About Hubspot
HubSpot, a tool that connects marketing, sales, and customer service in a single platform, has been a Clockwise customer since 2021, among the earliest teams to adopt it. Over the years, as HubSpot’s engineering organization evolved and expanded, one thing remained constant: the need for time to truly focus.
We spoke with two of HubSpot’s technical leads, Deidra Kandra and Ian Anderson, each of whom manages a team of engineers while continuing to write code themselves. Balancing those two responsibilities often meant wrestling with calendars packed to the brim.
For a while, this was accepted as simply part of the job. Meetings, one-on-ones, and cross-team syncs piled up as HubSpot grew. But as the organization matured, many realized they needed a better way to protect their time, not just to feel more productive, but to ensure they could continue building great products without burning out.
That’s when Clockwise came in.
Leaning into Flexibility
At first, a few team members were hesitant to give up some control of their calendars. Letting Clockwise automatically move meetings felt strange and a little risky. But the team was desperate for uninterrupted deep work, so they decided to lean in and trust the tool.
“When I started trusting Clockwise to move meetings around, I finally got to experience how it creates a schedule that fits my work,” recalls Deidra. “Focus Time has become invaluable, and it’s even better when the whole team participates and respects it.”
A Culture that Respects Time
When teams within HubSpot’s engineering organization first started using Clockwise, they weren’t just looking for a calendar tool. They were eager to build a culture of respecting the time to focus. Clockwise helped make that possible.
By automatically creating protected Focus Time blocks across the team’s calendars, Clockwise gave engineers the breathing room they needed for deep work. Over time, that focus became something everyone respected, an unspoken agreement that time to build was just as valuable as time spent meeting.
“Focus Time is like a line of defense,” Ian explained. “When people see it on your calendar, they tend to think twice before booking over it. Or they’ll send a message instead, or opt to handle something asynchronously.”
For these leads, Clockwise did more than rearrange meetings; it changed the way they feel about work altogether.
"Clockwise has completely transformed the way I work. I finally have the time to focus on building, the part of my job I love most.” Deidra shared. “It’s given me the confidence to lead my team effectively while knowing I’m also doing my best individual work.”
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And because Clockwise adjusts dynamically as meetings shift, the tool has continued to serve the team even as HubSpot’s engineering structure evolves.
Scaling Through Change
HubSpot’s engineering organization has continued to change since 2021. Teams have grown, projects have multiplied, and priorities have shifted. Through it all, Clockwise has remained a quiet constant, helping everyone — from individual contributors to technical leads — stay centered amid the noise.
