount of discipline to sit on your hands and trust that the silence isn't stagnation. Thanks for the reminder.
These five patterns are great :) thank you.
I like all of this article, you make some great points, especially on clarity and focus. We've been sold a lie these past several years that the ability to multi-task is the mark of a successful, high-performer. The FACT is, that whenever you multi-task you do several things at once...all below the level you could have achieved if you single-tasked...more mistakes happen, creativity drops, miscommunication happens and it causes fatigue over the long-term. What's your experience with this? How do you avoid multi-tasking or do you. Thanks! Happy New Year
The “why?” behind your professional career and life is critical.
You need to have a strong “why are you doing this?” reason or you will quit when times get hard!
Focus on macro goals and use micro-goals as building blocks to get there, but anchor to your why