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Engineering our Future: Helping Engineers Succeed In Career and LifeEvery week: analog planning tips, stationery finds, productivity frameworks, and the Engineering our Future career series all in one place on Substack. Author: Helping you leverage your unique skills for career success
Luis Duque from Engineering our Future provides meaningful and educational conversations with some of the best and brightest engineers and professionals worldwide so you can stay ahead of the curve in your career. Learn what the best engineers are working on, creating, and teaching so you can develop the skills needed to maintain your role as a critical member of society. Since 2018, Luis has been volunteering, working, and creating content inspiring and empowers thousands of people. His career experience is broad for his relatively few years out of school newsletter.planningengineered.com Language: en Genres: Business, Careers, Education, Self-Improvement Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Art of "Earning the No"
Friday, 6 March, 2026
We’re back! After a bit of a hiatus to focus on some major engineering projects, we are sitting down to talk about something we all struggle with: the art of saying no.We often talk about work-life balance like it’s a constant state of control, but let’s be real—life happens in seasons. Sometimes work needs that extra 20%, and sometimes your family or hobbies need to take the front seat.In this episode, we dive into:* The 80/20 Rule of Boundaries: Nicolai breaks down how to respect team boundaries while identifying those critical moments when you truly need to rely on one another.* Earning the “No”: Why saying “yes” to the random tasks early in your career builds the trust and capital you need to set firm boundaries later on.* The “Too Much Info” Trap: Why you don’t need to over-share personal details when declining a request—less is often more!* Career Evolution: Luis shares how moving from “yes-man” volunteering to lead roles on major bridge projects has changed his perspective on managing timelines.Key Timestamps:* [00:00:33] The reality of “business stretches” and why the podcast took a backseat.* [00:01:33] Why work-life balance isn’t a balance board, but a series of seasons.* [00:03:07] Nicolai’s framework for respecting boundaries 80% of the time.* [00:05:22] Luis on how saying “yes” early on leads to better project opportunities.Whether you’re a junior engineer looking to prove yourself or a senior lead trying to protect your team’s burnout levels, this conversation is all about finding that seasonal rhythm. Get full access to Planning Engineered at newsletter.planningengineered.com/subscribe
