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Anon816097 · 6 Oct 2025
I’ve just moved into my first management role and to be honest I kind of hate it. My fault, I didn’t realise how much red tape and admin and meetings, so many meetings, would come with it. I don’t get to do any actual work that I wanted to do when I entered my line of work as a designer. For those with more experience: how did you adjust? Are there ways to manage all the paperwork so I still get to do some hands-on creative work? Appreciate any advice.
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Flightless Bird · 24d ago
Can 100% relate. Are their people in your team that might be interested in getting a bit more exposure to Management as a dev opportunity? I tried that approach (it must be said with mixed success) but some people responded really well to that extra ownership...And it can free you up for a bit more time in the trenches.
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West Coast Adventure · 28d ago
It’s not just you. A lot of people end up missing the hands on work, even though sometimes its paid less. Maybe try blocking out a bit of time each week for something creative, even if it’s small, like a side hobby/hustle? Keeps you sane and reminds you why you love what you do
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Off to the Markets · 14 Oct 2025
I've been through exactly this. My first management/leadership roles were a big transition.
But I realised I kind of just needed to learn the new job.
Making a new schedule, staying on top of things. Having a dozen meetings a week can be 6-12 hours. But if you're not prepped and rushing to them all etc, it's gonna be more like20+ hours of lost productivity.
Make some notes on how last week went, plan out the next one.
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Jasmine · 14 Oct 2025
Operations Executive
What’s worked for me is being really clear about when I’m available for meetings and when I’m in focus mode. I block out chunks of time on my calendar for actual work and label them clearly, so people know not to book over them. I also try to respond to non-urgent stuff in batches instead of right away... helps set a quiet boundary without coming off as difficult.
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