Intentional Time Management: More Productive Than Any AI Tools
… At Least for Now
Hi, this is Wayne. Every month, I’ll share a PM reflection on my personal experiences of breaking into and working in tech. I’ll provide insights from my PM journey and career growth. I appreciate your support, and if there’s a topic you’re interested in exploring together, feel free to reach out 🤝
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According to Harvard Business Review, at the peak of COVID-19, the number of remote meetings per employee increased by 60% in 2022 compared to 2020, while the average meeting time decreased to 33 minutes. Conducting meetings was essential when most companies were fully remote, but it became clear that this level of meeting frequency was not sustainable. Several factors drove the increase in meetings:
• Companies adjusting to the new normal of remote and hybrid work
• Inefficiencies and lack of collaboration tools make it difficult to handle complex tasks like system design
• FOMO, as COVID eliminated office chatter and hallway conversations, individuals want to stay relevant and informed
For product managers, this meeting overload was particularly challenging. At my previous company, I often spent over seven hours a day in meetings, with my real work starting after 5 PM. Despite achieving my OKRs for the year, my performance review rated me as “meets all” because I didn’t dedicate enough time to defining the product strategy.
When I spoke to my fellow PMs, this trend seemed consistent across all levels. I believed that getting promoted meant grinding harder and putting in extra time. I spent the next six months working 10-hour days and frequently on Saturdays to meet my goals while building out the product strategy. Then the tech crash of 2021 happened, our CEO left, and I decided it was time for a change.
Joining Instacart was a revelation. I was impressed by how product leaders and executives managed meetings and optimized their time. It became clear that my previous company was “doing it wrong” and that meeting less and being 10x more efficient was possible. Here are a few things I learned that helped me take control of my time and, consequently, my growth:
1. It’s a Numbers Game: Calculate the ROI
My mentor at Instacart highlighted that spending an extra three hours a week in meetings translates to over 150 hours per year. That’s valuable time that could be spent on team building, talking to customers, and working on strategy. It was clear to me that getting back 150 hours per year was going to be a much better risk-free investment for my personal and career growth.
2. Preread Culture
One of the things I love about Instacart is the preread culture. Everyone, including our CEO, prereads before every meeting. This ensures that most meetings last no longer than 30 minutes, focusing on answering questions and discussing next steps. At the team level, we are empowered to enforce the culture and reschedule meetings if no one has done their prereads.
3. Avoid Non-Impact Meetings
As a PM, we get invited to numerous meetings — brainstorms, kickoffs, GTMs, marketing, legal, and more. This broadens our context but often results in an unbalanced value exchange. I was empowered to decline meetings where the value doesn’t meet my threshold. For example, I am intentional with the go-to-market meetings I get invited to with our retailer partners. I will evaluate the ROIs with each meeting before committing to participating.
4. Always Have Focus Blocks
It’s okay and normal to have focus blocks. My calendar became much more optimized after I started scheduling focus blocks. People began finding earlier times and being more considerate about whether a meeting was necessary. If they couldn’t find a slot, they often opted for asynchronous communication.
5. Periodically Review Meetings
This was a tip I learned from reading our CEO, Fidji Simo’s blog post. She optimizes her calendar based on company priorities. At the start of a project, there are more recurring meetings, but as the project stabilizes, she reduces or eliminates some meetings to free up time for the next priority. By doing this, I freed up at least one hour per week.
• Optimize One-on-Ones: One-on-ones are tricky, especially in a hybrid or remote environment. We all know that in-person interactions are at least five times more impactful, so I try to coordinate in-office meetups every couple of weeks and stay connected asynchronously. This approach maintains strong relationships and ensures that one-on-ones are genuinely productive.
6. Try Not to Give In
As I became more senior, meeting invites increased exponentially. There’s always a P0 priority or fire to discuss, but these often don’t need to be discussed live. Asynchronous communication with memos or briefs can suffice. The best defense is demonstrating the impact of protected maker time and ensuring managerial support for this tradeoff.
While declining meetings isn’t easy and sometimes leads to confrontation, it’s a necessary step to ensure a long, prosperous PM career. The time saved each day and week compounds over time, becoming a clear differentiator for a product leader.
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Thank you,
Wayne Chen