Source
r/ProductManagement•
jungle_potato

Mental Health: What's worked for you during COVID-19 ?

Hi fellow PMs, now that we're ~60 days into lockdown/SIP, I'm starting to miss the "B.C." (Before Corona) era. Most of all I miss having clear boundaries between work and life, being able to completely detach on weekends (my desk is in the living room!) and struggling with deadlines.

Not to forget my dear old friend Impostor Syndrome keeps knocking on the door every now and then. What strategy are you applying to stay creative and productive during this time ?

Posted May 11, 2020, 3:31 AM UTC

1018
i3l4ckjak•

We have a very asynchronous team (offshore devs), so what's worked for me is maintaining mental health with physical health:

​

  1. morning - clear through jira tickets, respond to things I need to
  2. late morning - workout (I built a home gym B.C., so this worked out splendidly for me)
  3. lunch
  4. Work with APM on prioritizing, ticket writing, PRDs, w/e.
  5. Dinner with wife, watch TV, play games, etc.
  6. Late night scrum meeting
  7. Bed

I had been working from home for the most part at my previous job, so I had some quality of life things going for me (standing desk, ergonomic setup, a dedicated office). Keep mixing things up to keep you sane.

Good luck!

7
pm_me_ur_prds•

This sounds like an incredibly chill work day. I assume it’s more hectic than this. But if it isn’t.. is your company hiring?

2
i3l4ckjak•

Much more hectic, but reframing is key ;)

1
sssanj•

This is my first year as a PM and I have similar questions for those who’ve maybe been around the block a few more times. It doesn’t help that I’m pretty green and really want to do a good job and support my Eng and Design teams. I am working to manage my perfectionism.

6
jungle_potatoOP•

Congratulations! Being a new PM can feel daunting but with the right support systems (manager,peers) and a good team vibe you should fare well :) I’m currently helping two new PMs with onboarding in our company - would love to know what you found the most useful in your first 30/90 days ?

2
dribblesalot•

I joined my company in early April, so I’m 100% remote haha. It’s been tough to onboard

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
whitew0lf•

Yoga and daily walks, also took up painting again.

3
dribblesalot•

I started playing valorant. I work out with a personal trainer 3x a week. Long walks.

3
bills_2•

Valorant clams you? Maybe it's just cause I'm terrible at it

2
dribblesalot•

Haha it helps bc it gives me something competitive for me to occupy myself

1
JZ_80•

My best advice is to read up on stoicism, and Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" is an amazing first step, especially so once you know the backstory of the book. he wasn't writing a book, he was writing in a diary to himself.

2
jungle_potatoOP•

Thanks for the reminder! I have that book on my shelf for a while.. time to dust it off!

1
thebestbb•
  • If you can, establish a home office where you can “go to work,” just as if you were heading to the office, library, or coffee shop. In addition to being quiet and distraction free, a dedicated space helps establish structure and rhythm that can be crucial for staying productive.
  • Perhaps the single biggest thing you can do to stay focused and productive at home is to maintain a positive outlook. Unfortunately, when every headline seems to highlight the worst case scenario, that can also be the biggest challenge.
2
jungle_potatoOP•

Thanks, makes sense. Unfortunately in a small apartment it's tough to carve out space.

1
khesic•

This is my 1st year as a PM and I am also fairly green, but learning. My team is very supportive and my manager is fantastic. But WFH has been a new challenge for me, especially as it seems that all my deadlines and big projects land during the same timeframe.

What has been helping me is to put aside 2hr heads-down working blocks for myself 2x a week in the morning. Starting off the day with personal work time makes me a lot more productive than starting the day with meetings. At the end of the day I set aside time to go through JIRA, emails, slacks, etcs. At 5pm sharp, I make sure to stop working and go do something completely not work related (exercise, cook/bake, chores, etc). I've also been working with my manager to assess my weekly priorities 2x a week during our 1:1s. Its a good way to check-in and stay liable for my responsibilities. I try to give myself at most 2 things a day I need to accomplish as to not overwhelm myself with my to-do list.

2
jungle_potatoOP•

That's a pretty solid list. Very impressive for a new PM! I wish I was that organized when I started out, haha.

1
khesic•

I've been at it for about 1 year now so this has been trial & error. Its constantly evolving. The 2hr headsdown time has been my latest eureka

1
skagan17•

Couldn’t agree more being on the clock 24/7 is super annoying.

I got super upset at my teammate who messaged me on text cause he saw I ended my day on slack and our pm. Like boundaries dude.

Happy hours with colleagues and game nights on zoom / FaceTime have truly gotten me through this lol. It is the only silver lining in my day.

1