Your brain is an incredible tool that works at super speed and doesn’t stop.

However, like a computer's RAM, it has limitations. And when you turn off your device, all unsaved data disappears. 

Likewise, your brain can juggle multiple tasks and ideas in the moment, but it’s not infallible. You can lose important details if you don’t record them somewhere more permanent, such as storing data on a hard drive.

As an engineering manager (EM), your organizational system is this hard drive, and it’s non-negotiable for your sanity and productivity.

This means using tools (whether digital or analog) to capture what you need to remember. And other steps, such as taking notes and reviewing them often.

By building and using this system, you offload the burden from your memory so you can focus on other tasks. But the first step forward is owning the fact that you need an organizational process as an EM.

1 - Take ownership

Oftentimes, you’ve been employed as an EM to solve problems. It is up to you (and only you) to: 

  • Work out goals, tasks, and timelines
  • Track your projects, deadlines, and team dynamics
  • And solve those problems 

No one is going to tell you how to do this. 

But recognizing that organization is a key part of your new role will help you make this transition more smoothly. And when you gain clarity and control over your responsibilities, you’ll find your effectiveness as a leader increases, leading to a more cohesive and productive team.

To start, you need to find the tools that’ll work best for you.

2 - Pick your tools

I’m not going to pitch you on some product or method and tell you it will revolutionize your productivity. There are many different ones that work well, such as:

Honestly, I could list thousands of methods and tools. But that’s not the point – the point is to find what works for you. 

Personally, I love writing with good old-fashioned pen and paper. Doing so worked for years, but this method isn’t conducive to my life and work right now. I might forget or lose the notebook somewhere. And when I travel, it’s another item to carry. 

So, now I rely on my phone and online programs to keep:

  • My notes
  • Everything up-to-date
  • And everything synchronized no matter what device I’m using or where I am

Maybe my approach will work for you, or maybe you work from home and can use a notebook. Or maybe you just prefer your laptop. Anything is fine as long as the method actually keeps you organized and doesn’t require too much effort on your part (more on this in the next section).

Also, this will require some experimentation. So, pick a tool that seems good to you, try using it for a couple of weeks, and adjust as needed. You’ll know the method’s working if you’re staying on top of work and not having to spend lots of extra energy doing so.

You can also combine tools, too.

3 - Keep it simple

Don’t make the process of organizing a task itself. If you’re spending hours writing, arranging, rearranging, assigning, and allocating tasks, then you’re losing time you could spend on actually completing those tasks.

Instead, take these steps:

  • Do a brain dump and get everything down
  • Arrange what is urgent, important, next, and so on (more on this in the next section)
  • And set reminders if there are certain deadlines you can’t miss or delay

A key part of this process is centralizing your tasks on a master list. Tasks and to-do items arise from a variety of sources. So, depending on where you work, they may come from:

  • Slack
  • Emails
  • Notion
  • In-person meetings
  • Online meetings
  • Phone calls
  • Observing your team
  • Or your own thought process (that never stops!)

With so much coming at you from different directions, it’s easy to get flustered or for something to fall through the cracks – a master list prevents this.

4 - Keep it realistic

Prioritizing your to-do list is a key element of organization, but loading your "urgent" column with 20 items is impractical. In fact, it becomes overwhelming and paralyzing rather than motivating and encouraging.

In my experience, capping your urgent tasks at a maximum of 10 helps keep things manageable. You’ll experience even better results if you aim for 3-5 urgent tasks each day. This allows for a balance that encourages focus and productivity without drowning you in pressure.

You can also use a more thorough and complete system.

Two systems to help

One system that transformed my approach is the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology. This framework categorizes tasks into buckets, allowing you to focus on what really matters: 

  • Projects: Multi-step tasks with an “outcome” or goal, such as “Launch a new website” or “Plan a summer vacation.” You can break these down into smaller tasks and put them into other buckets.
  • Next: The next actionable steps for each project or standalone task, such as "Email Sarah about the budget" or "Buy packing tape." You can group these actions by context, such as “At computer, “At home,” and “Phone calls.” This makes them easier to tackle based on your environment.
  • Calendar: Only time-sensitive actions go here, such as appointments, meetings, or deadlines. The calendar is strictly for tasks or events that must occur on a specific day and time.
  • Someday/Maybe: This is for ideas or projects you’d like to do in the future but are not committed to yet. It might include things like "Learn French" or "Visit Japan." You review this list periodically to see if anything is ready to move into active projects.
  • Inbox: This is where you initially capture all incoming ideas, tasks, and information. You’ll later clarify and organize items from here into the appropriate buckets during regular reviews.
  • Today: This is your focus. These are tasks you aim to complete today, and there never should be more than 10. The smaller the list – the better.

GTD is not just a system to prioritize tasks, though – it’s a system to quite literally survive. 

For instance, I have hundreds of tasks popping up every day from different sources (including my own head!). It’s impossible to do or remember them all. With GTD, the process is simple: log the items, prioritize them, consciously choose a handful to do, and stay sane in the process.

The Eisenhower Matrix is another great option. With this method, you categorize your tasks into four boxes: 

  • Do: for tasks that are important and urgent
  • Schedule: for tasks that are important but not urgent
  • Delegate: for tasks that are urgent but not important
  • Delete: for items that are not urgent and not important

However, personally, I never delete items. Instead, I categorize and archive them. If I write something down, I want to be able to refer to it in the future if needed.   

5 - Take notes

Others will take notes during meetings, and you’ll likely use meeting recorders. So, why do anything yourself? Because neither of those is a guarantee, nor are they foolproof. 

Meeting recorders can fail or glitch and lose data. Team members can forget or jot down something incorrect. And, as we discussed before, you can’t rely on your memory alone, no matter how amazing your mind is. 

So, your best option is taking notes no matter who else is or what tools are being used. This step gives you something concrete and reliable to work from for any necessary follow-ups. These notes also offer other opportunities, such as: 

  • Jotting down ideas arising from the discussion
  • Highlighting other areas needing your attention
  • Cross-purpose notes that can help with related tasks

Plus, notes will save you time in the future and reduce your overall cognitive load as an EM. And you can always review and compare with what others have written as well as the meeting transcripts.

6 - Organize your team

In addition to self-management, you need to extend this organization to your team. After all, you set the tone. This means modeling and communicating habits you expect of them.

This also means evaluating if they’re meeting those habits and expectations and setting clear goals if not. Taking these steps improves team productivity, unity, and focus, which means fewer overall headaches for you to deal with.

SMART goals are a great option here. 

For instance, say you have an IC who does a poor job because they are not asking questions when something is not clear. This results in bugs and multiple rounds of reviews. You know this is a problem, so you need to find a solution. 

Here’s an example of how you would turn this into a SMART goal:

  • Specific: to have no more than one review round and zero bugs because of wrong assumptions
  • Measurable: one round of reviews and zero bugs based on assumptions
  • Achievable: the IC has to ask questions when they are not 100% sure
  • Relevant: bugs and review rounds are a waste of resources that could also jeopardize the IC’s job
  • Time-bound: issue to be resolved in eight weeks, with check-ins and evaluations every 1-2 weeks

Keep in mind you may have to adjust the goal depending on the results.

7 - Review often

Set aside time each morning the day of or the evening before (whatever works best for you) to organize your lists and prioritize your tasks. Don't start your workday without this crucial step!

Especially keep a close eye on the tasks you’ve assigned to your team. Regularly checking in helps you stay informed about their progress and identify any potential problems before they escalate. 

Set yourself reminders if you need to.

This is the hard part: you need to build the habit of constantly staying on top of your system. Any system, no matter how well-organized initially, can quickly become a mess if you don’t properly maintain it:

  • Tasks can pile up or get lost
  • Deadlines can be missed
  • And small issues can turn into major crises

Think of this work like doing chores. Most people don’t enjoy doing chores, especially as kids. But as they keep doing them, they build habits and routines that serve them well as adults. And if they don’t do those chores:

  • Those habits and routines won’t solidify
  • The chores will pile up
  • And they’ll become harder to do

8 - Balance micro and macro goals

Setting macro goals, such as yearly and quarterly, prevents you from merely treading water. 

You might feel busy and productive, checking items off your daily to-do list. But without a clear direction, weeks and months can pass by without meaningful progress. Sometimes, you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. 

So, think about the long-term goals. Ask yourself questions like: 

  • What do you want to achieve this year? 
  • Where do you see yourself and your team at the end of the quarter? 

Once you’ve defined these objectives, break them down into actionable tasks.

And at the end of each month, review your progress: 

  • Are you on track? 
  • Do you need to make adjustments? 

A more comprehensive review at the end of each quarter will help you assess what you’ve accomplished, what remains, and if anything affected your progress. Use this reflection to refine your goals for the next quarter.

But remember, don’t let small tasks accumulate, either!

By maintaining this balance between micro and macro goals throughout the year, you’ll find the cumulative results are significant. And by the end of the year, you will be happily looking back over all you have achieved.    

The short version: start now!

It’s essential for you to take ownership of the goals, tasks, and objectives you’re responsible for as an engineering manager. This ensures your and your team’s success. Unfortunately, this isn’t a burden your brain can handle alone, although it is an incredible tool.

Here are some steps to help keep you organized and productive:

  • Own your role: Accept that managing your goals and responsibilities is solely in your hands.
  • Choose your tools: Identify and implement the organizational tools that work for you, whether that’s digital platforms, traditional methods, or a mix of both. Keep it straightforward to maximize your efficiency.
  • Set realistic expectations: Don’t overwhelm yourself with an endless list of tasks. Focus on a manageable number to maintain productivity. Use systems like the Getting Things Done (GTD) framework or Eisenhower Matrix to help prioritize work.
  • Take notes: Always do this yourself, even if others are or there’s a meeting transcript. You can always compare what you have later.
  • Organize your team: Extend your organizational skills to your team by modeling and communicating what you want them to do. Set goals (such as SMART goals) to help them.
  • Review often: Regularly assess your progress to ensure you’re moving in the right direction.
  • Balance micro and macro goals: Balance daily tasks with larger objectives to ensure meaningful and consistent progress.

And don’t wait. This is not something you can put off – the work will pile up and overwhelm you. So, grab a piece of paper or open a document and start putting down all the things you can think of right now!

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Originally published on Medium.com

Content in this blog post by Alex Ponomarev is licensed under CC BY 4.0.