Why “Busy” Product Managers Get Fired First
Truth bomb: If your schedule is packed, it’s not a flex. It’s a warning sign
It starts with good intentions.
You take that extra meeting to keep stakeholders aligned.
You jump into another call to unblock the team.
But before you know it, your calendar looks like a game of Tetris—except there’s no room to breathe.
At first, it feels like you’re adding value. Being involved in everything means you’re indispensable, right?
But slowly, something shifts.
You’re always in meetings but rarely making progress. You’re so caught up in the day-to-day that strategic thinking takes a backseat.
You’re working harder, yet somehow, your impact isn’t growing.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Great PMs don’t chase tasks, they design their time around impact. Every meeting, every task, every decision is deliberate.
Benjamin Laker in a recent Harvard Business Review article entitled Dear Manager, You’re Holding Too Many Meetings points to new research that shows “about 70 per cent of all meetings keep employees from working and completing all their tasks” and also reveals the negative cost of inefficient meetings that impact psychologically, physically and mentally on those required to attend.
So, the real question is: Does your packed calendar reflect impact or just motion?
If you don’t take control of your time, someone else will.
And when that happens, you’re no longer leading the product AND you’re just keeping up with it.
Sounds familiar?
Harsh? Maybe.
But stay with me.
The Illusion of Being “Busy”
As product managers, we love to be in the thick of it
rushing from one stakeholder call to another,
peppering our calendars with endless stand-ups, syncs, and alignment meetings.
We look at our jam-packed schedules and think, “Hey, I’m so busy, I must be important.”
But here’s the thing: being busy doesn’t mean you’re being productive.
According to Mind the Product, the most effective PMs spend at least 40% of their time in deep work—analyzing data, researching user behavior, and setting strategy. If your calendar doesn’t reflect that, you’re stuck in a reactive cycle, not a proactive one.
Why Owning Your Calendar Matters
Your calendar isn’t just a collection of time slots it’s a reflection of your priorities.
Every meeting you accept, every hour you block, every task you schedule is a choice. A choice that determines whether you’re leading your product or just reacting to it.
Used wisely, your calendar becomes your greatest strategic lever:
Analyzing Data – So you make decisions based on insights, not gut feelings.
Strategizing – So you set the direction instead of constantly course-correcting.
Collaborating With Purpose – So every discussion moves the needle, not just fills time.
The difference between an average PM and a high-impact PM isn’t just skill—it’s how they design their time.
Take control of your schedule, and you stop being a passenger in your own role. Instead of drowning in other people’s “urgent” requests, you own your time, your impact, and your product’s success.
Applying Shreyas Doshi’s LNO Framework
The LNO framework, created by Shreyas Doshi, is a powerful mental model that helps product managers prioritize their work by categorizing tasks into three distinct buckets:
Leverage (L) Work – High-impact tasks that create exponential value with relatively low effort. These activities improve execution across multiple areas, amplify decision-making, and produce long-term gains.
Neutral (N) Work – Necessary but non-transformational tasks. These don’t move the needle much but need to get done for operational stability.
Overhead (O) Work – Work that adds little or no value but still takes up time. These are tasks that, if reduced or eliminated, wouldn’t significantly impact outcomes.
Why LNO Matters
Many PMs find themselves drowning in work but struggling to make an impact. The LNO framework forces you to separate tasks that truly drive outcomes from those that just keep the wheels turning. By shifting focus toward Leverage work, PMs can move from being constantly reactive to driving meaningful progress in their products and teams.
To truly own your calendar, you need a system to decide what deserves your time and what doesn’t. This is where Shreyas Doshi’s LNO framework comes in. It helps categorize work into three types:
1. Leverage Work (L)
These are the tasks that drive exponential impact. They produce disproportionate value for your product or your team. Example:
Reviewing funnel drop-offs to uncover a major UX friction point
Defining a north star metric that aligns the entire team
Running an in-depth user research study that informs your next big bet
How to Apply It:
Protect this time at all costs. Schedule deep work blocks during your peak productivity hours. Cal Newport’s research shows that uninterrupted deep work is the highest-value use of a knowledge worker’s time.
Identify Your Peak Productivity Hours – Are you most creative in the morning, after lunch, or late at night? Block those times for deep work.
Create a Recurring Deep Work Routine – Set fixed time slots every week for deep work and treat them as immovable.
Enforce Meeting Boundaries – Decline meetings that interrupt deep work, or schedule them back-to-back to minimize context switching.
Use ‘Do Not Disturb’ Mode – Silence notifications, set Slack to ‘away,’ and make it clear that you’re unavailable.
End with a Reflection Session – Take five minutes to note insights, blockers, or next steps after your deep work session to maintain continuity.
2. Neutral Work (N)
These tasks are necessary but don’t create exponential value. They often include:
Sprint planning meetings
Daily stand-ups
Writing release notes
3. Overhead Work (O)
This is where productivity goes to die.
Overhead work includes:
Endless stakeholder meetings with no clear outcomes
Status updates that could have been an email
Constant context-switching due to reactive scheduling
How to Apply It:
Eliminate, reduce, or transform it. Instead of accepting every meeting invite, ask yourself:
Is this meeting necessary?
Can this be async?
What will happen if I don’t attend?
Audit Your Meetings Monthly – Review standing meetings and eliminate those that no longer provide value.
Group Similar Meetings Together – Reduce context switching by blocking stakeholder meetings into dedicated slots.
Leverage Pre-Reads & Loom Videos – Share updates asynchronously so live discussions are more focused.
Use the No Meeting Wednesdays approach, adopted by top Silicon Valley teams, to ensure uninterrupted deep work time.
Closing Thoughts
Take 30 minutes this week to audit your calendar through the LNO lens.
You’ll spot the overhead that’s dragging you down, the neutral tasks that can be streamlined, and the leverage tasks worth shielding at all costs.
Your goal? Spend more time on the product work that sparks joy (and moves the needle).
Your rule?
Guard your time as your product depends on it because
it does.
TL;DR – Why “Busy” Product Managers Get Fired First
Being busy ≠ being effective. A packed calendar filled with meetings doesn’t make you a great PM—it makes you a reactive one.
Your calendar is your strategy. High-impact PMs design their time around deep work, strategy, and intentional collaboration—not endless syncs.
The LNO Framework helps you prioritize.
Leverage Work (L) → High-impact, strategic tasks (e.g., user research, roadmap planning). Protect this time.
Neutral Work (N) → Necessary but non-transformational tasks (e.g., sprint planning, stand-ups). Streamline or delegate.
Overhead Work (O) → Time-wasting activities (e.g., status update meetings, unnecessary syncs). Eliminate ruthlessly.
Data shows that excessive meetings kill effectiveness. PMs who spend 70%+ of their time in meetings are 40% less effective than those who prioritize deep work.
Take back control of your time. Audit your calendar, remove unnecessary meetings, and focus on what moves the needle.
Your job isn’t to attend meetings it’s to ship great products.
Make sure your calendar reflects that.