You know it’s true when they say a cluttered house is a cluttered mind.

In corporates and startups alike, we tend to be constantly busy in releasing new features, solving problems and chasing those deadlines. I have also known people who strived to look busy, for other people to notice that they were swamped with work and deserved the raise next year. It seemed exhausting. Taking a step back to think, breathe and slow down might seem counter productive to slaying those timelines, but can make the difference between an average product and an exceptional one.

Don’t rush it. Take the time to think before you build.

Product is and always will be under pressure to ship new features. But when you keep rushing without adequate thinking space, you inadvertently end up creating something which doesn’t fit the big picture. To create from scratch is a thinking job first and foremost. When building a feature, take time to reflect if the customer wants it and if they will spend time using it. Think about internal stakeholders like data, accounting, marketing and sales teams and figure out if your feature will add value to them, perhaps help the sales team pitch to a particular segment or help the data team to uncover new insights into customer behaviour. This thinking space helps you with the clarity of mind needed to build better and more impactful products that align with your company’s vision.

You don’t need to react to every market trend

There’s always a hype cycle every so often with marketing buzzwords. We had VR, Crypto, Metaverse, AI and so on. People go crazy on buzzwords and product managers are pushed add them as features to jump on the bandwagon due to the classic FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Take a step back and observe. You cannot build a good product on impulse. Act thoughtfully rather than chasing noise.

Space is your friend

Imagine a bedroom of 400 sq ft. You can either use every available inch and keep your bed, cupboard, lounge chair, beanie bags, 2 televisions, paintings, study table, gaming consoles and so on. You can alternatively keep the essentials like a bed, a single television, a study table and a chair, and keep the rest of the space open. The former layout would feel like a cramped warehouse, and the latter would feel like home. The best architects incorporate space to design areas that people love.

Good ideas usually happen when you give yourself the space. If your team is constantly rushing to meet deadlines without a break, that itself kills any hope of creativity.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to think that constant action equals progress. But sometimes it’s better for you and your team to slow down. Give yourselves the space to come back with a valuable feature, a cleaner design, a more scalable architecture or a better sales strategy.

So the next time you feel you need to rush, remember a little breathing room can go a long way.

[Featured Image from freepik.com]