Task management for product managers

In the book Inspired, Marty Cagan talks about dividing one’s day-to-day tasks into three major buckets: people, process and product. I’d experimented with categorising my tasks into similar such buckets based on the framework by Shreyas Doshi.

To make this possible within my workflow, I started colour-coding my calendar for weekly time-management. High leverage tasks are indicated with red color code. Neutral tasks as green. Overhead tasks with the default colour available on Google calendar: Blue.

This helps me to better manage my time and energy to double down on the High leverage tasks for which I would do extra homework and background preparation. While scheduling my high leverage, neutral and overhead tasks, it was also important to ensure I had the right amount of energy to complete the tasks as well.

For example, if you’re juggling between 30 different tasks, while doing some intense task switching, even a 2-min overhead task might seem like an herculean task to execute. This is where the demarcation between Maker Time and Manager Time comes in handy.

According to Paul Graham, Maker time refers to the uninterrupted, focused time that individuals need to do their best work. This specifically requires large blocks of time to get into a flow state and produce high-quality work.

On the other hand, Manager time refers to the fragmented, interrupted time that managers or people involved in meetings and communication-intensive tasks need to operate effectively. Managers often have to juggle multiple responsibilities, attend meetings, make decisions, and coordinate with others. They have to be available and responsive to various demands throughout the day.

If you see the image below, the first half of the calendar is meant for Manager Time (usually, with a few exceptions)