You Are Doing Enough
If you’re a product manager, you’re no stranger to the feeling of endless expectations. You’ve probably heard the voice in your head saying “you’re not doing enough,” and you’re probably endlessly pushing yourself to do more.
Your backlog is probably a mile long, you’re probably handling ongoing pressure from stakeholders, and no matter how many tasks you complete, there’s always more waiting for you.
I feel you. After coaching countless PMs, I’ve learned that this feeling of “never enough” is almost universal in our field.
But here’s the thing: feeling like there’s always more to do isn’t a sign of failure! Instead, it’s a natural part of doing real, impactful product work.
For many of us, it’s easy to conflate “doing enough” with “doing everything.” My hope is that this essay will help you reframe that thinking, enabling you to shift away from chasing completion. My objective is to help give you the courage and the technique to know when to call it a day.
I’ll walk through the following six techniques:
Lean into infinity
Recognizing completion
Taking action, irrespective of motivation
Bringing mindfulness to work
Embracing “enough” over “everything”
Building trust through transparency
By the end of this guide, you should feel like you’re already doing plenty, and that you don’t need to keep telling yourself that you’re not doing enough.
With that, let’s dive in!
Technique #1: Lean Into Infinity
I’ve never heard a gardener say that they were done with their garden.
Similarly, product management isn’t a race with a clear finish line; instead, it’s more like tending a garden.
There’s always something to work on, but the work is never truly “done.” Unlike a project with a clear start and end, the work of the PM requires us to juggle priorities shifting up and down, to manage newly-discovered needs from our customers & stakeholders, and to ruthlessly prioritize the never-ending list of improvements we could make.
Early in my PM career, I mistakenly thought that success meant clearing my to-do list every day, responding instantly to every message, attending every meeting, and checking off every item in the backlog.
My days were always busy, but I often felt like I was running on a treadmill. I felt I was moving fast but struggling to make any real progress.
A turning point came when an external mentor of mine reframed my perspective. I still remember that moment - we were in line to order fried chicken sandwiches for lunch. We were hanging out in San Francisco on a cloudy day, and my mood was particularly gloomy.
“You know, Clement, your job isn’t to do everything,” he said. “Your job is to know when to stop each day.”
This was a wake up call for me! Up until that moment, I had assumed that good PMs were somehow magical. I never questioned the narrative I had in my head: that no matter how much I worked, I would always be a bad PM, because the only good PMs were those who achieved flawless execution across all areas.
As I mulled over my mentor’s comment over the next few weeks, I started to notice that the most respected PMs around me weren’t getting everything done. Instead, they knew how to identify the most important work, and they regularly communicated to others what they weren’t going to do & why they weren’t going to do it.
Instead of being busy, they were intentional. I realized that the goal wasn’t to finish every task, but rather that the goal was to make the right tradeoffs.
My shift in mindset didn’t happen overnight. In the beginning, I had to learn to give myself permission to let certain things sit in my queue of tasks.
One week, I decided not to attend two recurring meetings so I could complete a more critical initiative for a high-priority customer.
I was nervous that stakeholders might notice my absence or question my commitment. But, when I rejoined the meetings next week, no one said a thing or gave me any flak.
In my 1:1 meetings with people, I asked whether they noticed my absence, and the universal response I got was “Clement, I trust you. You must’ve skipped the meeting because something else was more urgent or more important.”
They trusted me. By leaning on their trust, I gained confidence in making larger and larger tradeoffs. I started to truly appreciate that there would always be an infinite number of possible commitments that I could make - and that I had to choose my battles.
I couldn’t have it all. And in fact, by not having it all, I created better discipline across the organization by reinforcing the key priorities for our company to focus on.
This lesson is one I often share with PMs I coach who find themselves facing similar pressures. A senior PM I worked with, Sarah, was managing a complex, feature-rich product and felt perpetually overwhelmed by her commitments.
She believed that a truly effective PM had to be constantly on top of her game: always accessible, answering every question, and managing every feature request personally.
When we talked, she confessed that despite working 12-hour days, she was still anxious about falling behind. Together, we worked on identifying the difference between “urgent” and “important,” prioritizing core issues, and building trust with her team to delegate non-essential tasks.
Within a few weeks, Sarah began to see results. By freeing herself from the expectation of “doing it all,” she found that she could focus on truly moving the product forward, rather than being pulled in a hundred different directions.
Instead of being at the mercy of every new request, she now felt empowered to say, “This isn’t the best use of my time right now.” She went from feeling like a reactive task handler to a proactive PM, and her team responded positively to the change.
By modeling prioritization and saying no to certain tasks, she helped the team build a culture that values focus and impact.
This approach applies not only to daily task management but also to long-term strategy.
One of the keys to sustainable success as a PM is acknowledging that your work will never be complete. It’s okay that our work will never be done. In fact, it’s not just okay - it’s the immutable truth.
Shifting from a mindset of endless tasks to one that values progress on meaningful goals can transform how we approach product management. It enables us to end the day not with the anxiety of unfinished work but with the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve contributed to something significant.
That’s part of the reason why it’s so crucial to measure ourselves by using metrics, rather than by using task lists. When we measure our impact on the product, the team, and the customer, we create space for a healthier, more sustainable work experience in the long run.
Technique #2: Recognize What’s Done
At the end of each day, I’m still tempted to focus on what’s still left to do. But, with an endless stream of tasks and responsibilities, this tendency can quickly lead to overwhelm. By fixating on the unfinished, we risk falling into a cycle of frustration and burnout.
An alternative approach is to cultivate a sense of achievement by keeping a “done” list: a quick record of five to ten things you accomplished each day, no matter how small.
These items can include anything from leading a productive customer interview to clarifying requirements with engineering or resolving a technical blocker.
The point of the “done” list isn’t to celebrate only the big wins or major milestones. Instead, the point is to value every action, decision, and step forward - no matter how small they are.
By shifting focus from what’s left undone to what we’ve achieved, we build a sense of momentum and reinforce our confidence. This practice can help us feel productive and fulfilled at the end of the day, instead of defeated by the tasks still waiting on our to-do lists.
I started using a “done” list when I noticed that my endless to-do lists were creating unnecessary stress. Even after a productive day, I’d find myself feeling inadequate simply because there were tasks I hadn’t finished.
But, once I began jotting down my daily achievements, my perspective shifted. Instead of going to bed stressed about what remained, I felt a sense of satisfaction and progress. Each item on my “done” list reminded me that I was making steady contributions to our goals, even if my task list remained far from complete.
This reframing can be especially impactful for those managing long-term projects where progress isn’t always obvious day to day. I shared this practice with a PM I was coaching, Ellen, who struggled with feeling accomplished after work.
She led a team working on complex infrastructure investments, and while her contributions were critical, they rarely resulted in quick wins or immediate progress.
Ellen constantly worried that she wasn’t doing “enough” because so much of her team’s work was behind the scenes. She regularly found that her head of product was lavishing praise on other PMs who had more “visible” work, and she felt a sense of stagnation when she compared herself to others.
I reminded her that the quantity of praise is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of praise. I shared with Ellen that I had found myself in a similar situation many years ago. My manager regularly praised other PMs in meetings for shipping lots of visible features, and I rarely received any public shoutouts.
Yet, once I had shipped my core infrastructure changes, my manager confided in me that he thought of me as one of the strongest pillars within his team.
In fact, he wished other PMs were as tenacious as I was in handling “unglorious” work, and he was frustrated to find that other PMs needed so much attention and recognition for relatively low-impact work. He shared with me that he was already fighting for a raise on my behalf, because he knew that I was too busy with work to advocate for myself.
With this perspective shift, Ellen was more open to rethinking the way that she approached her work. Together, we discussed the “done” list as a way to capture her efforts and find more satisfaction in each day’s work.
Within a few weeks, Ellen noticed a change. By recording the details of her day - a successful alignment meeting, finalizing a document, or helping engineering troubleshoot a bug - she realized just how much she was contributing.
Instead of feeling bogged down by unfinished tasks, she could see her daily progress. This practice enabled her to recognize her impact more tangibly, and she became more resilient in the face of her challenging workload.
She decided not to quit her job - and in a couple of quarters, she was promoted to the next level, where her manager cited her resilience as a key reason for why she was promoted.
Acknowledging small wins day by day helped her feel accomplished and reduced the anxiety of “doing enough” in a job where the work is rarely “done.” Once the results bore fruit, she received the full credit for slogging through the difficulty.
Studies on gratitude and hope show that acknowledging even small forms of progress contributes to a positive mindset and increased resilience. The day-to-day nature of the role, filled with constant shifts in priorities and high-stakes decisions, often lacks the clear markers of success seen in other fields.
By making a daily ritual of reviewing accomplishments, you can develop a more sustainable, balanced view of productivity and success. A “done” list serves as a reminder that every small step is part of a larger journey, reinforcing a sense of purpose and reducing burnout.
The beauty of the “done” list is in its simplicity. It takes only a few minutes, but the mindset shift can last throughout your career. Instead of focusing on what you haven’t done, the “done” list brings attention to what you’re building day by day. Over time, this perspective nurtures a sense of self-compassion and confidence.
Technique #3: Take Action, Irrespective of Motivation
An unspoken challenge in our field is staying engaged with tasks that require different types of mental effort, from strategic thinking to technical troubleshooting.
Motivation naturally ebbs and flows, and without a steady drive, we can easily fall into procrastination or stall on tasks that need progress.
Rather than waiting for motivation to strike, I’ve found that simply taking action - no matter how small - can be an effective way to build momentum. This approach has helped me stay on track even on days when my energy is low or my focus is wavering.
The concept of taking action without waiting for inspiration is rooted in a psychological principle called behavioral activation. Behavioral activation encourages us to start a task before feeling motivated, trusting that the initial step will lead to engagement.
For instance, if I’m dreading a data analysis task, instead of putting it off, I’ll open the spreadsheet and review just a few rows.
If I need to write a spec but feel uninspired, I’ll start with a rough outline rather than aiming for perfection from the start.
Often, these small initial steps are enough to get me “in the zone” and carry me through the rest of the task.
Behavioral activation is a research-backed approach that has been shown to reduce mental barriers and build momentum. For those times when motivation is low, starting small can shift you from feeling stuck to feeling productive.
One PM I coached, Elex, was responsible for a challenging project involving multiple dependencies across multiple teams. Elex frequently found themselves struggling to get started, especially when they had a heavy load of data analysis or documentation tasks.
Together, we discussed the benefits of behavioral activation and outlined a plan for them to break down their work into manageable steps, especially when they felt unmotivated.
Elex adopted this approach by committing to five minutes of focused work on tasks that felt overwhelming. They told themselves they would spend just five minutes drafting a framework or skimming through the data, with no obligation to finish immediately.
This technique helped them overcome their initial reluctance to start, and more often than not, those five minutes turned into a productive work session. They found that by easing into the task, they could engage their focus and make meaningful progress, transforming what felt like a daunting project into something manageable.
Over time, this approach helped Elex build greater resilience in their day-to-day work. By learning to start tasks even when they didn’t feel like it, they were able to manage a steady flow of progress without waiting for motivation to magically appear.
Elex’s experience highlights an important lesson: action drives motivation. Rather than viewing low-energy days as a barrier, they began to see them as an opportunity to make small, valuable contributions, recognizing that even modest progress moves the project forward.
In my own experience, I’ve noticed that behavioral activation doesn’t just help productivity; in fact, it meaningfully boosts morale. Small actions, especially during low-energy periods, build a sense of accomplishment and prevent the negative spiral that can come from putting tasks off.
By practicing this approach, we can transform those challenging moments into opportunities for progress. Taking action, however small they might be, empowers us to make headway and feel productive even on the tougher days.
Technique #4: Bring Mindfulness to Routine Tasks
Routine tasks, like checking tickets or responding to Slack messages, often feel like distractions from “important” work. But in reality, these smaller actions play a crucial role in keeping both the product and the team running smoothly.
Shifting your perspective on these tasks can make a huge difference in how you approach each day. Instead of viewing them as chores, try bringing mindfulness to these routine actions. By being present and intentional with each task, you can stay grounded and remind yourself that every action counts.
When we rush through routine tasks, it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing them as obstacles rather than steps toward progress. But by tuning into the physical sensations of each task - the feel of your keyboard, the rhythm of your typing, or the process of structuring a response - you can fully engage in the present moment.
This approach not only reduces the mental strain of task-switching but also enables us to find value in even the smallest actions. Each response sent, file organized, or question answered is a step toward our broader goals.
In my own experience, practicing mindfulness in routine tasks has been a powerful way to bring more balance into my work. I noticed that when I approached these smaller tasks with intention, I felt more in control of my day and less overwhelmed by the never-ending list of “more important” things to do.
This mindfulness practice helps me return to high-focus work with a clearer mind and a renewed sense of purpose. When you see routine actions as integral parts of your role, rather than distractions, it’s easier to end the day feeling that you’ve accomplished enough.
This is a practice I’ve recommended to others as well. I once worked with a PM, Rachel, who found routine tasks frustrating because they constantly interrupted her more strategic work.
She often described these tasks as “non-value-add,” believing they were keeping her from delivering real impact. Over time, this mindset led to growing frustration and a feeling that she was “never doing enough.”
Together, we explored mindfulness as a way to reframe her view. By focusing on each task as it came up, she started seeing these small actions as ways to build team cohesion and keep stakeholders informed.
Rachel told me that bringing mindfulness to her day helped her develop a healthier relationship with her workload. By noticing her efforts in crafting clear responses, unblocking team members, and organizing project details, Rachel started to feel much better about the way she spent her time each day.
She started to see that her impact wasn’t limited to “big” projects or strategies; in fact, these smaller tasks were necessary and crucial to her ability to deliver on larger initiatives. Embracing the “busy work” gave her a newfound sense of fulfillment.
Practicing mindfulness in these small ways helps shift your mindset from “I haven’t done enough” to “each thing I do has value.” This reframing helps remind us that we are already doing enough.
Technique #5: Embrace “Enough” Over “Everything”
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that the goal is not to complete everything but to reach a point of critical mass where your efforts yield the maximum impact.
Just like an investor seeking high returns, product leaders should focus on the small set of decisions and actions that drive the majority of outcomes. This approach follows the Pareto Principle: the idea that roughly 20% of our efforts lead to 80% of our results.
When we let go of the idea that everything needs our attention, we free ourselves to focus on the few high-value actions that can make a real difference.
Choosing “enough” over “everything” doesn’t mean that we lower our standards. In fact, paradoxically, by choosing “enough”, we actually raise the bar.
Ruthless prioritization enables us to spend our resources where they matter most. After all, not all tasks are created equal. Some actions, like a strategic pivot or addressing a critical customer pain point, have the power to shape the product’s direction. Others, while helpful, might not shift the needle nearly as much. By zeroing in on tasks that bring us to critical mass, we ensure that our time and energy create lasting impact rather than a scattered trail of half-completed tasks.
The challenge is that the temptation to do everything can be overwhelming. We feel the pressure to check every box, respond to every stakeholder, and fix every minor bug. But this is the equivalent of taking on “loans” of time and energy to make small, low-yield investments.
Just like financial loans, these energy “loans” carry a cost: if the returns on each additional effort aren’t substantial, we risk diminishing returns that drain us over time. If we burn ourselves out on every small task, the energy costs begin to outweigh the benefits, and we ultimately become less effective in our role.
I learned this lesson the hard way early in my career. Trying to do everything left me constantly drained, and I realized that I was over-investing in tasks that yielded little in return.
Once I began to focus on the high-ROI actions and told myself to stop obsessing over the lower-ROI actions that didn’t make my list, I noticed a difference: not just in my output, but also in my satisfaction.
This perspective shift is something I encouraged a PM I was coaching, Mia, to embrace. She felt perpetually behind, caught in a cycle of exhaustion as she tried to complete every task on her list.
Together, we worked to identify her high-impact tasks.
Mia initially hesitated, worrying about what might “fall through the cracks.” But as she leaned into the idea of doing enough rather than everything, her approach to work became more strategic.
She saw how a few key decisions and actions could drive substantial progress without the constant struggle to stay on top of every detail. In fact, she saw that by making key upstream decisions, she could effectively delegate away the lower-ROI tasks to other teammates, and therefore nothing really “fell through the cracks.”
In other words, she didn’t need to be the person doing everything. As long as she empowered others to get the right things done, she didn’t have to check every box.
As we invest our energy in these critical areas, we also reinforce a sustainable work ethic. Each high-ROI action compounds, allowing us to make steady progress without exhausting our reserves.
When we’re clear about where to stop investing, we prevent burnout and ensure that every bit of effort works toward meaningful progress.
In a world of infinite to-dos, we don’t have to “do it all” to create real impact. Instead, by reaching critical mass and stepping back, we give ourselves permission to do enough.
Technique #6: Be Transparent about Bandwidth
Managing an infinite workload isn’t about saying “yes” to everything.
It’s totally okay to say that “my estimate for completing this work is in the next six months - here’s what’s in front of your request, and here’s why those things are more important.”
By being clear and transparent about what you can realistically accomplish, you can help stakeholders better understand your priorities.
And, when you’re transparent, you might be pleasantly surprised - sometimes, stakeholders will let you know that they’re better suited to handle one of your initiatives, and they’ll graciously handle that work for you!
Early in my career, I often fell into the trap of agreeing to every request, hoping it would showcase my capability and willingness to support the team.
However, I quickly learned that overcommitting without the bandwidth to deliver reliably doesn’t build trust; it does the opposite. I’d end up stretched too thin - many times, I felt that I was delivering work that didn’t meet my own standards.
The more I tried to please everyone, the more I risked disappointing them.
Now, I’ve learned that radical honesty about my capacity is essential. If, for instance, engineering requests specs for three new features in a single week, I might reply, “I can realistically deliver one solid spec per week while managing other priorities. Let’s discuss which of these is the highest priority.”
This transparent approach lets stakeholders know exactly what to expect. More importantly, it allows me to work on each project with the attention and quality it deserves.
People generally appreciate this honesty because it gives them a clear picture of what I can commit to - and that’s where real trust begins.
This kind of transparent communication prevents most workload issues before they even arise. When expectations are managed from the start, there’s less room for misunderstandings or last-minute fire drills.
By discussing priorities openly, I’m able to focus on the highest-impact work, while stakeholders understand that other tasks may need to wait. Stakeholders appreciate me as someone who will deliver what I promise.
This shift toward transparency is something I encouraged with a PM I coached, Leonie. She was juggling multiple high-stakes projects, each with tight deadlines and heavy stakeholder expectations.
Like me, Leonie initially tried to please everyone by agreeing to all requests, thinking it would prove her value. But over time, the workload became too much, and she found herself scrambling to keep up. The constant “yes” approach was backfiring, leaving her overwhelmed and her stakeholders frustrated when things fell through the cracks.
Together, Leonie and I worked on setting realistic boundaries and developing a transparent communication style. We practiced ways she could clearly articulate her current capacity and share a prioritized plan with her team.
For example, instead of simply agreeing to a request, she learned to say, “Here’s what I’m focused on right now. I’d be happy to take this on next week. Does that timeline work for you?”
This framing made a real difference for her teammates - and that made a real difference for Leonie. By sharing her priorities upfront, Leonie helped her team make informed decisions about which projects were truly urgent.
As Leonie became more transparent, her relationships with stakeholders improved. They started to view her as a reliable partner who could be counted on to follow through on her commitments.
This newfound trust enabled Leonie to manage her workload more sustainably, without the constant fear of disappointing others. By being open about her capacity, she found that stakeholders respected her boundaries and were more willing to work collaboratively on priority-setting.
Closing Thoughts
The infinite nature of product management work can feel overwhelming, but remember that your value as a PM isn’t measured by the sheer volume of tasks you complete. Instead, we should measure ourselves by the impact we create for customers and the company.
By embracing strategies like focusing on “done” lists, taking action without waiting for motivation, breaking tasks into chunks, and building trust through transparency, we can create sustainable success.
Each day, focus on moving forward rather than finishing everything. Product management is a journey of continuous growth, and by practicing these techniques, you’ll find not only a sense of accomplishment but also the energy and resilience needed to sustain that journey.
Remember, the backlog will keep growing, no matter what you do. That’s why it’s critical to remind yourself: a single day’s progress is enough for a single day.
Don’t spend today worrying about tomorrow, and don’t spend this week worrying about the year ahead. Take it one step at a time.
And no matter what you do, take the time each day to remind yourself: you’ve done enough today!
Thank you to Pauli Bielewicz, Mary Paschentis, Goutham Budati, Markus Seebauer, Juliet Chuang, and Kendra Ritterhern for making this guide possible.
