How to stop being so busy as a product leader

TL;DR

Being busy is driven by scope growth and planning rituals, not by productivity tricks alone. The key is to rethink annual planning and reduce four to six week planning cycles by focusing on essential commitments and empowered decision making. This shifts energy toward delivering outcomes rather than chasing a perfect plan.

Transcript

Today, I am super excited to bring you a  very special episode with Shreyas Doshi,   recorded live at the Lenny and Friends Summit  in front of 1,000 people in San Francisco. This is Shreyas' second time on the podcast.  His first visit is the third most popular   episode of all time of this podcast, and  I love that Shreyas was game to try this. I... Read More

Key Insights

• Busyness is caused by an ever growing scope that outpaces personal efficiency.
• Annual planning rituals can create long busy periods that do not translate into better outcomes.
• The core solution is to question why planning takes four to six weeks and to avoid unnecessary planning rites.
• To reduce busyness, leaders should focus on essential decisions and empowered teams rather than exhaustive plans.
• Developing good taste in product decisions helps cut through noise and slows busy work.
• Listening well as a leadership skill reduces rework and misalignment.
• Product leaders often feel guilty during planning cycles because they carry team responsibilities.
• SaaS product leaders can benefit from rethinking planning rituals and prioritization frameworks to be more pragmatic.
• More videos from this channel:
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  • How to leverage ChatGPT for a growth channel
• More from this channel: Lenny's Podcast

Questions & Answers

Q: What causes most product leaders to feel overwhelmed by work

Most product leaders feel overwhelmed because their scope grows faster than their capacity, and annual planning rituals lock them into four to six weeks of meetings and updates. This creates a cycle where even efficient individuals still end up with excessive busy periods, driving stress and dissatisfaction rather than clear progress.

Q: Why does Shreyas say planning season is a problem

Planning season becomes problematic because it often consumes four to six weeks with spreadsheets, meetings, dependencies, and stakeholder negotiations. This leads to a high level of activity that may not directly translate into actionable outcomes, causing leaders to question the value of the ritual.

Q: What alternative approach to planning does he advocate

He suggests questioning the necessity of long planning cycles and seeking more streamlined, outcome oriented planning. By reducing the time spent on process and focusing on essential decisions, leaders can free energy for concrete product work and strategic impact.

Q: How can product leaders reduce frustration according to the talk

Reducing frustration comes from aligning planning with real priorities, developing good taste in decisions, and improving listening skills. When leaders listen better, they reduce rework and misalignment, which in turn lowers frustration and creates a calmer, more productive work environment.

Q: What role does scope play in being busy

Scope determines how much work must be done and how many decisions must be made. As scope grows, even efficient systems fail to prevent busyness, making it essential to prune or reframe what is actually required from a product leader.

Q: Why is developing good taste important for product leaders

Developing good taste helps leaders quickly judge which ideas will have real impact, cutting through noise and unnecessary work. It supports faster, more confident decisions and reduces the amount of time spent on low value activities.

Q: What is the problem with relying solely on productivity tricks

Productivity tricks can help with short term efficiency but do not address the root cause of busyness, which is structural planning cycles and expanding scope. Relying only on tricks leaves leaders vulnerable to recurring busy periods without lasting improvement.

Q: How can listening improve product leadership

Listening improves leadership by aligning teams around shared understanding, reducing misinterpretations, and decreasing rework. When leaders listen attentively, they make better decisions that reflect real needs, which lowers frustration and increases overall effectiveness.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Shreyas explains that busyness comes from an ever expanding scope and lengthy planning cycles, not personal inefficiency. This insight reframes how product leaders should approach work and prioritization.

• The talk emphasizes the importance of building taste and listening as core leadership skills, which helps reduce frustration and improve team outcomes over time.

• A practical takeaway is to streamline annual planning when possible, avoiding unnecessary rituals and focusing on high impact decisions that align with product goals.