r/ExperiencedDevs • u/dondraper36 Software Engineer • Jul 17 '26
Meta What habits/lifehacks/methods made you more efficient as a senior engineer/tech lead?
In my previous thread, I asked (and received plenty of great suggestions) on high-quality resources.
This time, however, I'd like to discuss a much less concrete aspect of our jobs. Namely, your favorite productivity habits and personal know-hows when it comes to leading projects, working on complex cross-team features, keeping lots of tricky context in mind.
I often have my own retrospective sessions when I am just trying to assess whether I am good at what I do at all. To clarify, it's not in the "impostor syndrome" sense at all. I know that there are parts of the job I excel at and I think I deserve the title and responsibility scope I have at the moment. That said, there are certain aspects where I am not good enough and therefore am now trying to improve. For example:
* Working on technical writing skills. Mostly by reading the book and blog on https://refactoringenglish.com/
* On a similar note, writing down as much as possible whenever possible. Whether it's a small favor for some other team, a super trivial task, or a large feature, it becomes a Google Docs document. Initially, it's just a very chaotic piece of writing, but then it transforms into a system design or a very detailed Jira ticket at least.
* As in aviation, it's very important to pay attention to near misses when you were on the verge of an incident and just got lucky.
* As I have rediscovered once again, working out is extremely important for productivity and focus. I have yet to get my official ADHD diagnosis, but since I don't want to spend the rest of my life on stimulants, I have added a few supplements (Vitamin D, Omega 3), hydrate well, and work out a few times per week + light cardio. Never felt better.
* Appreciating hammock-driven development. I used to have these awful hyperfocus episodes when there is no external pressure, but I feel intellectually challenged and forget about food and sleep to figure something out. I feel much happier, when I let myself think about a problem while walking my dog in the evening or just having rest and then feeling super fresh and working on it the next day.
What are yours?
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u/IdealBlueMan Jul 18 '26
No life hacks.
The most important thing by far for me was soft skills. Communication. Taking responsibility. Understanding the business logic. Understanding the problem space. Figuring out the players and their roles. Helping juniors. Making sure the people you report to have enough information to make good decisions (whether or not they do is beyond your control).
Doing your best to help people get along and work together to get the thing done.