The 25-min focus / 5-min break structure is somethng I've experimented with too, especially on low-energy days when the to-do list feels overwhelming. What stands out is how intentional the transitions are here - treating WFH like actually "going to work" by packing a bag and physically moving to an office space. Most people underestimate how much cognitive load comes from blurred boundaries when home and work share the same space. The timezone juggling with San Fran to India sounds brutal for meeting schedules. Also the 430 'turn down' before kids get home is smart - it creates a buffer where the house shifts from work mode to family mode without that chaotic transition that usually happens.
As a fellow product manager, I can relate to your schedule, luckily my kids are a tad bit older which helps. I am starting to separate the personal task list during the work day (aka lunch time) as I find it is helping me get back my focus in the afternoon. If I need to bring the list in, it is for scheduling appointments for the kids that I can't do online. Thanks for sharing!
I need to know how they’re able to block off 3 full hours in the morning from meetings! I’m in a similar role and it kills me to have meetings during my most productive time of day but there are so many that need to be had it’s impossible to only have them in the afternoon 😅
I had a similar question! I am also a PM and meetings steal so much time from the focused work I need to do. I’d love to hear advice or super concrete examples about how time blocking works for people.
When I’ve tried to implement time blocking in the past, it’s turned in to a bunch of people sending me DMs or emails saying they weren’t able to find time on my calendar and asking for help booking meetings (more work for me)! I know my org has a meeting heavy culture but I’d love to know how she implemented this.
The only thing that has worked a little bit on my end is setting up Outlook to do it for me - you can set preferences on when and set the timeframe (like 2 hours). I’m usually able to preserve it but it’s never in the morning when I need it most 😅
I love the idea of a “turn down” of the house before you get the kids. Thank you for sharing your day!
The 25-min focus / 5-min break structure is somethng I've experimented with too, especially on low-energy days when the to-do list feels overwhelming. What stands out is how intentional the transitions are here - treating WFH like actually "going to work" by packing a bag and physically moving to an office space. Most people underestimate how much cognitive load comes from blurred boundaries when home and work share the same space. The timezone juggling with San Fran to India sounds brutal for meeting schedules. Also the 430 'turn down' before kids get home is smart - it creates a buffer where the house shifts from work mode to family mode without that chaotic transition that usually happens.
As a fellow product manager, I can relate to your schedule, luckily my kids are a tad bit older which helps. I am starting to separate the personal task list during the work day (aka lunch time) as I find it is helping me get back my focus in the afternoon. If I need to bring the list in, it is for scheduling appointments for the kids that I can't do online. Thanks for sharing!
I love the idea of packing a bag to go to and from work inside the house. I’m going to try that tomorrow, it feels so official. Thank you!
I need to know how they’re able to block off 3 full hours in the morning from meetings! I’m in a similar role and it kills me to have meetings during my most productive time of day but there are so many that need to be had it’s impossible to only have them in the afternoon 😅
I had a similar question! I am also a PM and meetings steal so much time from the focused work I need to do. I’d love to hear advice or super concrete examples about how time blocking works for people.
When I’ve tried to implement time blocking in the past, it’s turned in to a bunch of people sending me DMs or emails saying they weren’t able to find time on my calendar and asking for help booking meetings (more work for me)! I know my org has a meeting heavy culture but I’d love to know how she implemented this.
The only thing that has worked a little bit on my end is setting up Outlook to do it for me - you can set preferences on when and set the timeframe (like 2 hours). I’m usually able to preserve it but it’s never in the morning when I need it most 😅