Keep a record of where you spend your time and energy. It may not seem worth the effort, but in reality, it will make you more productive in the long term.

The first step is to find a simple system that suits your working rhythm to capture what you’re spending your time on. After you’ve identified that you can follow these steps:

• Assess regularly whether the time between major key performance indicators (KPIs) feels right or needs adjustment.

• Explore with your leaders what percentage of time ought to be spent on each KPI. Discuss key conversations that need to be had with stakeholders to rebalance your energy allocations.

• Build clear and compelling narratives that can be deployed when you need to decline tasks. Help stakeholders understand why you’re required to spend energy on alternative activities rather than the ones they would like you to complete.

• Identify a sensible operating rhythm for your role and assess weekly whether you’re sticking to it. If not, why not? What is getting in the way?

Did you find this tip helpful? You can find many more in our book Master Expert: How to use Expertship to achieve peak performance, seniority and influence in a technical role.

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