I Almost Forgot My Flight to INBOUND

And that’s not even the worst pre-launch mistake I’ve made. Here’s the system I use now to stay sane before big releases.

Author

Stefanie Brown
August 15, 2025

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👋 Hey friend,

Last week, I almost forgot to book my flight to INBOUND.

I wish I could say that was the only thing that slipped through the cracks, but nope, the feedback calls that overlapped with other launch check-ins, the meetings stacked so tight I couldn’t remember if I’d eaten lunch.

The thing about big launches isn’t just the work.

It’s the mental load of trying to keep dozens of threads moving without dropping the wrong one.

The Advice That Changed How I Launch

A few weeks ago, my manager said something that stuck:

“Being a product manager means spinning a lot of plates. The key is knowing which ones are made of rubber and can bounce if you drop them so the show can keep going.”

I realized that during high-pressure launches, I was treating every plate like it was made of glass. No wonder I felt fried by launch day.

Now I ask myself: Which of these things must be perfect before the big day, and which can safely bounce until after?

The Time I Dropped a Plate (and Survived)

A while back, I completely missed finalizing a webinar deck before the team meeting. My old self would’ve stayed up half the night cramming it in, burning energy I’d need later.

Instead, I pushed it a week. We ran the session post-launch, with real customer usage data instead of hypothetical examples.

It turned out to be one of the most valuable session I’ve ever run because I dropped the “glass” mindset and let that plate bounce.

💡 Quick Tip: Not sure if something’s glass or rubber? Ask, “Will this matter in 30 days?” If the answer is no, it’s probably safe to drop.

My Pre-Launch Energy Framework

Here’s what’s kept me from burning out before the big day:

  1. Movement before meetings

If I know it’s going to be a stressful day, I’ll go for a run or at least get outside before my first call.

This quarter, I have overlapping launches. On the most chaotic week, I’ve tried starting each day with a 30-minute run. Not because I have the time but because I didn’t have time not to.

📌 Try this today: Block 30 minutes on your calendar tomorrow morning. Protect it like a meeting. Use it to walk, stretch, or run, whatever moves stress out of your body before the day begins.

2. Use resourcefulness as a tool, not a last resort

Need more customer calls? I’ll drop a quick Slack message to CSMs.

KB draft missing? I’ll spin up a version myself.

Double-booked for a meeting and a call? I’ll ask a teammate to lead, knowing they’ll crush it.

📌 Try this today: Look at your calendar for the week. Circle one thing you’re stressing about doing yourself. Ask, “Who could own this better than me?” Then hand it off.

3. Protect customer focus

When things get chaotic, it’s easy to slip into pure execution mode.

I literally have a recurring calendar reminder titled “Think like a customer” that pops up during launch weeks.

Last year, that reminder helped me catch a confusing default setting that we fixed before shipping, it saved dozens of support tickets.

💡 Quick Tip: Before signing off any pre-launch deliverable, ask, “If I was the end user, would this make sense the first time?” If you hesitate, it’s worth revisiting.

4. One single source of truth

Every feedback call, bug, and update goes in one shared doc or channel.

If it’s not in there, it doesn’t exist. This prevents the “Did we fix that?” scramble the night before launch.

📌 Try this today: Create a doc (or make a canvas in slack) titled “[Project] Launch Central”. Link it everywhere. Train your team to put every update in there, no exceptions.

Quick Reads for Launch Season

Challenge: Identify Your Rubber Plates

If you’ve got a high-stakes deadline coming up, try this:

  1. List everything on your plate for the next 2 weeks, big and small.

  2. Mark the glass plates → the things that must be perfect before launch.

  3. Mark the rubber plates → the things that can bounce until after without breaking trust or momentum.

  4. Share this list with your team so they can help you protect the glass plates.

💡 Pro Move: Revisit this list after launch. You’ll almost always find more rubber plates than you expected.

Big launches aren’t just about shipping a product.

They’re about shipping it with enough energy left to celebrate it, and to want to do it again next time.

See you next Friday,

– Stef

💬 Want to talk product? I’m mentoring on ADPList! If you’re breaking into product, navigating your first big launch, or just need a sounding board, you can book a free session with me right here.

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