How I think about work ( in the context of life)
I don’t plan my career in isolation anymore.
Work is part of life, not the whole thing.
So when I think about growth, I start with balance first.
Roughly, my life currently looks like this:
This framing is intentional.
It reminds me:
I don’t need to optimize everything.
I just need focus, and a system that’s realistic and sustainable.
The Internal PM Focus Framework
I’ve started calling this my Internal PM Focus Framework.
Because that’s what it really is.
Not a maturity model.
Not a checklist.
Not a “you must do all of this”.
It’s a way to stay focused in a role where everything feels important.
Before deciding what to work on, I zoom out and look at the full skill landscape of internal PM work.
The Internal PM skill matrix
Internal PMs don’t just need “classic PM skills”.
We sit between business, tech, delivery, and change.
This is the full landscape I come back to when I assess myself:
A small but important clarification
This framework is not meant to fix broken fundamentals.
If you’re currently:
→ firefighting every week
→ constantly late on delivery
→ unclear on ownership or basic workflows
Then the first step is to stabilize delivery.
Get the basics in place first:
clear scope, realistic planning, reliable communication.
This framework kicks in once you’re out of survival mode and ready to grow intentionally.
How I use the framework
Step 1: Rate myself honestly
I take the skill matrix and rate myself from 1 to 5:
→ 1 = beginner
→ 3 = solid and consistent
→ 5 = expert, I could teach this
No judgment.
Just clarity.
Step 2: Apply the value filter
For each skill, I ask:
→ How valuable is this to my current product?
→ How valuable is this to my career direction?
Not everything that’s interesting is useful right now.
Step 3: Choose my focus
I choose one or two focus areas max.
Sometimes it’s two.
Sometimes it’s one.
The rule is not the number.
The rule is:
don’t jump on everything.
This year, my focus areas are:
→ User research
→ Analytics and experimentation
Because they improve decision-making.
They reduce waste.
And they make delivery smoother over time.
Everything else can wait.
My system to actually master them
There’s a learning model you might know as 10–20–70.
The idea is simple:
→ 10% learning (courses, books, training)
→ 20% learning from others (discussion, feedback, experts)
→ 70% learning by doing (real practice)
You don’t master a skill by finishing a certification.
You master it by using it in messy, real situations.
How this looks in practice for me
For User research and Analytics & experimentation, my plan looks like this:
10% – Structured learning
→ One focused course or book per skill
→ No collecting. No binge-learning.
20% – Learning with others
→ Talking to designers, analysts, researchers
→ Asking “how would you approach this?”
→ Reviewing real examples together
70% – Practice in my product
→ Running smaller experiments
→ Building tighter feedback loops
→ Using data to say no (or yes) with confidence
→ Reflecting on what worked and what didn’t
Slow. Intentional. Sustainable.
A reflection prompt for you
If you want to try this yourself, ask:
→ Which one or two skills would have the biggest impact on your product right now?
→ Which ones would reduce friction, rework, or stress?
→ And what would practice actually look like… not just learning?
If you want, hit reply and tell me what you’re doubling down on this year. I read every response.
