I remember when my work friend got promoted. Before that he was a rockstar individual contributor, the kind who just got things done.
Now he calls our casual chats “therapy” because his calendar is a war zone. He regularly tells me (and himself) he's going to carve out two hours for long-term planning, for actual strategy. But every time that block is replaced by a dozen "quick questions," urgent message pings, and last-minute requests from above.
He’s not alone. According to Deloitte (via Fast Company), nearly 40% of a manager’s week is eaten by admin and firefighting. That’s two full days. Most managers I’ve talked to are stuck in a reactive loop, spending nearly half their week on admin churn and small, recurring fires.
I remember struggling with this myself, so let me explain what actually happens, and a few ways to make it survivable.
Thinking You Can Out-Hustle It
When I first became a manager the mistake I made was thinking I could work my way around it.
I got up earlier to sneak in an hour before the day started. I blocked off entire afternoons as "deep work" only to watch those blocks get overwritten by "critical" meetings or a cascade of unexpected problems.
I even worked late, because that’s what a "committed leader" does, right?
The problem is, these instinctive fixes don't work. The urgent demands just expand to fill the available space, plus whatever extra you manage to create.
I was not solving the problem. I was just making myself more tired, more resentful, and still not doing the work that genuinely matters.
It’s like trying to put out a forest fire with a watering can. And I started to believe this is the job.
“Make Time for What Matters”
Then comes the advice: "You just need to prioritize." "Block out your calendar!" "Delegate more effectively."
It sounds great on paper, doesn't it? I’ve lost count of how many leadership books and LinkedIn posts repeat this line.
What I can’t stand about that advice: it’s often delivered by people who aren't actually living in the trenches, or who built their careers in a different era. They ignore the reality of organizational design. They don’t acknowledge the inherent friction, the unexpected emergencies, or the fact that most systems are set up to value immediate response over thoughtful foresight.
Telling a manager drowning in reactive tasks to "just make time" is like telling a surgeon mid-operation to "just take a break for strategic thought." It's not wrong, but it’s tone-deaf to the messy reality.
It’s Not You, It’s the System
This isn't a personal time-management flaw. Most organizations run best when managers are busy reacting. When you’re jumping on every single email, answering every ping, and addressing every “urgent” request, you’re keeping the gears grinding.
It’s uncomfortable to say out loud, but your value is often measured by your responsiveness, not your quiet strategic brilliance.
The reframe isn't about "winning back" 40% of your time - that’s fantasy.
It’s about accepting that a large portion of your week is simply like the cost of keeping the lights on. You don’t get rid of it, but you decide how to work around it without losing the other 60%.
To put it simply it’s about being "good enough" at the reactive stuff so you can be intentional about the proactive.
Three Tips to Try
Reducing the strategy block: Instead of trying for two-hour sessions, identify one single 15-minute slot in your morning and protect like it's gold. No email, no messages. Use it to outline the one strategic priority for the day or week.
"Is this really urgent" check: Before responding to any incoming request, ask yourself: "What happens if I don't answer this for an hour? Or until tomorrow morning?" Most fires are not actual fires. Many will burn themselves out or be handled by someone else if you don't jump immediately. This isn't about being negligent, but about identifying true urgency.
The "Good Enough" Response: Stop striving for perfection in every reply or every quick fix. Sometimes, a "Good point, I'll loop back on this by the end of day" is sufficient. Give yourself permission to be merely “good enough” on the reactive tasks to create space for something more.
Closing
I still lose more days than I’d like to admin and crisis response. The difference is I’ve stopped pretending I can "fix" the system, and started focusing on navigating it better.
And that means making peace with the fact that some fires can burn, at least for a little while, so you can actually light a new one.
And that’s all for today.
See you next week.