Benji
Latest posts by Benji (see all)
- The Art of Product Journaling – Investing in your Product Management Career. - March 27, 2022
- How to break into Product and work for Google 🙌 - March 24, 2022
I was reading Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights, a fantastic memoir on his life. After I finished, I remembered thinking, “How did he make such a great book which encompassed so many learning lessons picked up through decades of his life?”. Well, I quickly realized the answer was simple. Mathew recorded decades of journal entries and when it came time to synthesize the material and put it into action, he was prepared. In fact, it reminded me of my earlier years in product when I started an activity which I referred to as Product Journaling. I started this in hope of accelerating my learnings, become a more talented product manager, and invest in my long term career.
Being newer to Product, I felt a need to ramp up quickly. At the time, I kept two notebooks with me at all times: One for tactical notes which helped me get through my day to day and the second, a product journal. When I found free time, I would record a new entry in the journal which focused on a newly acquire product skill. Every day, I transcribed a variety product concepts in my own words and doodled supporting diagrams for each. I made sure the only entries were learning opportunities and no “daily tactical or project notes” made it into the journal. I recorded concepts such as Fibonacci feature estimation techniques, design sprint frameworks, A/B Testing practices, story-mapping, user interview techniques, HEART metric methodology, list of great product books, major product conferences, and much more. Writing these concepts down allowed me to synthesize the underlying information and I began to paint unique mental models. I made it an objective to fill in this journal from start to end – I was thirsty for new, product related knowledge.
The more learnings I recorded, the more I realized that product management was science. And if I were to become a great product manager, I needed a career journal to study it!
I started viewing this journal as sacred, and even began to feel slightly distressed when I lost it for half a day due accidentally leaving it behind in a workplace conference room. I found myself opening it up and searching for a distinct section so I could recap a concept to reapply on aa project at hand. When I reapplied it, I learned or realized something new and made additional journal entries. I was essentially accelerating my rate of learning and retaining more information than I could ever imagine! When the product interviews started to roll in, I would prepare by reading through my product journal. Instantly, I remembered the most important techniques and easily associated them with real world projects. Speaking on behalf of my preferred product techniques felt so natural! I was able to pick up new roles and push my product career into new depth. The further I pushed into product, the more complex the products I managed, and new challenges arose. With new challenges, new learnings. It was cyclical!
Today, I am a champion of mixed method research. When approaching problems, I pull from an archive of mental techniques and identify the most optimal one which fits the scenario at hand. Starting a product journal helped me build a learning lifestyle around product and made me a better PM. Now, I’m not saying you need to own a product journal to be successful in product management. But, in a world of information clutter, it definitely help you retain those learnings faster! When I mentor a new product manager, my first advice is to start a product journal. It is a physical embodiment of your key career learnings, an arsenal of concepts, and a metaphoric bag of gems.
For all aspiring product managers, I wish you the best in your endeavors! If you ever feel like you need advice, feel free to reach out to me on my LinkedIn! For more advice about product management, subscribe to The Product Insider, share this post, and don’t be afraid to get involved! Cheers.
