What do you do if you're feeling overwhelmed in your product development career?

"Feeling overwhelmed in product development is like drowning in a sea of opportunity." Here's how to swim: 1. Prioritize Ruthlessly: Focus on what truly moves the needle. 2. Seek Support: Collaboration can lighten the load. 3. Step Back: Regular breaks fuel creativity and endurance. 4. Learn to Say No: Protect your time for what matters most. 5. Reflect and Adjust: Continuously evaluate and realign your goals. Navigating overwhelm requires strategy and self-care to thrive in product development.

First and foremost it's important to step back and prioritize your tasks, focusing on what's most critical. Communicating your workload and seeking support from your team or manager can also alleviate pressure. Incorporating breaks and mindfulness practices can help manage stress. Remember, it's okay to ask for help and delegate tasks where possible. Reflecting on your achievements and learning from challenges can also provide perspective and motivation.

Prioritize. There are times we all have more work than we can handle, so it's important to knock out the highest priority items first. Of course, there is some logic to doing a bunch of shorter/smaller tasks to "drain the swamp" and that is definitely worth considering depending on the situation and org.

I firmly believe that attaining clarity is essential when developing a product, irrespective of its perceived simplicity. Personally, I see clarity as a foundational element of kindness.

Feeling overwhelmed often results from the internal dialogues we all have, and there is an excellent book by Ethan Kross: "Chatter" that I highly recommend! A few lessons learned: - Talk to yourself as a friend. Say: "Okay, [your name], you're feeling overwhelmed; it's tough. What can I do to help you right now?" The answer will come much more easily and can be as simple as "take a walk", "slow down", etc.. - Ask yourself, "How will I see this situation a year from now?" Realizing that the current challenge is just a speck can also significantly diminish its emotional weight. - We get overwhelmed when we see situations as threats. Remind yourself of past successes and how you navigated similar situations. You've got this!

Take note of any physical or emotional signs of overwhelm, such as increased stress, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or changes in sleep patterns. Acknowledging these signs can help you address them before they escalate.

Some problems are larger than usual. Break the problem down into smaller, more manageable chunks. This allows you to psychologically celebrate small wins and provides you with the boost to keep working on it. The biggest winners lose the most and learn how to adapt to situations. Good luck and stay winning!

Many have already echoed the importance of knowing how to prioritize and ask for help, so we're covered there. But, one thing I'd like to add is the importance of taking some "me time" away from all the overwhelm. A common problem I see with the product managers I work with is that they're always "go go go" and never take time for themselves and their personal needs. A significant portion of the feeling of overwhelm sometimes comes from the simple fact that your body and mind need REST.

Today, we're facing a difficult job market across many industries. Tech and product is no exception. Learning new skills and methods to combat overwhelm has the added effect of opening up alternative career paths should we ever want/need to explore them. Some great skillsets adjacent to product management I like to recommend include: project management, UX/UI design, marketing, and sales.

Identify areas of weakness or inefficiency and seek out online courses, workshops, or mentorship programs to enhance your skill set. Prioritize tasks and streamline workflows using project management tools like Agile or Kanban to improve productivity and reduce overwhelm. Delegate tasks where possible and communicate openly with colleagues or supervisors to manage workload effectively while continuing professional development.

Take time to reflect on your achievements and milestones, recognizing the progress you've made in your product development career. Reward yourself for small victories, whether it's completing a challenging task or achieving a project milestone, to boost morale and motivation. Cultivate a supportive environment by sharing successes with colleagues or mentors, fostering a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie amidst the workload.

In my experience, I've always benefited from prioritization in a specific time frame. I start with the longest time frame (maybe 6 months to a year) and return to weekly tasks. This gives me not only focus but a roadmap and a system to follow towards my goals.