and the distribution of digital products.
Here's How to Escape the Hectic Assembly Line
For a long time, I found myself buried by endless daily work, such as fixing bugs, completing sprint tickets, and doing whatever my managers asked of me. I was obedient to my JIRA tickets as if I were working on an assembly line of automobiles without understanding much about vehicles.
\ Two words defined my work during this period: repetitive and busy. I worked hard, but I barely understood where I was headed.
\ For instance, I had to stay until 7 PM to fix product issues, which often happened three times a week. My manager would ask me to prepare a report of project progress by the end of the day, but I had an “urgent” product issue to fix in my hands. Hopefully, I could compose the report by 8 PM.
\ I frequently complained about my heavy workload, constant production issues, and being short-staffed on the team. Even after becoming an engineering manager, the situation remained the same.
\ Once, I told my coach that I was buried in a hundred tasks. I have so many things I have to do, but I have no time for the things I want to do.
\ To address the work-life balance problem, there are several options we can explore, such as delegating tasks within the team or improving time management. However, there’s something else I would like to discuss.
\ I found that I wasn’t growing as quickly as before. While my daily work was fulfilling, I still felt somewhat lost. I began asking myself how I could learn and grow faster from the hectic daily routine and what truly mattered to me.
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First and foremost, having an ownership mindset
\ Approach the work as if you were the owner of the business. Always seek to understand the context and the reasons behind the task. Find the motivation to give your best effort, and ensure the work is done to the highest standard.
\ At the same time, I remind myself to always ask these questions before diving into tasks:
\ Is it genuinely important?
\ Should I spend hours fixing a low-impact production issue because the person who reported it is vocal, or should I focus my energy on optimizing a slow API used by hundreds of thousands of users daily?
\ Take another example: as software engineers, we all care about choosing the best technology, maintaining high code quality, and using the most advanced development tools. Usually, we would agree that these things are important (to engineers).
\ However, from a business perspective, are these truly important? If you spend half of your quarterly time allocation on research, proof of concept (PoC), and advocating for a ‘better’ technology without considering business value, you’re unlikely to gain appreciation from senior leadership.
\ What will bring the most value to my growth? What skills should I learn to meet my future career goals?
\ Different stages of a career require different skills. I shouldn’t spend most of my time doing the same things I was good at five years ago.
As an engineering leader, I have numerous skills to learn that I didn’t need as a software engineer, including negotiation, presentation, and strategies to amplify team impact across multiple organizations while identifying opportunities to showcase effective teamwork and results.
\ If I want to grow into a senior executive leader, I need to acquire new skills as well. I need to focus on gaining a business perspective, understanding the pain points of a bigger organization, and thinking about how to help the company grow.
\ Should I do the work on my own or train someone else to do it?
\ When I observe a lot of people’s growth paths, I notice a pattern: first, become an expert at something; then train others to become experts; and ultimately delegate the task to them.
\ By uplifting others and freeing myself from my current tasks, therefore, I can take on more responsibilities and learn new skills. It’s a win-win situation.
\ Prevent being comfortable with repetitive work
\ Repeating the same task a thousand times won’t help me grow or feel fulfilled. Learning new skills, changing mindset, and having a higher vision will be important.
\ I used to be a JIRA card mover, focusing on delivering features or bug fixes to QA one by one as quickly as possible. I was constantly busy, doing the same familiar tasks over and over, with little time left for reflection or strategic thinking.
\ Instead, we should approach things differently and more creatively. How? Here are a few ideas that come to mind:
- Leverage automation tools to improve efficiency.
- Create design diagrams and lead technical presentations.
- Identify opportunities to make a broader impact across teams.
- Initiate small PoCs and share the results with leadership.
- Identify gaps in the existing process and give suggestions.
\ Focus on what I want to achieve and avoid distractions.
\ Earlier this year, I shared a post about the importance of focusing on becoming the person you want to be, click here. It’s crucial to align your daily work and learning with your personal goals.
\ Distractions are everywhere — cell phones, YouTube videos, and social media constantly pull at our attention and tempt our desires. It’s easy to get distracted, but maintaining a peaceful mind and staying true to ourselves is the real challenge.
Final Thoughts
\ Working reactively is much easier than working proactively if we don’t shift our mindset. Being proactive requires persistence, resilience, determination, and a willingness to take risks. However, it leads to greater fulfillment, growth, and passion.