Transition from Software Engineer to Product Manager

Your current manager may be hesitant to lose a senior engineer.

Assure them of a smooth transition. Offer to document your engineering knowledge and help hire/train your replacement over the 6-12 month period.

Falling back into 'engineer mode' by focusing too much on technical architecture rather than user problems and business value.

Force yourself to use PM frameworks (like CIRCLES) that mandate defining the user and problem before even mentioning a technical solution.

Burnout from trying to do a full-time Senior SWE job while taking on PM responsibilities.

Strictly time-box your PM activities. Integrate PM tasks into your existing engineering work (e.g., writing better technical specs that include product context).