In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman and The Product Management Center advisory board member Soumeya Benghanem welcome Alex Selby (Amazon) and Swati Goel (Facebook) to talk about time management. Today’s focus is on how much time PMs need to allocate for structured and creative meetings, checking with customers to gather data on existing products, and breaking down your day strategically so you’ll have time to refresh your thoughts and replenish your creativity.
02:17 Why is time management and productivity important?07:02 Breaking down your day with time bucketing09:45 For PMs, unstructured, unfocused time is critical11:47 Block out an hour for yourself everyday14:29 Deciding how much time to put into strategy versus execution18:45 Business priorities and where you’re product is at20:41 From 90/10 to 60/40 time allocation with customers28:33 Look for product adjacent roles or tasks that you can take on33:20 Pick up patterns from the first customers and bring back to the team for planning36:03 Learn more about the Inclusive Product Management Accelerator program38:01 The writing culture in meetings is an artifact while building a product42:07 Balance between outcome driven structured meetings and allowing creativity44:23 Allow for creative sessions but facilitation is still needed48:25 Start conversations with a wide approach first49:20 Choose which meetings are mandatory for you51:31 Time management takes a little bit of practice53:02 How often should PMs check on customers56:55 “Be specific and strategy in spending your time.” - Alex Selby57:51 Listen to How to Be More Productive (Ep. 243)