An Expert Top Five Question – Where does all the time go?

A theme that emerges in a significant proportion of coaching conversations with technical experts is one that appears deceptively simple.

Time. Or more specifically, the feeling that there is never quite enough of it.

When time feels like the constraint

A senior engineer I worked with described their situation in familiar terms.

The days were full. Meetings filled the calendar, urgent requests arrived continuously, and meaningful work was often pushed into the margins.

The conclusion seemed obvious. “I need to manage my time better.” Yet as we explored this more deeply, a different picture began to emerge.

Time itself was not the issue. Everyone had access to the same number of hours. The difference lay elsewhere.

From time to energy

Not all hours are equal. Some carry focus, clarity and problem-solving capability. Others are better suited to routine activity or communication.

The engineer described themselves as most effective in the morning. That was when their best thinking happened. Yet those same hours were often fragmented by meetings and reactive demands.

In contrast, lower-energy periods were filled with work requiring deeper concentration. The pattern was not unusual. In many cases, experts are allocating their most valuable work to their lowest energy moments.

This is not a time management problem. It is an energy management opportunity.

To explore this more objectively, we introduced a simple journaling approach.

Rather than relying on calendars, which tend to reflect only meetings, the engineer captured everything that filled the day over a week. Not just scheduled activity, but the informal, reactive and often invisible work that consumed attention.

Each activity was then categorised. Green for clear value. Amber for necessary but lower value. Red for questionable.

The result was striking. What had felt like a full and productive schedule looked very different when viewed this way. It was far from a sea of green. That moment of visibility changed the conversation.

From activity to prioritisation

It was no longer just about when work was being done, but which work.

Like many experts, the engineer’s priorities had been shaped by immediacy. The most urgent or visible requests moved to the top, often driven by others rather than by intent.

This created a subtle misalignment. High-energy periods were consumed by reactive work. More important, less visible work was deferred. Stepping back allowed a different set of questions to emerge.

What genuinely moves the organisation forward? Where does your expertise make the greatest difference? What actually requires you?

High-energy time began to be protected, not just for complexity, but for importance. Lower-energy time was used more deliberately for responsive and operational work.

The shift was not dramatic. But it was meaningful. Effort became more aligned with impact.

What changes… and what doesn’t

With this alignment in place, the same number of hours began to feel different. There was still pressure. Still demand. But less sense of constant reaction. More sense of contribution.

At that point, however, a more difficult realisation began to surface. Understanding the problem was one thing. Changing behaviour was another. Protecting time, delegating work, and reshaping expectations all required something more than awareness.

They required confidence. And, at times, courage.

It was at this stage the engineer made a decision that many experts eventually arrive at. Not to look for more tools or techniques. But to engage more deliberately in their own development. Insight had created clarity. What they needed next was support to act on it.

The hidden role of delegation

One area where this became immediately visible was delegation.

Like many experts, the engineer held a strong sense of ownership for quality. Work was occasionally passed on, but without clear structure or support. The result was familiar. Work returned. Standards felt uncertain. Doing it personally felt easier. Over time, this reinforced a cycle where more and more sat in one place - with the expert.

By approaching delegation more deliberately, with clearer outcomes, agreed checkpoints, and a focus on developing others rather than rescuing, something began to shift. It became less about offloading tasks, and more about extending capability.

And importantly, it began to create space.

The uncomfortable boundary: saying no

At some point, even that is not enough. Demand continues. And the question becomes harder. How do I say no?

For many experts, this is not a skill they have ever been taught. It sits uncomfortably alongside a strong identity of being reliable, responsive and helpful.

What proved helpful here was a simple reframing. Saying no is rarely about refusal. More often, it is about clarity.

In practice, it often sounds like:

• “Of course I’d like to help. I do have a commitment on the same timeline for X. If you’re able to align priorities with them, I can absolutely support.”

• “I can do this. Which of my current priorities would you like me to deprioritise?”

• “I’m not able to deliver all of this by that deadline, but I can complete this part to a high standard.”

In each case, the intent remains positive. But the ownership of prioritisation becomes shared. These are not always easy conversations. But they are often necessary ones.

The cumulative effect

Over time, these shifts begin to compound.

• Energy is used more intentionally.

• Priorities become clearer.

• Delegation becomes more effective.

• Boundaries become more sustainable.

The engineer did not gain more time. But they gained greater control over how their expertise was applied. And with that, a greater sense of impact.

A continuing conversation about Expertship

Across sectors, many experts experience time as a constant constraint. Yet the opportunity is rarely in managing time more tightly.

It lies in understanding where energy goes, what is prioritised, and how expertise is applied.

In my coaching work with professionals through The Expertship Institute (www.expertship.com), this often becomes a turning point. Not because the answers are complex. But because acting on them requires something more personal.

For now, the central message is simple:

• Time is fixed.

• Energy is not.

• Expertise creates value.

• How it is applied determines its impact.

Author

Mike Walker is an executive coach working with professionals across multiple sectors through the global coaching platform of The Expertship Institute (expertship.com). After an international career in banking across both front-line and operational functions, he now focuses on helping technical experts translate deep specialist knowledge into broader enterprise impact. Mike is based in the UK.

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