#12 The PM Interview and Task Initiation

Why it's so hard to start a new task and what the CIRCLES framework can teach us about getting started.

A big welcome to all the new readers from r/ProductManagement/. I never thought I’d experience a mini Reddit hug and I’m happy you’re here. Jump to Takeaways but don’t miss the comics in between.

Part 2 of the Product Manager Interview and Executive Function (EF) Series. Scroll to the bottom to see the domains of EF I’ll be covering in no particular order.

Introduction

I’ve been procrastinating and dreading practicing for product manager case study interview questions. Case study questions bring me so much anxiety that I left halfway through writing the first sentence of this story to take my ADHD medication. I’ve also changed my music three times, wait now four times, to write these 3 sentences. Why is it so hard for me to start new things sometimes? An example of this is starting a podcast about marginalized groups in the tech industry, which I've been wanting to do for over a year but have avoided starting to record episodes. Or something I dislike such as PM case study questions. Where I’ve only spent 6 hours practicing in 3 months of unemployment. Big or small, love or hate, work or personal, my executive function struggles with task initiation.

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash Why can’t I just do it? (A man in black athletic clothes lying on the ground of a blue track field. He looks in pain.)

What is task initiation?

Task initiation or "getting started" is a foundational executive functioning skill. By definition, it refers to the ability to begin a project in an efficient and timely manner, without procrastination. -Foothills Academy

Now that you know how it’s supposed to be. Let’s talk about how it often plays out for you and me. For things I want to do and are the right size challenge for my mind at the moment, I start with no problem. I wanted to start an ADHD and PM newsletter when I left my job and 2 weeks later it was launched. For things, I want to do but am uncertain or afraid of failing at, or for things I don’t want to do, I procrastinate. Hard. When this happens one or more of the following scenarios occurs.

1. I create some sort of artificial motivator like pushing a timeline or waiting to get reprimanded to do the task. Maybe I start, or maybe I still don’t start.

2. I start the task eventually (often late) and wonder why I was so afraid to start in the first place.

3. I don’t ever start the task and add it to my internal shame pile where I tell myself “I should have done X”, “Here I go falling short again” or “I quit again”.

With all 3 scenarios, I experience more emotional burden, shame, and self-sabotage than someone with a neurotypical mind experiences with the same experience. It sucks. To the outside world, I look and feel like the person in the comic below.

If I could just do it just like you, I would. But I have a disability which means I need to find new ways to get things done.

The bigger barrier to starting a task is real

If the comic above hits home for you, you are not alone. I often rack my brain on why it’s so hard for me to do the same things that I see other people do with ease. Practice interview questions every day. Write a 6-month roadmap to a new business line in 2 weeks. Write a new product vision document in 5 days. These are all things I’ve been asked to do at some point. Other people around me did it. I should be able to do it too, right? I just have to start right?

Kind of. If I had the ability to start things as easily as a neurotypical person all the time, I would. However, I have ADHD which impairs my executive function to start tasks. I also experience rejection sensitivity dysmorphia which makes me think I’m going to fail (or worse) even if I complete the task. The bigger barrier to starting the tasks you see above is real. The additional cognitive and emotional load means I have a disability in starting tasks. I am capable of completing tasks, but I may require alternative methods to accomplish them, compared to those without ADHD.

Take a minute to let that sit.

Forgive yourself for any of the shame, regret, or negative emotions that may come from your procrastination.

Deep breathe.

Now let’s take a look at more interesting and entertaining strategies to start things for your mind.

The PM approach to overcoming procrastination

I’m going to tie my strategies to overcoming task initiation challenges to the CIRCLES framework from “Decode and Conquer”. CIRCLES is a framework to answer PM interview questions in a structured format that allows the interviewer to understand how you think. Decode is the go-to book on how to answer PM interview questions. If you’ve ever interviewed for a PM role, chances are you’ve read this book. CIRCLES stands for:

• Comprehending a given situation

• Identifying the customer at hand

• Reporting that customer’s needs

• Cutting down to what matters most

• Listing possible solutions

• Evaluating potential tradeoffs

• Summarizing the recommendations put forward

I’m going to reframe them in a way my brain is engaged to overcome my task initiation barrier. The novelty of the approach also makes it more memorable. My personal goal is to more deeply understand the framework to better perform at my interviews. Feel free to laugh at my fusion strategy.

Let’s fuse some frameworks.

Comprehending a given situation ➜ Be mindful of what you want. It can be hard for people with ADHD to know what they want, due to the extra emotional and cognitive load they carry. Or maybe you’re a child of an immigrant like me and were taught to bury your feelings as deeply as possible. Take a moment to think about the task, your feelings, and your goals. Ask yourself if it aligns with what you really want or if it's something you feel you “should do”. Reflecting on this can help you understand your desires and motivations better.

Example: The open-ended shame from “I should’ve responded to that customer ticket today” vs the self-awareness of “I’m exhausted and I shouldn’t be talking to a customer today. I’ll do this tomorrow when I can give the customer the thoughtfulness they deserve”.

Identifying the customer at hand ➜ Exercise or find the right environment. The customer is you and you need to get your emotions and thoughts to a place you can do your best. Use any physical movement you enjoy (run, sew, garden, fidget spinner) as a distraction to reduce the anxiety or noise your ADHD brain might throw you. Your negative feelings are just distractable as your positive ones. Use it to your advantage.

Example: Go out for a walk or do another physical activity as you think through the task you’re trying to start. When you’re done, start the task with the steps or plan you thought up. It might not be a perfect plan but you started.

• If you have trouble remembering what thought of during your exercise, try using an app like Google Recorder to record your ideas and use the auto transcription to start your task.

• Changing the modality of the task can also be helpful. Starting a paper writing task by drawing a diagram of what you need to do. Or start a visual design by doing a sound recording about what you’re doing.

Reporting that customer’s need ➜ Add novelty or absurdity. Your dopamine-starved brain has a need for something engaging and your ADHD can help make it happen. When faced with an unengaging or challenging task, use your wandering mind to add humor or absurdity to the task to make it more engaging. Once you’ve started, go back and swap the creative aspects you added with the real subject (Think Ad-Libs). The goal is to perform the same thought process or action you need for the task but in a way, your brain is engaged.

Example: You’re procrastinating starting a strategy to create a single sign-on (SSO) product, a new area for you. Instead of worrying about all the things you don’t know about SSO, create an absurd scenario where you're thinking about what you need. For example, create a strategy on how to create a magic door that can be re-used on different buildings no matter the size or type.

Use your imagination to think of different ways to approach your task initiation block.

Cutting down to what matters most ➜ Make it smaller and make it fit. Take your task and break it down into its key elements. Next, see if there are any elements that engage you or seem like easy tasks. If nothing does, can you reframe the elements of your task in a way they are engaging or become smaller tasks? Prioritize those tasks in a way you’ll enjoy them. You’re prioritizing engagement fit instead of product fit.

Example: Don’t try to start reading Decode and Conquer end to end. Instead, start off with a random page and pick a question you think is interesting. Jump around to different questions while writing down what question types they are. Make sure to cover the different types at some point. It doesn’t matter if you read the whole thing, only that you learned what you needed.

Listing possible solutions ➜ Find the right motivation and let your ADHD brain go. The beauty of the ADHD brain is that when it finds something it engages with, it goes. Make a list of the different rewards, reasons, or motivations you might have for this task. Check to see which one might connect with you. Motivators can come in all sizes and shapes. Have fun trying to figure them out.

Examples: “After I write a paragraph I’ll spend 5 minutes on Reddit”. “I am going to do this backlog clean up because I want to surprise my engineering manager”(God bless if you do this). “I’ll enjoy thinking about PM interview content if I write about it in my newsletter”.

Evaluating potential tradeoffs ➜ Change perspectives or get a buddy. When your internal voice is so loud it stops you, quiet the voice by changing perspective or adding in a new one. For instance, “I need to write this user story”, could be “My research team needs me to give input on their research direction”. Working with another person does the same trick. It can be boring to brainstorm by yourself but add another person and you have the pull of social engagement and doing work. Use different voices to quiet the loud one inside.

Example: I failed to practice for PM interviews until I started writing about them in my blog. I changed my mindset from “Learn this thing so you get a job” to “Learn this because lots of people struggle with this and I think I can help”. That mindset shift allowed me to set up practice sessions with people and devote more time to practice.

Summarizing the recommendations put forward ➜ Listen to yourself to create the new paths needed to start tasks and let go of what “should” happen. How you start and get something may differ from others. Celebrate it instead of trying to hide it. Yes, it can be harder at times but the new paths you create are what you need to bring your best self. Focus on what you need instead of what you think you should do.

Example: I find learning about ADHD more interesting than product management, but I also want to improve my PM skills. To upskill myself, I’ve combined the two subjects into a learning experience that engages both domains.

Takeaways

You can hack the same power that distracts to to be the power that engages you. No matter your ADHD type, your mind craves something to stimulate and engage it. By listening more to yourself you can become more self-aware of the traits of what your brain enjoys. Apply the traits you like to unengaging tasks that you need to do. Just like how describing what tastes we enjoy helps us find more food we like, describing our needs helps us be more successful with our ADHD.

Next week on the wheel of executive function

Flexible Thinking and remembering that the interview is not about having the right solution but the right mindset in exploring one.

Sources and Further reading

https://www.tiimoapp.com/blog/adhd-task-initiation/

https://www.additudemag.com/avoidance-procrastination-how-to-stop-procrastinating-procrastivity-adhd/