#27 🦝 Core PM Skills - Curiosity

Harnessing inattention into directed curiosity.

Welcome to Tech Atypically👋 a weekly blog about ADHD, product management, and a neurodiverse life. Each issue includes science, stories, and strategies for regulating ADHD and the general chaos of being a PM.

Part 2 of the Book of ADHD Product Management

🌋Takeaways

• Taming and directing the dual nature of curiosity is the key to harnessing your ADHD and unlocking your full potential in building new products as a PM.

• The inattention or “crappy curiosity” head of the dragon represents the ADHD disability of emotional regulation and is a reminder to be self-aware.

• Reframe inattention as a reminder of self-awareness rather than a flaw.

• I have to acknowledge and let myself experience the emotions that come to me when I’m inattentive.

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⭐Introduction

Imagine curiosity as a two-headed dragon, constantly breathing fire in all directions. The fire is your ADHD. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it burns. One head propels you forward, fueling your passion for learning and embracing new experiences. The other head, however, pulls you away from the path, seeking constant novelty and struggling to maintain focus. It looks like inattention but I'm going to call it “crappy curiosity”. You may think that you must quiet this head at all costs but it plays a pivotal part in our curiosity and self-awareness. Taming and directing this dual nature of curiosity is the key to harnessing your ADHD and unlocking your full potential in building new products.

🦊The head of creativity and drive

Curiosity is an essential trait for building new products. It fuels the desire to explore uncharted territories, challenge existing norms, and uncover innovative solutions. Curiosity fuels your ability to synthesize needs and challenges from your various stakeholders. Without it, it’s easy to stick to what you know and not grow. When you don’t grow, you impact the ability of stakeholders and the business to grow too. It’s a slow death of rinse and repeat. A lack of curiosity can kill the cat in the world of competitive tech.

Lucky for you, curiosity and ADHD pair well with each other, albeit in different ways. Some of us go deep into one subject to find an answer (hyperfocus) or while others go wide (inattentive). Both approaches are needed equally needed. The key is being aware of what kind of curiosity you need to be successful (combined). That's where the second head comes in.

🦄The head of inattention and emotional regulation

The inattention or “crappy curiosity” head of the dragon represents the ADHD disability of emotional regulation and is a reminder to be self-aware. In my experience, I’m inattentive to big tasks when can’t quite process the feelings of what’s happening and choose emotional avoidance.

I keep checking other browser tabs right now because I’m scared I won’t finish this article before I have to fly out for a business trip tomorrow. I’m hoping that one of the tabs gives me an emergency that might be a good excuse to not finish on time. It may look like I’m curious about what’s happening on Reddit but really, I’m stressed and looking for a way out of it.

I have to acknowledge and let myself experience the emotions that come to me when I’m inattentive. Nothing will happen if I don’t get this done in time. It’s OK. I took a deep breath, and now I’m back to writing like I wanted to be. This other head is a balance to the other. Reframe inattention as a reminder to be in touch with what you’re feeling and who you are. Instead of a source of shame and weakness to fight.

🔥Strategy - Taming the dragon of curiosity

• To effectively harness your curiosity, it's crucial to establish boundaries and specifications. Direct your curiosity towards specific goals and projects, setting clear objectives and timelines as boundaries. Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable chunks that align with your areas of interest. By channeling your curiosity into focused exploration, you can leverage your natural inclination for learning and discovery to drive progress.

• Try to understand the why of your "outside/inattentive" thinking and apply it to your goals. Take time to think about what draws you to the inattention behaviors you practice in order to understand the power they provide you. Let go of the self-imposed shame you feel from distraction. Instead, think about what engages you about the behavior and embrace the positive aspects of it while creating a plan to cope with the negative ones.

  • Example: My go-to avoidance task is surfing Reddit. I can do mechanical things like block Reddit using tools like Focus Bear or do nothing at all. More powerfully, I can use Focus Bear and acknowledge that the time I spend reading on Reddit teaches me things. Over half of my subscribers have come from r/productmanagement thus far. It helps me forgive myself when I spend much time on there.

• Adopt a mindset of thinking in bets. Take yourself out of a right-and-wrong mindset and embrace curiosity as a means to move forward. Assign a hypothesis a % chance of success instead of success or fail. It'll reduce your anxiety and remind yourself that navigating uncertainty is a core part of being a PM. By approaching your work with a curious and experimental mindset, you can learn from failures, iterate, and ultimately find success.

Ride the dragon of ADHD curiousity.

✨Conclusion

The key to taming the dual-headed dragon of curiosity is embracing both heads as equals. As a product manager, being curious and proposing new ideas is a vital aspect of the role. However, it's important to acknowledge that curiosity can sometimes lead to challenges, especially when your ideas diverge significantly from established norms. Negative reactions from others can trigger your rejection sensitivity dysmorphia and send you into a self-doubt and inattention shame spiral. To avoid this, reframe inattention as a reminder of self-awareness rather than a flaw. Remind yourself that your mind constantly seeks new information and experiences. That's essential to living a fulfilling life and being a PM. Sometimes you get burned though. But hey, you're still riding a dragon while everyone else is on a horse.

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⏭️Next Week

The importance of dreaming in product management and ADHD.