It’s challenging to maintain healthy habits as a Product Manager. Not only can it be hard to find time to form work habits, like taking time for skill building, it can also be hard to create habits that promote a work/life balance. For a new Product Manager, it can be especially overwhelming as the excitement of a new position plus the never-ending list of things to be done can lead to burn out. It’s important to form sustainable habits as Product Management is a marathon.
Recently I’ve had a lot of success with a mobile app called Streaks. It’s a light-weight iOS app that helps you track how many days in a row you meet personal goals. For instance, you can set a goal to practice guitar on Monday and Thursday, or read a PM article every weekday. I’m using it for work-life balance, such as doing exercise every day, doing arts & crafts, and reading. It could also be used to help a new PM get set up with work habits, like “have lunch with a stakeholder” or “check up on competitors.” I’ve found it to be great encouragement to remember to do the important things that often get forgotten in favor of the urgent.
Even if you don’t buy the app, the idea is straightforward. The core to starting a habit is to have a trigger for the action, getting at least minimal reward for doing so, and making a cycle to come back to the trigger again. To set up your own system, give yourself extrinsic encouragement to start a habit until it’s met. It could be a friend or peer having regular checkins to keep you accountable, or giving yourself a reward for a job well done. There are even online programs like stickK where you can set a punishment if you don’t meet a goal. At the least, set up calendar reminders to make sure you do your goal everyday, and you’ll soon be on your way to a healthy habit.