Day in the Life as a Product Manager

We may be all business from 8-5… but what are we doing the other 15 hours of the day?

7:30 am: Wake up and feed the cat. If I don’t wake up right away, he will come wake me up.

8:00 am: Check my emails.

??????????????I spend the first part of my morning finishing up anything I was working on the day before, which often includes reading responses to my questions in my emails and following up.

??????????????The rest of my inbox is often filled with other requests and questions, and I normally spend some time in the morning completing my to-do list in my day planner and prioritizing the items that have either been sitting in my inbox for too long or seem urgent.

8:30 am: Start the tough task

??????????????I work best in the morning before I begin getting emails and calls from people (or at the end of the day after people stop calling) so I dedicate the beginning of the day to getting started on a project that requires a good amount of focus. This week that included some large quote requests (lots of parts on the request), mark-ups for drawings on a special burner, and writing a report of a recent customer site visit.

9:00 am: Morning Meeting

??????????????At 9 am every morning, the Burner Product Engineering group meets to discuss things we are working on, things we could use help with, questions we have, etc. This meeting helps me do a double check that my priorities are in line and gives me the opportunity to see what my team members are working on.

9:30 am: Digging in

??????????????If I can retain my focus on the tough task with limited interruptions, I continue to work on that until I am interrupted. The calls I get during the day can range anywhere from quote requests, manufacturing clarifications, field questions, project work, burner design questions and more. As the product manager, I oversee everything to do with the products I cover. It’s a great position for learning the entire life cycle of products.

11:00 am: Meetings

??????????????On some days of the week, I will have meetings for any of the above-mentioned categories. Some meetings are regularly scheduled, such as the SLEx 4225 product development meetings. In meetings like this, and other scheduled project meetings, a group of people from different parts of the company (Sales, R&D, Product Management, Manufacturing, Field Service, the Lab, etc.) will meet to go over progress of the project, and new challenges and opportunities. It’s great to work with people from so many different technical backgrounds!

12:00 pm: Take a break!

??????????????At lunch time, I always start by taking my dog for a walk. It’s nice to get outside after being inside all morning, since I currently still work from home. Then of course, it’s time to feed the cat, dog, and myself!

1:00 pm: More calls, quoting, and projects

??????????????Diving back into the work of the day, I spend the rest of my afternoon working on any of the things I had been working on in the morning. The early afternoon is a busy time for phone calls, and I am often jumping between calls, quotes, questions and emails. I’ll often take another quick break during the early afternoon to spend some mental health time playing with my pets, watering my plants, doing the dishes, etc.

4:00 pm: Taking time for progress

??????????????If I’m lucky enough to not be overwhelmed during the day, I like to take some time in the late afternoon to work on projects that are more for improvement than urgent request. This includes some projects I’ve been working on to standardize the Magnaflame 4821LNI, write guides on how to product manage each of my products, and continue the work on bringing the SLEx 4225 to the market. Admittedly, not every day I take advantage of this planned time of my day, but when I do, I am always happy that I can focus on long term success.

5:00 pm: Wrapping up the day with focus time

??????????????As I mentioned before, at the end of the day when I stop getting calls, I’m able to focus in again. (Also, I just work more efficiently at the beginning and end of the day in general). Around this time, I always get back into the tougher projects on my plate. I try to work until I complete a big thing that’s been on my plate. It’s rewarding to finish the day with getting something big off your to-do list that you won’t have to worry about tomorrow.

6:30 pm: Closing Time

??????????????I have been trying to give myself a hard stop time of 6:30 pm, so I don’t just keep working into the evening. When I see it’s getting close to this time, I wrap up whatever task I’m working on, and then put on my running shoes and go for a run or workout! Moving at the end of the day helps me find structure after spending an entire day working in my own home.

Final Thoughts:

As a product manager, my day to day to-do list ranges widely, but I love being able to work with so many different people in the company and outside of the company, along with being able to be a part of burner products at every step of their lifecycle. I have learned so much in this position, and I look forward to continuing to learn more as my career progresses.