As a product leader, have you ever felt like you're constantly working two jobs? Meetings by day, real work by night. You're not alone. In this post, we'll look at why and how to fix it.
Hi Archana, I'm glad you found the article helpful! Your point about the additional challenges for working parents hits home - being more thoughtful about my time has helped me be more present with my kids.
The timing of this could not be any better. Have been trying consciously for the past few months to do deep work sessions as a Product Lead to drive some important projects/priorities that always get sidetracked due to some critical issue.
The points regarding doing these during peak energy is significant too. I've noticed I'm at my peak when I start work OR at night - have blocked 2 hours daily at the start to focus on deep work (still finding it challenging to not look at emails before that and jump at any thing that needs even some attention)
But a great piece and an important one in today's age filled with distractions.
Hi Vivek, I'm glad the post arrived at the right time! I've found the same -- it's much easier to get into deep work mode at the start or the end of the day, when distractions are at a minimum. I get my best work done at night when I know I'm not working against a deadline and can keep working if I get in groove.
Personal experiences: this constant struggle between Deep Work (or 'maker time' using Ravi's term) and Operational Work can be managed but never goes away.
Definitely resonate the success hinges on setting boundaries and stick with it. To be able to integrate (not balancing, I don't believe in equal weight) the two, I use 'Operate in Public' and Chunking methods.
Operate in Public: let everyone knows you are in Focus Mode on your calendar. For me that is any day 11 am - 2pm (I fast; no lunch) if i am in office; before 11 am if I am WFH. Key is to optimize for energy.
Google Workplace calendar has 'Focus Time' feature. Adding it on your calendar, it will auto decline invite and other interruption such as Slack. that is at least 13-15 hours per week I can carve out.
Chunking: in addition to hour block, I also have the flexibility to WFH 2 - 3 days a week. It is marked accordingly on my calendar and Slack. Prioritize for in person meeting when I will be in office.
I also do quite some Deep Work during weekend, when my creativity is best and least likely to be interrupted. That is not 'work' for me because I enjoy it.
Hi Alexandria, thank you for sharing your experience! The Google Calendar focus time feature is great hack... I haven't used it personally, but know a few people who swear by it. I love that you get some of your best work done on the weekend... I find the deep work very rewarding as well.
I had a weird way to organize until now: for each ritual I have, I block some time to prepare it before. And if someone ask me something I block some time to answer it.
But this does not scale well, thanks for the tips, first thing I do is use a calendly link to plan meeting and learn how to say no.
It requires commitment, but this sort of intense time allocation can work well. Sam Corcos, CEO of Levels, just shared a detailed accounting of how he spent his first 5 years at the company:
Grappled with this in the past. Although cannot say that I have fully balanced both "maker" and "manager" roles, things have been much better. The blog is a timely reminder.
One observation though. In my experience, an anti-pattern with the "maker" time is that sometimes (esp. when handling interesting problem spaces) we over-index on "deep work" blocks and strategic priorities, which makes us lose touch with the day-to-day realities of the team and product. One can miss emerging problems, ignore valuable feedback, and become disconnected from the user experience.
Got around this by scheduling time (even just 15-30 minutes) each day (I term this as "push") to intentionally be present with your team by walking around and talking to the team members across functions. An additional 30-minute slot for open-door conversations (I term this as "pull") further helps, where anyone can walk in on things that need support.
Its hard to strike the right balance... I always feel like I'm swaying to one or the other side of things. It's interesting to hear that you found the maker time getting in the way -- I typically find my maker time getting interrupted by too many meetings, emails, and interrupts.
I love the push / pull framework. I miss the pre-COVID days when walking around was a great way to catch up with most of the team. I had a lot of success with office hours in the past -- I'd have an open door on Friday afternoons for impromptu meetings. Thanks for sharing your insights!
I couldn’t agree more! Too often, 15-minute stand-ups turn into hour-long deep discussions.
Setting aside focus time on my calendar has helped improve time management, and having a dedicated no-meeting day has made a difference.
As a mom of a young child, I find it especially challenging for women to get deep work done after everyone else logs off. Such an insightful article!
Hi Archana, I'm glad you found the article helpful! Your point about the additional challenges for working parents hits home - being more thoughtful about my time has helped me be more present with my kids.
The timing of this could not be any better. Have been trying consciously for the past few months to do deep work sessions as a Product Lead to drive some important projects/priorities that always get sidetracked due to some critical issue.
The points regarding doing these during peak energy is significant too. I've noticed I'm at my peak when I start work OR at night - have blocked 2 hours daily at the start to focus on deep work (still finding it challenging to not look at emails before that and jump at any thing that needs even some attention)
But a great piece and an important one in today's age filled with distractions.
Hi Vivek, I'm glad the post arrived at the right time! I've found the same -- it's much easier to get into deep work mode at the start or the end of the day, when distractions are at a minimum. I get my best work done at night when I know I'm not working against a deadline and can keep working if I get in groove.
Personal experiences: this constant struggle between Deep Work (or 'maker time' using Ravi's term) and Operational Work can be managed but never goes away.
Definitely resonate the success hinges on setting boundaries and stick with it. To be able to integrate (not balancing, I don't believe in equal weight) the two, I use 'Operate in Public' and Chunking methods.
Operate in Public: let everyone knows you are in Focus Mode on your calendar. For me that is any day 11 am - 2pm (I fast; no lunch) if i am in office; before 11 am if I am WFH. Key is to optimize for energy.
Google Workplace calendar has 'Focus Time' feature. Adding it on your calendar, it will auto decline invite and other interruption such as Slack. that is at least 13-15 hours per week I can carve out.
Chunking: in addition to hour block, I also have the flexibility to WFH 2 - 3 days a week. It is marked accordingly on my calendar and Slack. Prioritize for in person meeting when I will be in office.
I also do quite some Deep Work during weekend, when my creativity is best and least likely to be interrupted. That is not 'work' for me because I enjoy it.
Hi Alexandria, thank you for sharing your experience! The Google Calendar focus time feature is great hack... I haven't used it personally, but know a few people who swear by it. I love that you get some of your best work done on the weekend... I find the deep work very rewarding as well.
I had a weird way to organize until now: for each ritual I have, I block some time to prepare it before. And if someone ask me something I block some time to answer it.
But this does not scale well, thanks for the tips, first thing I do is use a calendly link to plan meeting and learn how to say no.
It requires commitment, but this sort of intense time allocation can work well. Sam Corcos, CEO of Levels, just shared a detailed accounting of how he spent his first 5 years at the company:
https://review.firstround.com/how-i-spent-17784-hours-in-5-years-as-a-startup-founder/
Grappled with this in the past. Although cannot say that I have fully balanced both "maker" and "manager" roles, things have been much better. The blog is a timely reminder.
One observation though. In my experience, an anti-pattern with the "maker" time is that sometimes (esp. when handling interesting problem spaces) we over-index on "deep work" blocks and strategic priorities, which makes us lose touch with the day-to-day realities of the team and product. One can miss emerging problems, ignore valuable feedback, and become disconnected from the user experience.
Got around this by scheduling time (even just 15-30 minutes) each day (I term this as "push") to intentionally be present with your team by walking around and talking to the team members across functions. An additional 30-minute slot for open-door conversations (I term this as "pull") further helps, where anyone can walk in on things that need support.
Its hard to strike the right balance... I always feel like I'm swaying to one or the other side of things. It's interesting to hear that you found the maker time getting in the way -- I typically find my maker time getting interrupted by too many meetings, emails, and interrupts.
I love the push / pull framework. I miss the pre-COVID days when walking around was a great way to catch up with most of the team. I had a lot of success with office hours in the past -- I'd have an open door on Friday afternoons for impromptu meetings. Thanks for sharing your insights!