Stop Drowning in Details: How Habit Stacking Saved My Leadership
Helping my team didn’t mean becoming a better coder. It meant becoming a better listener — and a smarter leader.
In project management—or any technical leadership role—your greatest asset isn’t your ability to code, debug, or sanity test.
It’s your ability to listen, prioritize, and guide your team to deliver working software — on time and on budget.
They don’t need another superuser.
They need real leadership.
My Early Mistakes
At first, I thought being hands-on was the best way to support my team.
I jumped into sanity testing, helped curate system requirements, and got deep into the trenches with them.
And while they appreciated my willingness to dive in, it wasn’t what they truly needed.
Not even close.
Looking back, I realize I wasted unnecessary time and energy on activities that distracted me from my actual role.
Sure, learning which GitHub branches to point validation testing toward was helpful, but most of the technical skills I picked up? Useless for the bigger picture.
Getting Stuck in the Weeds
Eventually, I pulled back. I started listening more, talking less, trying to understand the real blockers my team faced.
But even then, we'd sometimes spiral too deep into minor issues—like whether a piece of software matched a very specific system requirement—and lose sight of the actual goal: delivering the promised functionality to customers.
The result?
We still missed deadlines. We still underdelivered.
Something had to change.
The Habit Stacking Breakthrough
Reading Atomic Habits by James Clear gave me the epiphany I needed.
I realized the breakthrough wasn't about learning more tech—it was about learning better habits.
Especially when it came to active listening and filtering the noise.
Instead of striving to become another developer or trying to personally diagnose every defect, I focused on prioritizing what mattered most.
I sharpened my active listening skills to identify urgent vs. minimal issues and invested my time where it had the biggest impact.
And from there, I started stacking small, meaningful habits that quietly transformed my leadership.
How I Habit Stack My Mornings
Here’s what a typical day looked like for me:
7:00 am–7:30 am: Stretch and meditate — clear my mind, ground myself.
7:30 am–8:30 am: Check in with my teams in the EU/China/India, review Jira comments from my North American team.
8:30 am–8:45 am: Quick stretch and coffee break — reset my energy.
9:00 am–11:00 am: Run standups and schedule critical follow-ups.
11:00 am–6:00 pm: Firefighting and problem-solving (with better mental clarity).
The real key?
I intentionally stacked small, positive habits together—physical wellness + early team communication—that made my workday stronger before it even got chaotic.
Stretching while scanning Jira tickets.
Meditating before standups.
Planning internal action steps during coffee breaks.
None of it was massive on its own. But stacked together? It made me a sharper, calmer, and more strategic leader.
Leadership Starts with You
Being an effective leader isn't about mastering every technical detail.
It’s about being mentally fit and emotionally well enough to guide others through uncertainty.
Start small.
Stack habits that build momentum.
Lead from a place of calm and clarity—and watch your team (and your results) transform alongside you.
What’s one small habit you can stack into your mornings starting tomorrow?
Drop a comment — I’d love to hear how you're shaping your leadership habits.
Like what I have to say? Hire me!
I am always looking to take on complex projects—it’s a fun challenge that keeps me mentally fit. Feel free to DM or email (elecia@gmail.com) if you feel I’d be a great fit for your role.