Senior engineers do high-value repeatable work: architecture docs, ADRs, code review checklists, design templates.
The trap: Spending 8-12 hours/week on tasks that follow patterns.
I calculated mine: 576 hours/year on ONE type of task (blog articles). That's 14 full work weeks.
The shift: Stop executing patterns. Start encoding them.
.agent.md files let you turn expertise into reusable workflows: • Document the process once • Build the agent (3-4 hours) • Run it forever (90% time saved) • ROI after 5 uses (week 2-3)
Think like a Swiss watchmaker: Master watchmaker creates jigs and templates. Apprentices produce same quality using the system.
Agent = your expertise, encoded.
After building 4 agents, pattern is clear: If I've done it 5+ times and can describe the process, it's agent-worthy.
Your most expensive repeatable task? That's your leverage point.
Start here: Custom Copilot Agents Guide