Zen Product Management: yoga for your mind and performance
I do not know about you but I don’t hear the end of talks about yoga being a game changer when it comes to someone’s life.
Just looking through personal profiles on Facebook can give you the impression that everyone today practices yoga, and more importantly, it helps them obtain the balance. In their mind or anything. People meditate, spend time outside and look… spiritual at the very least.
What if we apply some yoga to this hectic and even chaotic world of product management where you have to deal with several tasks, adjust the deadlines, fill the blanks and don’t panic. Under no circumstance.
You can say that it’s not a smart idea to apply yoga philosophy and techniques to project management, but I love trying new things. More importantly, I’m doing that at no cost to you and you can just have all the results that I had to go through myself and waste all the time ;)
- Meditation.
If you have ever heard of yoga, I’m sure you know that people “try” or “practice” meditation in their yoga routine. What do they do? Usually, they just set aside all the tasks they have to do for today and let their body and mind relax for at least 5–10 minutes.
Helpful?
Some people say “yes”. Some don’t.
But you can use your own way of mediation as a product manager!
Imagine yourself being the only guru (which is true), the person who knows everything about the product (which is also true) and you are waiting for the best thoughts to come to you. Allow this “flow of the mind” with all the sort of ideas you need for the project. Even the most daring ones.
I remember “meditating” that way and getting “Ah-hah!” moments. Sometimes it would just drag me away but I would still have the thoughts to consider. Let your mind wander, but let it wander freely as if you are following it and looking for discoveries yourself.
Don’t force it. Meditate.
2. Mantras.
I know, this may sound weird for people who do not believe in any superstition or don’t consider any affirmations to be helpful. But yoga believes in the power of energy, and words (especially pronounced) has the power as well.
As a product manager you obviously do not need any special spiritual mantras, however, it will be nice to have one word or a phrase that would help you to “tune in” the process and help your attention to concentrate.
I liked reviewing my hypothesis or a mission statement to remind myself what I’m working on in particular. Sometimes you can spend months on building a feature and be engrossed by the process of creation. But when you finally release it, the sales don’t go up. It happens when you forgot the value of your product in the first place and just work on a feature as… feature. So, adding a bit of spiritual meaning to your product won’t hurt.
You don’t have to say “Guide me, my Lord”, you can have just something “We want to make our customers feel amazing” as your mantra every day.
Additional tip: print the mantra and put it on your desk or pin it to the wall next to your desk.
3. Asanas
Asana is simple. It’s “to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed”.
That’s exactly what we need to be when we are product managers. We need to be firm, but relaxed.
Asana is usually about your physical performance, but in product management, we don’t do anything physical. Unless we want to, of course.
One particular position — asana — or another usually helps you concentrate and make “the juices flowing” in your body. Can we do something about this in our lives as product managers?
Physical exercises make you flexible. But how do you make your mind flexible?
The flexibility of your thoughts and ideas is one of the most important things for product managers. We don’t have to be the fountain of ideas, but you have to understand what to deal with ideas, how to crop, evaluate, check, validate them… It all requires a certain flexibility of your mind.
This is where “asana” will help us. Train your mind with puzzles or simple tasks you do not have to deal with work, but it’s related to your industry or position.
For example, sit in a position of “Competitor”. You surely know each of them. If not personally, but you should be very well acknowledged with their products and the functions. Just imagine this person — the product manager of the firm-competitors — what does he/she do?
Fixate on their position. Be them.
And now, from your competitor’s side. What’s the main flaw of your product?
Well, you may not be able to see it the first time, but don’t just give it up after trying once.
Excercise your mind with all the asanas possible:
1. “Competitor”
2. “Lazy Customer”
3. “Don’t-make-me-think-Customer”
4. “UX-Designer”
5. “Skeptic”
6. “IT-guru”
…
Feel free to invent your own Asana and practice it any way you like!
This Zen Product Management may be not the best way to be a better product manager. It will not obviously earn you any certificate or help deal with tests.
But it will help you be more flexible and open-minded with your approach! Which is important as well. Product managers, as well as artists, have their own approach to the work they do.
And if you are still hesitant with your, why not try Zen Product Management after all? ;)
