On the limits of heroics

On the limits of heroics

Tags
PeopleCodingCulture
Published
February 13, 2021
đź’ˇ
TLDR: Sometimes, being the hero means pushing the information not pushing the code

Philosophy

One of the key markers of engineering maturity is knowing when you should stop trying to muscle through and start communicating

Sometimes it's easy to spot from the outside, but when your own pride is involved, it's also easy to miss the markings.

Overwork is NOT the solution to being overwhelmed…

- LiLi Kathleen Bright, Weeknotes: Joy of unshoulding on retreat. Birdsong, rest & sleep 🎥

Feeling overwhelmed often does not stem from doing too little, but rather from trying to do too much. The solution often isn't to be a hero and power through, but rather to stop, audit what you are doing, and focus on the most important and urgent things first, and let everything else wait until the appropriate time.

Application

Ask yourself, "what happens if you can’t hit this date?" <- Jot this down and share. This could potentially be more important than being heads down on trying to hit the date, depending on the causes of the delay

Sometimes, being the hero means pushing the information not pushing the code

Levers to tweak if possible

  • Change the date
  • Change the scope
  • More resources

Don’t suffer in silence. This is rarely - if ever - the correct approach.