When “focused” still feels too heavy

You’ve already said no to most things.

So why does the wagon still feel impossible to pull?

Child pulling pumpkin wagon alone, illustrating delegation challenges leaders face

The Pumpkin Patch Moment

I have this photo of my daughter at a pumpkin patch.

She’s maybe three years old, determinedly pulling a wagon with a few pumpkins in it. Her whole body is leaning into it. She’s making progress, but you can see the effort in every muscle.

The thing is, she already chose carefully.

There were thousands of pumpkins in that field. Literally thousands. And she walked past most of them. She focused. She prioritized. She picked only the ones that really mattered to her.

And still, the wagon was almost too heavy to pull.

That’s every product leader I coach.

You’ve already said no to 90% of things.

You’ve cut scope, prioritized ruthlessly, focused on what matters…

And you’re still exhausted.

The Myth of “Just Focus More”

Every productivity framework says:

“Do less. Focus on what matters most.”

You did.

But even just a few critical initiatives can be too heavy when you’re the only one pulling.

The problem isn’t how many pumpkins are in your wagon.

It’s that you’re pulling it alone.

What’s Actually in Your Wagon

Let me guess what you’re carrying right now:

Strategic weight

Long-term vision only you can articulate
Market positioning only you understand
Company direction only you can connect to daily work

Decision weight

Priority calls that need your judgment
Trade-offs that require your context
Approvals that can’t happen without you

Relationship weight

Stakeholder management that depends on your credibility
Cross-functional alignment that needs your diplomacy
Executive updates that require your translation

People weight

Team development that needs your experience
Performance issues that need your authority
Hiring decisions that need your vision

You’ve already cut the nice-to-haves.

These are the essentials.

And they’re still too heavy.

The Real Problem: You’re the Bottleneck

The issue isn’t your workload.

You’ve built a system where everything depends on you.

You join meetings because “they won’t have the context.”

You review significant decisions because “they might miss the bigger picture.”

You manage conflicts because “they don’t understand the history.”

You’ve become the Context Keeper.

The more successful you get, the heavier the wagon gets.

More success = more strategic initiatives = more decisions = more stakeholders = more context to keep = heavier wagon.

You can’t focus your way out of that.

You can’t time-manage your way out of that.

And working harder doesn’t solve it.

When You’re Overwhelmed… Ask:

“How much of my week is spent doing work that only I can truly do?”

For most leaders? It’s ~20%.

The rest is work someone else could do. If they had:

The strategic context you’ve been keeping
The decision-making frameworks you use instinctively
The confidence that comes from real authority
The relationships you’ve built over time

But they don’t have those things.

Because you’ve never built the systems to give it to them.

The Uncomfortable Truth

You’re exhausted not because you’re doing too much.

You’re exhausted because you’re doing too much alone.

And the worst part?

You’re training your organization that strategic work only happens through you.

Every time you attend that meeting, “just to provide context”…

You’re teaching them they can’t think strategically without you.

Every time you make that decision, “because they need more experience first”…

You’re blocking them from building that experience.

Every time you “step in to handle it”…

You’re making yourself indispensable in the worst possible way.

From Solo Pulling to Strategic Multiplication

Right now you:

Pick the pumpkins (decisions). Load the wagon (execution). Plot the route (strategy). Pull the wagon (delivery). Unload it (communication).

You’re doing 100% of the work across 100% of the process.

Strategic multiplication looks like this:

They load the wagon

“Take these three initiatives and create project plans.”

They’re doing execution work, but you’re still carrying all the strategic weight.

They help choose pumpkins

“We need to solve for customer retention. Here are five possible approaches. Analyze and recommend.”

Now they’re building judgment, but you’re still the safety net.

They own their wagon

“You own the mobile experience. Make the decisions you need to make. Keep me posted on major changes.”

They’re carrying full strategic weight in their domain.

They even teach you better ways to pull

“Your system for prioritizing features just solved a problem I’ve been struggling with. Walk me through how you think about this.”

They’re making you smarter.

That’s when leadership begins to scale.

Put This Into Action

Pick one pumpkin you keep carrying: one recurring decision or responsibility that always needs you.

Don’t delegate the task.

Delegate the context.

Ask yourself:

What would someone need to know to make this call without me?
What framework do I use that I never explained?
What authority or trust are they missing?

Build the system to transfer that.

Don’t just delegate the task, but provide the capability to own it fully.

You don’t need a lighter wagon.

You need more people who can pull.

And the only way to get there is to stop pulling alone.

What’s the heaviest pumpkin in your wagon right now? The one you keep carrying because “only I can do this”?

If you’re ready to move from exhausted solo contributor to strategic multiplier, let’s talk. I offer free 15-minute introduction calls where we’ll map out exactly which pumpkins you’re carrying that should be distributed, and how to do it without everything falling apart.

Schedule Strategy Call with Andrea

Key Takeaways

✅ Focus isn’t the fix.

You can’t prioritize harder your way out of exhaustion. The problem isn’t how much you’re doing, it’s that you’re doing it alone.

✅ The bottleneck isn’t your workload.

It’s the system where every decision, relationship, and piece of context depends on you.

✅ You’ve become the Context Keeper.

The more successful you are, the heavier the wagon gets, because success multiplies context.

✅ Stop delegating tasks. Start delegating context.

If you only hand off tasks, you stay the thinker and they stay the doers. Transfer your judgment, frameworks, and trust instead.

✅ Build pullers, not lighter wagons.

The goal isn’t to do less. It’s to create more people with the context, frameworks, authority, and confidence to share the strategic weight with you.

What if you didn’t have to pull alone?

Even the best coaching can’t replace a table of peers who actually get it.

That’s why I’m quietly forming small, invitation-only mastermind groups for product leaders who are scaling inside complex, high-stakes environments.

6–8 people.

Real accountability.

Conversations that don’t start with backstory.

These aren’t networking circles. They’re rooms for leaders who want to think deeply, share openly, and grow alongside peers who get it.

If you’ve ever wished for a table where you don’t have to translate your world before getting to the good part… this is that table.

I’m still shaping the first cohorts.

If you want a seat at this table, reach out, and I’ll add you to the early-access list.