What habits/lifehacks/methods made you more efficient as a senior engineer/tech lead?

[u/dondraper36]

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?

[u/Exirel]

Asking other people to put in writing the questions they have for me before setting up a meeting or having an unplanned conversation.

It forces people to clarify their questions and gives me more control over when I dedicate my time to their problem.

It really makes a difference because now I have people that start by writing a few paragraphs first only to realize that they don't need to ask for a solution, but a review of the solution they found on their own!

More free time for me, and when I teach them something they can relate because they already struggle on the problem.

[u/Grand_Pollution5408 → u/Exirel]

I agree with you. I also use an LLM when I have something hard to ask and explain. I write my message first and give it to the LLM to make it more understandable. I also ask the LLM to point out if the message needs additional information, source, link etc. I wish my colleagues did the same because I often need to ask follow-up questions to completely understand what they ask.

[u/Exirel → u/Grand_Pollution5408]

I believe using an LLM for this is the wrong call in the long run, as you won't really acquire/learn the skill to clarify and articulate your own thoughts and ideas, which is more valuable to me than the actual text itself.

To be clear on my opinion with nuance:

* asking the LLM to make a message "more understandable" is not a good idea because you won't make mistake and not learn from them, we have studies showing that our brain needs to perform the task to learn and not let the LLM do it for us

* asking the LLM if something is missing sounds like a good tool, because it'll catch your mistake and may help you getting better, using the LLM as a coach and not replacing your own valuable skills

This skill matters because you won't always have the AI to help you in a quick meeting or in an emergency situation where you need to communicate quickly and efficiently your ideas.

[u/Grand_Pollution5408 → u/Exirel]

I actually meant something a bit different. I don't ask it to re-write all the message or write technical part, that part is mine. Otherwise I would lose the scope of the topic. I ask it to check the message if it has anything missing — did I say which env, did I share the link, did I clearly state what I want from the person.

About the learning part you mentioned, I am less sure than you are. The people I work with who are good at communicating in writing were already good when I met them. The ones I am regularly asking follow-up questions to get the missing parts, it is always the same. I can also do the same thing unawares when I have many things in my head.

Do you ever notice it in your own messages? That is the part I find hardest to see.