Want to get more done without working more hours? If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’ve tried it all: productivity hacks, leadership books, another podcast, the list goes on. I am willing to bet you’re just hoping that something will finally help you feel like you’re actually leading and not just surviving the day. 

And if you’re nodding along right now, I want you to know you’re not alone.

There’s one mistake almost every manager makes that keeps them stuck in survival mode, constantly putting out fires, reacting to problems, and wondering if they’re even cut out for this. 

And the worst part? Most don’t even realize they’re doing it.

That’s exactly why in this article, I’m breaking down:

• How you can start fresh today without overhauling your entire calendar or working extra hours
• Why your overwhelm isn’t really a time problem but a clarity problem
• The simple 10-minute reset that shifts you out of survival mode and back into leadership

If you’ve followed me on Youtube for a while, you know I like to bring in fictional characters to better showcase how these “manager traps” show up in your real everyday life.

One of those fictional characters? Is Firefighter Fiona.

She’s smart and capable, but like so many new managers, no one ever sat her down and showed her how to actually structure her day for impact. They just handed her a team and a title and expected her to figure it all out. Sound familiar?

Now, every morning, Fiona starts her days with the best intentions. She has a to-do list and a plan, but by 10 a.m., those intentions are gone. Instead, she spends her time reacting: answering Slack messages, jumping into meetings, handling issue after issue. 

By the end of the day, she can’t even tell what she’d accomplished… other than putting out fires.

Does that sound familiar to you? If so, keep reading. Because this is exactly what I’d tell her if she was in New Manager Accelerator.

Moving Your Mindset From Independent Contributor (IC) to Leader

As managers, we’re not hired to put out fires all day long. We’re hired to lead: to drive results, to build strong teams… not spend our days reacting to every problem that pops up.

So how is it that somewhere along the way we convince ourselves that our worth as managers is rooted in how fast we can jump in and fix things?

In my experience, it’s because no one actually teaches us the difference between managing tasks and leading a team of ICs (independent contributors). 

Those are two very different hats and two completely different skill sets.

As an IC, your job was to get things done. But as a manager, your job is to get things done through your team. You now need to know how to define outcomes… not operate in the details.

So if you’re still trying to operate like an IC, doing everything yourself and measuring your worth by how busy you are, then no wonder you feel chaotic every single day. You’re essentially focused on the wrong thing—being needed through your busyness instead of being needed through your leading.

And more time in your day won’t fix that, so what I want you to do is this simple, 10-minute reset designed to pull you out of IC mode and shift you back into leadership mode.

1. Set Your Intention For The Day

The very first thing I want you to do if you want to get more done without working more hours (before you open your inbox, before Slack, before you jump into your to-do list), is pause and ask yourself one question:

What is the single most important leadership move I can make today?

Not a task. Not a project update. A leadership move.

That could look like having a coaching conversation with an employee about his project delays, clarifying priorities with another employee who’s juggling too many things at once, or following up on a commitment you made to a team member about providing feedback.

The point is, when you do this, you’re setting the tone for the day by choosing to lead, not react. Because the moment you open Slack or email, your brain goes straight into task mode, and you start reacting to everyone else’s priorities.

And that’s where most managers lose their day. Right there in the first 10 minutes.

2. Pause For a Midday Reset

Next? Set an alarm for halfway through the day. And when that alarm rings, pause and ask yourself: Am I leading right now, or am I just reacting?

That’s it. Just one reflective question.

And if the answer is that you’ve been stuck in “firefighter mode,” no judgment. You simply use that moment to course-correct, refocus on what matters, and follow through.

Don’t worry about getting things perfect, because at the end of the day, things will happen. This simple exercise is really about building a rhythm where you notice when you’re off track, so you can pull yourself back.

Are you reading this thinking, “Mak, there’s no way I have time to stop in the middle of my day—I’m already behind.”

First of all, I get it. It does take time to pause. And at the same time, it’s actually the lack of pausing, or the lack of insight, that keeps you stuck on autopilot and gets you to the end of the day wondering, “Wait… what just happened today?”

Or maybe you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but my team expects me to be available for them all day, every day.”

I get that too. But that’s exactly why this reset is so powerful. It doesn’t ask you to ignore your team’s needs. It helps you meet those needs from a leadership lens, not a firefighting one.

To turn the ship on a habit that’s ingrained, you have to do something different even if it feels awkward or like a pain at first. That’s the point. You’re not doing this just for today. You’re making a deposit into the leader you want to be next month, next quarter, next year.

If you do this enough times and keep course-correcting, you will eventually operate differently—but you have to start somewhere.

3. End your Day With Reflection

Lastly, spend the last five minutes of your workday to end with reflection. Think of this as the bookend to your day. Before you shut your laptop, pause and ask yourself three questions:

1. Was I able to follow through on my intention today?
2. If not, where did I get pulled off track?
3. And what do I need to adjust tomorrow to make sure I can follow through on my intention?

Asking yourself these questions becomes your personal feedback loop. You start seeing patterns. You begin noticing what’s pulling you into firefighting mode. You’ll see the days where things go well, and why, and you’ll be able to double down on what moves the needle instead of getting stuck in what pulls you backward.

One of my clients, Alex, started implementing just this reflection step, and within a week he realized he was being derailed by unscheduled “quick questions” from his team. That awareness alone helped him create a new system for handling interruptions, and it gave him back two hours every day.

Of course there’s more to it than a simple 10-minute reflection each day, but that’s often where it starts. After coaching hundreds of managers, here’s what I know: the change you want doesn’t happen overnight, and it rarely comes from one perfect conversation or one flawless strategy. That’s why support and ongoing education are so important.

Making Real Change As a Leader (Without Working More Hours)

If there’s one thing I want to leave you with, it’s that real change comes from small shifts, repeated consistently, until they start to compound.

This reset is built on the first principle of my Elevate Team Performance framework which is designed to help you start adopting the mindset of an impactful leader. Watch this masterclass on demand here!

At the end of the day, leadership isn’t built by doing more. It’s built in the daily moments where you choose to lead instead of react.

Building new habits is only one part of the equation. I’ve seen so many managers with the best intentions still get pulled back into survival mode because of a few sneaky habits they don’t even realize they have. Habits that quietly chip away at your leadership, no matter how hard you’re working.

If you’re ready to reclaim your time, elevate your leadership, and finally feel in control of your role, New Manager Accelerator will show you the proven path. Learn more about New Manager Accelerator here.