Ryan's Memory Lane

Notes from the journey — tech, tools, and lessons learned

Time Management in Dev Work

One thing that doesn't get talked about enough in development circles is time management. We’re always learning new and improved ways to accomplish tasks, but we rarely talk about how to manage our time effectively while doing so. I’ve been guilty of this myself, often diving into a task without a clear plan or timeframe, only to find myself overwhelmed and stressed out.

I’ve started blocking my time aggressively. Two hours to build. One hour for bugs. Thirty minutes to review pull requests. The change was subtle at first, but after a few days I noticed my output was better and my stress was lower. I wasn’t context switching as often, and I had fewer half finished tasks floating around.

It also helps to track how long it actually takes to solve problems. You think something is a five minute quick fix isn’t. Before I'm even done, the boss has three new thigns that are ALL priority one. It’s tough, but at the end of the day, its not about pressure; it’s about clarity. Knowing how long things "should" take helps me plan more honestly and communicate progress more effectively to teammates or customers.