Alex Kistenev, a Digital Scrum Master, shares 10 quick and easy brain training exercises for Product Managers to incorporate into their daily routine. The exercises are designed to enhance product thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The first exercise involves sketching an interface from memory, allowing Product Managers to gain a deeper understanding of design choices in their favorite products and potentially generate ideas for improvements.

Kistenev also suggests asking core questions about products and services encountered daily, focusing on the key points, advantages, and disadvantages. This practice encourages a more unbiased and objective perspective, which is crucial for effective product management. Another exercise involves imagining oneself as a Product Manager for a different product each week, analyzing backlogs and roadmaps, which helps in developing a broader product perspective.

Other brain training exercises include creating new product ideas, starting a side-project to understand resource prioritization, treating life as a project with goals and iterations, trying new things to stimulate the brain, identifying and cutting off unnecessary features in products, and limiting resources to enhance decision-making skills. The “Grandmom test” is also introduced, encouraging Product Managers to explain their product in simple terms that anyone, even their grandmother, can understand. These exercises aim to develop a well-rounded and adaptable mindset for product management professionals.