Once in a blue moon you will have a day where every system is humming along. You have no priority zero fire to jump on. The team is working on projects with no known blockers. Your product manager has no requests.
Cherish that day.
I recommend getting a cup of coffee and sitting by the waterfront if you’re in a coastal city. Use the time to recharge and think long-term about your team needs. If your team is in a good state, you could reach out to other people in the company. Identify what they need to get their job done and explore other team’s roadmaps.
Combine everything you’ve heard and come up with new ideas.
Creating a day’s worth of space gives you time for reflection. Think over the decisions you’ve made in the past few months, and journal them. Would you have done anything differently? I emphasize this exercise because you can notice patterns in your management style. You might recall incidents where an engineer needs more training. If you are reacting to issues daily, take a breather. Give yourself time to consider how you can prevent future fires.
I recognize the urge to always feel productive. This is not the day to play individual contributor. One day of you coding isn’t going to impact your team’s productivity over a quarter. Your team doesn’t need you around every single moment. You cannot be jumping on every fire daily. The bug list will be there when you return.
Get that cup of coffee and think about what you’ll do next.
Hope that day is at least once a quarter.
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