As a manager, my calendar doesn’t really belong to me. I’m hopping from 1:1s to planning meetings to reviews to unexpected “got a sec?” pings. It’s a blur of context-switching, quick decisions, and trying to stay just ahead of the next fire. Most days, I’m lucky if I get 20 quiet minutes in a row.

It’s not that I don’t like it—there’s energy in the pace, and I genuinely enjoy coaching, unblocking, and collaborating. But the tradeoff is that everything gets a little fragmented. I’ll have an important conversation in the morning and by 4pm, it’s already buried under a dozen others. That’s why I write everything down. Pages of notes, ideas, and follow-ups I’ll “get back to.”

But that kind of scattered throughput eventually catches up with you. You start to feel like a router—just passing signals back and forth, not really doing anything yourself. And when your whole week runs like that, you lose the space to reflect, connect dots, or think a level deeper than what’s right in front of you.

That’s the moment I know I need to reclaim some focus time—because I’m no longer steering, I’m just keeping the ship from sinking.

Why Focus Time Matters

Focus time is where all the scattered pieces of the week finally get a chance to fit together. I think of it like dumping out a puzzle box—meetings, conversations, half-finished thoughts, questions I jotted down but didn’t answer yet. It’s messy until I can lay the pieces out, step back, and actually see what picture I’m building.

This kind of time isn’t just about getting through a to-do list. It’s about reconnecting with the bigger picture—what we’re building, why we’re building it, and whether we’re still pointed in the right direction. It’s where I can think strategically, not just tactically. Where I can zoom out, reframe a problem, or spot a pattern that got lost in the noise.

Focus time also grounds me. When I’m reading code, digging through data, or sketching out architecture ideas, I feel more connected to the craft again. It’s a reminder that leadership isn’t just about managing—it’s about understanding the work deeply enough to support and shape it.

And maybe most importantly, it gives me the headspace to make better decisions. Not knee-jerk calls, but thoughtful ones—the kind that help a team stay aligned and move with purpose.

What I Use Focus Time For

Most of the time, my focus blocks start with a giant backlog of “stuff I meant to get to.” Tasks, approvals, notes I scribbled in meetings. And sure, I’ll chip away at those. But the most valuable part of this time isn’t catching up—it’s getting ahead.

When I’ve protected an hour or more, I can actually think proactively. I can ask: what’s coming next? What’s going to break if we don’t fix it soon? Where can I nudge the platform, the team, or the roadmap to move more smoothly?

Sometimes that means reviewing code or digging through metrics, not because something’s broken, but because I want to better understand how the system is evolving. Other times it’s mapping out architectural tradeoffs, poking at a new idea, or just giving myself time to sit with a hard problem before it turns urgent.

This is also when I think about the team itself—are we structured the right way? Are we investing in the right people, tools, and patterns? These aren’t questions that get answered in between meetings. They need headspace. They need calm.

Focus time is where I shift from reactive maintenance to intentional leadership. It’s where the job feels less like running triage and more like building something that will hold up over time.

How I Protect It (Most of the Time)

The key word here is protect. Because nobody’s going to hand you focus time—you have to build a wall around it and hope it holds.

I block it on my calendar like a meeting. Not just “free time,” but something that looks official enough that people hesitate before trying to book over it. Sometimes I’ll even label it like a real meeting—“architecture review” or “platform strategy”—because let’s be honest, it kind of is.

Do I always hold the line? No. Things come up. Fires happen. But I try to reschedule the block, not just delete it. Because if I start treating it like optional time, everyone else will too.

During those blocks, I go quiet. No Slack, no email, no context-switching tabs open. It’s not about being unreachable—it’s about being intentional.

Why It’s Worth It

The weeks where I hold my focus time feel different. I’m calmer. My thinking is clearer. I don’t just react—I respond. The conversations I have with my team are more thoughtful because I’ve had time to process, connect dots, and bring real insight to the table.

It’s not about getting everything done. It’s about making space to lead with intention instead of just surviving the chaos. Focus time helps me reset, recharge, and re-engage with the work in a way that feels meaningful—not just busy.

The contrast is stark. When I skip it, I feel like I’m skating across the surface of everything, stretched thin and scattered. I check boxes, but I don’t really build momentum. And more importantly, I miss chances to support my team in the ways that actually matter—strategy, clarity, direction.

This isn’t extra time. It’s essential time. It’s the difference between managing the present and shaping the future.