Engineering Manager’s Insights from Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity

Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity

Starting a new team in a large organization can feel a lot like launching a startup. In the early days, everything is streamlined: processes are minimal and the focus is razor-sharp. But as the team grows, things start to change. Processes multiply, bureaucratic hoops appear, and suddenly, we’re swamped with admin work, leaving little time for meaningful tasks.

As a leader, I constantly juggle ensuring processes don’t overshadow our high-value tasks. It’s a tricky balance, and it’s not just about me; it’s about keeping the entire organization agile and productive.

Enter Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. Doug Uretsky, our DevOps lead, recommended this book to me. If anyone understands the struggle of balancing constant requests with long-term goals, it’s a DevOps lead.

Newport, a renowned author and productivity expert, presents actionable strategies that can revolutionize how we manage and lead our teams. Though Newport’s ideas aren’t groundbreaking, he offers valuable terminology for clearer communication.

In this post, I’ll share Newport’s principles and how they resonate with our work as software engineering managers. By embracing these principles, we can steer our teams towards more impactful results, ensuring our efforts are truly worth it. Let’s dive into how we can use slow productivity to navigate our complex roles and create a more productive and satisfying work environment.

The Power of Proper Terminology in Engineering Management

Ever read a book or industry report and thought, “I already do this!”? You’re not alone. As managers, we often figure out systems and strategies intuitively. The real value of resources like Newport’s lies in the precise terminology they provide.

Imagine having the right words to describe your strategies to your employee. How much time would that save you? I’ve often spent countless hours defining and redefining our technical approach, only for a peer to capture it perfectly in a single term. This is the power of clear terminology.

It helps us communicate more effectively within our teams and across the organization. When everyone understands the terminology, getting buy-in and alignment becomes much easier. It’s like having a shared language that streamlines our work and enhances efficiency.

Understanding Slow Productivity in the Realm of Knowledge Workers

In our fast-paced, high-demand work environments, it’s easy to confuse busyness with productivity. True productivity, especially for those of us whose jobs involve thinking and creating — known as knowledge workers — hinges on the quality and meaningfulness of our tasks, not their quantity. This is where the concept of slow productivity fits perfectly.

As engineering managers, we juggle multiple priorities, respond to a steady stream of requests, and manage complex projects. To embody slow productivity, we must recognize our value as knowledge workers, focusing on deep thinking, solving complex problems, and creating innovative solutions. Our productivity should be measured by the impact of our work, not just the number of tasks we complete.

Newport’s Slow Productivity revolves around three core principles: doing fewer things but better, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality. By integrating these principles into our routines, we can enhance productivity and direct our efforts toward meaningful outcomes for both our careers and our employees’ growth.

Do Fewer Things, But Better: A Key to Effective Engineering

Newport’s first principle hits right at the heart of effective work habits. He advocates for shifting from doing more to doing better, emphasizing deep, focused work over multitasking.

Prioritize High-Impact Projects For Maximum Results

It’s tempting to measure our effectiveness by how many items we can check off our to-do lists. Newport suggests prioritizing high-impact tasks that align with your team’s core objectives and the organization’s strategic goals.

Use prioritization frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) or simple effort vs. impact assessments. This shift boosts output quality, keeps work engaging, and reduces stress.

Master Delegation and Empowerment

Delegation is crucial. New managers often try to handle everything, diluting their effectiveness. Empower your team members to own tasks and projects, freeing you to focus on high-value areas while developing their skills and confidence.

One of the best ways to test your delegation is by taking a long vacation. During my parental leave, I returned to find my team had stepped up and owned responsibilities I previously thought I had to handle myself. This experience reinforced the importance of trusting and empowering your team.

Setting Clear Boundaries to Enhance Focus and Efficiency

Context switching is incredibly taxing — you witnessed it as an engineer and it’s surely much worse as an engineering manager. Protect your focus by setting clear time boundaries. Allocate blocks for deep work on high-priority tasks and minimize interruptions. Communicate these boundaries to your team to improve productivity and set an example for them to follow.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to attend Wharton’s Executive MBA program. While the thrill of acceptance was exhilarating, it quickly gave way to the reality of balancing a demanding job with an equally rigorous academic program.

After the first two weeks, the combination of Wharton’s rigorous curriculum and my full-time job forced me to reevaluate how I managed my time and energy. Setting clear boundaries between my professional work and school work was essential. One of the most effective strategies for my survival during this time was autopilot scheduling.

We commonly underestimate the amount of project management required for each task we pick up. Autopilot scheduling is an attempt to reduce that overhead. Key aspects include:

1. Time Blocking: Allocating specific blocks of time to particular tasks or types of work, such as deep work, meetings, administrative tasks, and breaks.
2. Routine Establishment: Developing a regular schedule that becomes a habit, so that your workday follows a predictable pattern.
3. Focus on High-Value Tasks: Prioritizing tasks that require intense focus and creativity during peak productivity periods.
4. Minimizing Decision Fatigue: Reducing the number of decisions you need to make about what to work on next, thereby conserving mental energy for the work itself.
5. Consistency: Ensuring that the schedule is adhered to consistently, which helps in building momentum and maintaining productivity over time.

A common question I get is, “How can I stop the constant incoming requests so I can focus on the larger goals?” Newport offers some practical solutions for this:

1. Batch similar tasks together to handle them in dedicated blocks of time
2. Schedule office hours for dealing with requests and interruptions
3. Use email filters and rules to prioritize emails
4. Set clear expectations with colleagues about your availability
5. Create systems for common requests to manage interruptions

The general theme is reducing project management overhead. While Newport’s suggestions are strong, tools like ChatGPT can do much more nowadays.

Note that this will be difficult initially. Changing established work habits can strain relationships. However, long-term success on major items will earn goodwill and support for keeping your list short and impactful.

Coaching Your Team Towards Focus

A practical example of this principle in action is my experience with one of my leaders — let’s call him Jake. I hired Jake not only for his technical prowess but also for his potential as a leader. However, in his first few months, he struggled to find his footing because he was bogged down by his desire to tackle every detail, fighting never-ending battles about semicolons and naming conventions.

Through targeted coaching, I helped Jake shift his focus from the minutiae to the broader strategic goals. This shift helped him prioritize and focus on what truly mattered long-term. As a result, Jake evolved into one of my most effective engineering managers, clearly illustrating the power of doing fewer things exceptionally well.

We’ve all been there — juggling so many projects that we forget what it feels like to finish one really well. Newport’s advice is a breath of fresh air: clear out the clutter, focus on what counts, and see how much more rewarding your work becomes.

The Benefits of Working at a Natural Pace in Engineering

Newport’s second principle is all about respecting your own energy levels and cognitive capacity to maintain sustainable productivity. In the demanding world of software engineering, this principle can be a game-changer, helping you stay effective without burning out.

Why Taking Longer Can Lead to Higher Quality Outcomes

Newport suggests that to truly benefit from taking longer, we should focus on depth over speed, which leads to higher quality outcomes. Rushing through tasks often results in mistakes and missed opportunities for creativity and effective problem-solving. Newport uses Lin-Manuel Miranda, who spent over eight years on/off working on In the Heights, to demonstrate how achieving high-quality results doesn’t happen overnight.

“Creativity needs time to explore different angles.” — Newport

Aligning Work with Natural Rhythms for Sustainable Productivity

Newport reminds us that trying to work at a relentless pace without recognizing our natural rhythms is a sure path to burnout and diminished work quality. He wisely notes, “Your brain is not a computer; it cannot operate at full capacity continuously.” We can’t keep up a high-speed, high-stress pace indefinitely.

When stress hits, our bodies react by releasing cortisol and adrenaline, gearing up for a fight or flight response. This might be beneficial short-term, but long-term stress can wreak havoc, leading to weakened immunity, heart problems, and mental health issues.

Instead of pushing through tasks as they come, try organizing your work around your natural rhythms. Find those times of the day when you feel most focused and creative — your peak hours — and tackle your toughest tasks then. This can help you stay healthier, happier, and just as productive.

During the Wharton program, my most productive periods were late morning and early evening. These golden hours became prime time for tackling intellectually demanding tasks. Scheduling tough tasks during these peaks and using autopilot schedules was key to completing the program while leading 80 engineers.

Implementing the Slow Grind for Lasting Success

As engineering managers, fostering a culture where engineers feel comfortable taking the time they need is essential, yet challenging. We’re accountable for delivery, so it’s crucial to balance allowing engineers the right amount of time without letting it become excessive. Striking the right balance will vary across organizations but the following suggestions can be applicable to all:

1. Set Realistic Deadlines: Give your team enough time to complete tasks without rushing. Align deadlines with their natural work rhythms to maximize productivity and reduce stress.
2. Break Tasks into Manageable Chunks: Divide larger projects into smaller, more manageable pieces. This makes the workload less overwhelming and allows for incremental progress, respecting the natural ebb and flow of productivity.
3. Schedule Deep Work Blocks: Dedicate uninterrupted time blocks for focused, deep work. This helps team members immerse themselves fully in their tasks without constant interruptions, aligning with their natural peaks of concentration.
4. Embrace Iteration: Allow for multiple drafts or versions to refine and improve outcomes. Iterative work ensures that each version is better than the last, benefiting from periods of reflection and creativity.

Embracing Seasonality to Prevent Burnout and Boost Creativity

Newport takes the concept of natural rhythms one step further with seasonal quiet quitting, where individuals intentionally reduce their workload during certain times of the year to avoid burnout. Historically, societies have balanced seasons of intense labor, like the harvest, with periods of rest during winter. In our post-pandemic world, working from home can easily lead to a monotonous grind. Embracing seasonality helps break this cycle and keeps our productivity and creativity high.

As engineering managers, it’s vital to align our team’s work with these natural cycles to maintain high performance and prevent burnout. The simplistic way to start seasonality is by planning and balancing downtime. After major project completions, schedule less intense work periods and avoid back-to-back high-stakes projects. This gives your team the chance to recuperate and prevents burnout.

Once you’re ready to graduate, practice seasonal quiet quitting. Intentionally reduce workloads during certain periods to give your team a break. This doesn’t mean a complete halt in work, but rather a strategic slowdown to prevent exhaustion.

Consider the world of consulting, where the entire month of December is often taken off because clients tend not to be available. This intentional slowdown allows consultants to recharge before the new year. Similarly, at a company I worked at, we had deployment freeze periods. This set the expectation that this isn’t our busy season, allowing the team to rest and prepare for the upcoming high-demand periods.

Finally, ensure your team is taking time off. Even today, a lingering notion remains from the Boomer generation that valorizes working through sickness or skipping vacations. This mindset is toxic to both workplace culture and employee longevity. Educate your staff on the importance of taking time to relax and experience life outside of work.

Inspiring Passion by Working Poetically

In startups, employees often feel a profound connection to the company’s mission. This deep sense of purpose drives them to work tirelessly, not because they have to, but because they believe in what they’re building. Every line of code and every feature developed is a step towards creating the world they want to see. This level of dedication and passion can lead to extraordinary results.

Newport says “when your work resonates with your deepest values, it becomes more than just a job — it becomes a calling.” This is particularly relevant for engineering managers looking to inspire their teams.

Contrast startups with larger organizations, where it can be more challenging to foster the same level of personal investment. Larger organizations often have more rigid structures and bureaucratic processes, which can stifle individual passion and creativity.

“Life without love is no life at all.” — Leonardo da Vinci

When engineers are passionate about their work, they deliver higher quality and more innovative results. As engineering managers, it’s our responsibility to align projects with our team members’ strengths and interests.

The right project is crucial, but so is giving your team the autonomy to experiment and innovate. Encourage creative freedom and total ownership. This can lead to breakthroughs that wouldn’t happen under strict, traditional management. Avoid micromanaging tasks — it wastes your time and stifles your team’s creativity, turning them into mere task rabbits.

Celebrate meaningful achievements that resonate with your team’s values and goals. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces a culture of excellence and appreciation.

If you’re unsure how well you’re doing in these areas, consider using Hackman and Oldham’s Job Diagnostic Survey (short form) to gauge your team’s perception of their jobs. Many, including myself, have found it extremely insightful as a quick pulse check on their current role.

The Critical Role of Obsessing Over Quality

Newport’s last principle is about standing out as engineering managers. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s tempting to sacrifice quality for speed or to meet others’ demands. However, maintaining a reputation for quality is crucial. It gives you Expert Power, one of the most critical bases of power identified by French and Raven.

A strong reputation for quality will make operations smoother and earn you respect and trust, ensuring your influence endures. As Aristotle said, “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” Building this reputation takes time, but once established, it becomes a moat that none can imitate.

Newport argues that high-quality work requires deep focus and dedication. Resist the temptation to rush through your to-do lists. Instead, take the time to ensure each task is done to the best of your abilities.

Building a Culture of Craftsmanship in Your Organization

As engineering managers, fostering a culture of craftsmanship within our teams is essential. This means setting high standards and encouraging our team members to take pride in their work. When quality becomes a habit, it transforms how we approach projects. Here are some methods to help achieve this:

1. Set Clear Quality Standards: Define what quality means for your team and ensure that everyone understands these standards. This might involve code reviews, testing protocols, and documentation practices. Recently, one of our leads created a thorough presentation on what it means to be a high-performing engineer. We now share this deck with every new hire, setting the bar high from day one.
2. Encourage Peer Reviews: Peer reviews are essential, yet some teams still expect the lead to handle all the reviews. Don’t let this happen. Peer reviews are a chance for team members to learn from each other and improve their skills. My most successful teams communicate extensively through pull request comments and host 2–3 team code review sessions per week. This not only catches errors early but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
3. Showcase Production Issues: Every time there’s a production issue, don’t sweep it under the rug. Craftsmanship requires accountability. Put it front and center in front of your entire organization. Have the team that made the mistake explain what happened from start to finish and how they plan to ensure it won’t happen again.
4. Invest in Training: As engineering managers, we’re responsible for identifying knowledge gaps for each employee and ensuring that they have access to the resources they need to excel. This might include technical courses, workshops, or mentorship programs. Don’t rely solely on your existing company offerings. Often, my team’s needs exceed those offerings, so it’s my job to find external options and push my company to expand its resources.

Striking the Balance Between Speed and Quality in Engineering

Balancing speed and quality is a constant challenge. In the long run, high-quality work saves time and resources by reducing the need for rework and fixing errors.

One major culprit for sacrificing quality is setting unrealistic deadlines. Early and clear communication about the importance of quality to stakeholders can help set realistic timelines. Get ahead of this so you’re not fighting the tide later on.

Another common issue is using misleading metrics to track success, such as story points. Always track metrics that emphasize quality over quantity. These metrics should guide improvements and highlight successes.

Focusing on quality ensures our work stands out and delivers lasting value. This principle not only enhances the reputation of our team but also leads to greater satisfaction and pride in our work. As engineering managers, it’s our responsibility to cultivate this dedication to quality within our teams.

Easing Into Slow Productivity Today

Embracing Newport’s principles of slow productivity can transform how we manage and lead our teams. As engineering managers, we must drive performance while ensuring our teams are engaged, motivated, and working sustainably.

Newport’s principles offer actionable strategies for more meaningful and impactful work. Implementing them requires dedication and a willingness to rethink our daily tasks. Yet, the rewards — greater satisfaction, higher quality work, and a more resilient team — are well worth the effort.

Start small by choosing one principle to focus on this week. Whether it’s setting clear quality standards, aligning projects with your team’s passions, or respecting natural work rhythms, take that first step. Bring your team along for the journey by sharing your goals, experiences, and challenges.

As one of my favorite Wharton professors, Kevin Kaiser, would say, “Give it a shot. Maybe it ends badly. Who cares?”