So often I have wondered - where do they find the time? The thing about time is that there is a finite amount of it. The old metaphor of “finding time” makes sense at a high level. There are almost definitely chunks of time in your day that you could reallocate: scrolling, napping, shortening your commute - whatever it is you feel is not worth the time you are spending now. After that, the metaphor crumbles. At the end of the day, there are only 24 hours. There is no more time to find.
So how do people do it? Are they better? Do they require less rest? Are the ruthlessly optimizing and spending each moment in the most productive way? Do I need another checklist? More notes? It quickly starts to look like some insurmountable feat. Those who you admire most must just be built differently!
Recently, I’ve taken a step back and what I’ve noticed is that I actually have - in a way - found more time! I didn’t do it on purpose, and it happened slowly.
In 2021, I became a Tech Lead Manager. This meant that I had the additional responsibility of managing the other developers on my team on top of being the team’s tech lead. It was only 2 other developers, but I had been spending 100% of my time being tech lead so where would this new responsibility fit in? My manager talked to me about learning to delegate and of course I practiced that, but honestly I struggled with this new workload for months. I found I was capable of each task individually, but when trying to fit both into my 40-hour work week I was stressed. As time went on my abilities grew, and it became more comfortable.
In 2022, I expanded the team and split it into two. Now I had two teams, with two distinct missions, two sets of cross-functional partners, and 8 developers reporting to me. I still spent much of my time working as tech lead for one of the teams and supporting a tech lead for the other. It was hard to find the time! But the story continues… As time went on my abilities grew, and it became more comfortable.
In 2023, I told my manager I have free time. Now I am gearing up to take on a third team, completely unrelated to my other two. This new third team needs strong leadership, and I’m being pulled in to provide it. Where will I find the time?! But this time it feels different. I take comfort in the pattern. As time goes on, my abilities grow and it will become more comfortable.
This realization is filling me with excitement! I’ve taken all of this growth for granted. I am delivering the same work with higher quality and in less time and I hadn’t even noticed. I see the potential in front of me, and I am ready to grasp it!