Elaine Chao – Medium

Elaine Chao

7 Life Lessons from 2024

I’m slowly recovering from the holiday busy, having slept a solid 9 hours for three nights straight after a grueling series of commitments…

Jan 9

A box on a white shelf. In the center is a small dried flower arrangement

Jan 9

9 Lessons from my 8th year as a product manager

I was committed to this year’s product manager post, even though I’ve been working on overdrive these past few months. Despite a variety of…

Sep 2, 2024

9 Lessons from my 8th year as a product manager

Sep 2, 2024

7 Life Lessons from 2023

Unlike previous years, this year’s post was both started and completed on the last day of the year. In some ways, the approach to this post…

Jan 1, 2024

An analog metronome and some sheet music

Jan 1, 2024

7 Lessons from my 7th year of product management

The transition from summer to fall has been a little rougher than usual this year, and so I found myself reluctant to really dig into this…

Oct 23, 2023

A field of sunflowers at sundown, with clouds overhead. The sun peeks between clouds and flowers, sending out golden rays.

Oct 23, 2023

9 Life Lessons from 2022

“What did you learn this year?” I’ve found myself asking this question this week as I met up with friends and mentees. As is my practice…

Dec 31, 2022

A monthly calendar in a notebook. A few entries are added to a few days

Dec 31, 2022

Weekly reflections of a product manager (2022 edition)

This calendar year, I started a new work practice: journaling at the end of every week. In the one-page handwritten summary of the week, I…

Dec 19, 2022

Open journal with a silver fountain pen on top of it. There is some writing on both pages in cursive.

Dec 19, 2022

9 lessons from my 6th year of product management

I didn’t hit my stride as a black belt until sometime around third degree. As is the case in traditional martial arts systems, I’d trained…

Sep 5, 2022

Overhead view of turbulent water running through a channel in bedrock.

Sep 5, 2022

The space between sabbaticals: 9 lessons from the past four years

I reflect on a daily, weekly, and annual basis. But now that I’m on a sabbatical from my day job, what have I learned since the last one?

Jun 24, 2022

An open journal and pen on top of a distressed wooden table in a cafe. The journal is open to a page that has a lot of handwritten words on it. Next to the journal is a mug, a partially-filled glass jar with what looks like a cold latte, and a small plate with a napkin on it.

Jun 24, 2022

An overachiever’s guide to rest

Unbeknownst to many of my coworkers and many of my friends at the time, I went through a very intense period of burnout during a time of…

Apr 4, 2022

Small glass jar of silver coins with a green plant peeking over the rim

Apr 4, 2022

8 small adjustments that have created a sustainable home environment

Confession time: I’ve never been a terribly disciplined person. Oh sure, I can juggle multiple projects, write novels, and just Get Stuff…

Feb 2, 2022

A low bed with a white bedspread and blue accent pillows. Next to it is a simple nightstand with a metal arm lamp with a clear shade, with a lit yellow light bulb inside it. Indirect sunlight comes from off screen to the right, lighting the entire scene.

Feb 2, 2022

8 Life Lessons from 2021

I blew into the end of the year emotionally exhausted. Whether it was work (good, but busy), home (same), or world (mixed bag), I wandered…

Jan 5, 2022

Water pouring into a silver teapot, which is in turn pouring water out of its spout. The teapot is tilted downward in mid-air on a black background.

Jan 5, 2022

9 lessons from my 5th year of product management

I wasn’t quite sure the purpose of writing about my journey in product management when I first started with my six-month reflection. As I…

Aug 30, 2021

Photo of the ocean from near the surface. A clear sky is overhead, and the water ripples in the foreground.

Aug 30, 2021

9 Life Lessons from a Year of Shelter in Place

I sat on my living room floor, my computer in front of me and a small dish of dried cranberries next to me. Friday after work, I was on a…

Feb 28, 2021

Photo of two hands holding a mug full of tea. The hands are partially obscured by the sleeves of a long, white sweater, exposing only the fingers. One hand is gripping the handle of the mug, while the other is cupped around the bottom of the mug.

Feb 28, 2021

7 Life Lessons from 2020

I almost didn’t write a reflection on this past year (the sixth in this series). It seemed the only thing that everyone wanted was to…

Jan 3, 2021

Photo of water coming out of a kitchen sink faucet

Jan 3, 2021

On 15 years at one company

Yesterday was my 15-year anniversary at Adobe, and I celebrated by posting a photo of myself with the surprisingly heavy award I received…

Dec 6, 2020

On 15 years at one company

Dec 6, 2020

The career mentoring adventure of 2020

I don’t think any of us really expected 2020 to turn out the way that it did. But in the midst of the great suffering that our entire…

Nov 14, 2020

Woman bouldering on an overhang at a rock climbing gym

Nov 14, 2020

8 lessons from my fourth year as a product manager

As for many people, my 2020 did not go quite as expected. The sudden appearance of a novel coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic cut…

Sep 14, 2020

Two women sitting together at an office looking at the same computer. They face away from the viewer toward a window.

Sep 14, 2020

6 Life Lessons from 2019

My two best friends and I have a group text thread which is, admittedly, about 80% operational. When is someone coming over? We’re running…

Jan 3, 2020

Toddler holding an apple, with an adult with a hand outstretched to receive it.

Jan 3, 2020

7 lessons from my third year in product management

Three years in. It sounds like forever, and yet I feel like I would have missed the entire thing had I sneezed. This year was a lot of…

Sep 14, 2019

7 lessons from my third year in product management

Sep 14, 2019

Growing a Teachable Spirit in Product Management

One of the most grueling belt ranks in my system of martial arts is first kub, or the rank right before first degree black belt. In…

Mar 16, 2019

Growing a Teachable Spirit in Product Management

Mar 16, 2019

Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao

Principal Product Manager at Adobe. Also a martial arts instructor, musician, writer, volunteerism advocate. Opinions mine.

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