# The Software Engineer week

URL: https://gocutline.com/templates/software-engineer-week/

A weekly schedule for software engineers that protects the morning for code: a 15-minute standup at 09:30, deep work coding from 10:00 to 12:30, code review at 14:00, and the gym three evenings a week.

## Why it works
- **One long coding block a day** beats four short ones; context is expensive to rebuild.
- **Reviews after lunch** fit the post-lunch energy dip and unblock teammates the same day.
- **Standup right before deep work** turns it into a start signal.

## Make it yours
- On-call week? Shorten the deep block and add a daily 30-minute buffer.
- Remote team in another time zone? Move review to when their questions arrive.

## Use it
Open the [week builder](https://gocutline.com/#try), paste the line below and adjust the times to your life:

> Standup 15 min every weekday at 9:30, deep work code 2.5h every weekday at 10, code review 1h every weekday at 14, gym 3x at 18, read 30 min daily at 21:30

The week: Standup 15 min every weekday at 9:30, deep work code 2.5h every weekday at 10, code review 1h every weekday at 14, gym 3x at 18, read 30 min daily at 21:30

## Questions

**How many hours of coding a day are realistic?**
Two to four hours of focused coding is a strong day for most engineers; the rest goes to reviews, meetings and reading.

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Cutline: Cutline is a weekly calendar and planner that turns time blocks into XP, levels and streaks. You plan your week in blocks, tick each one off when it is done, and see your progress on a social feed (the Floor) and a weekly leaderboard (the Arena). Planning and budgeting are free; paid plans add a badge, posting, messaging, shared calendars and lower selling fees, from $9 a month. Pro is free to try for 7 days.
Facts: https://gocutline.com/facts/ · Updated 2026-10-23