Have you ever defined your sprint goals, defined what “done” looks like, and then somehow… nothing moved? You stare at sticky notes on the board, feeling overwhelmed with no clear direction. When your planning is solid but your execution falters, it’s time to add one more Agile ritual to your system: the daily standup. It seems small, yet it changes everything.
The last time I wrote about daily standup was in 2021. I like this post and a lot of it still holds. I thought it was time to share how I run my daily standups now, 3 years later.
How daily standups work in tech companies
When I worked at a tech startup, every morning began the same way. Engineers made their coffee and gathered around the Scrum board, standing so the meeting never dragged on. During the standup, every person answered only three questions:
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What did I work on yesterday?
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What will I work on today?
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Is anything blocking me?
It wasn’t about status updates; it was about collectively helping tasks move from To Do → In Progress → Done. Because everyone knew exactly what they were working on next, the team stayed aligned and momentum stayed high.
What if you’re a team of one?
When I started adapting Agile to my personal goals, this was the question I couldn’t let go of. Eventually, I realized that I could run a daily standup for myself — and that it might become one of the most powerful habits in my productivity system. At first, I did my standups with coffee in the morning. However, now I do them the night before, and the results are even better.
My three questions (Solo daily standup)
1. What did I work on today?
I update my Scrum board based on what actually happened, not what I planned. Therefore:
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Completed tasks move to Done
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Blocked tasks move to Blocked
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Unstarted tasks stay where they are
This keeps the board honest and prevents self-deception.
2. What will I work on tomorrow?
Before choosing tasks, I always check my calendar. If I have meetings or errands, I reduce my daily capacity. If I have a wide-open day, I increase it slightly. Then I look at the Blocked column. If something can be unblocked tomorrow, it moves into Today.
After that, I apply my Work-In-Progress limit. Because Scrum values finished work over started work, I only allow 3 tasks in my Today column. I can do more, but only after those three tasks move to Done. As a result, I finish more than I used to start.
3. What might block me tomorrow?
This question lowers friction before it has time to appear. For example:
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If waking up late would derail the morning → I go to bed earlier.
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If cooking lunch will take time away from deep work → I prep it tonight.
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If I’ll need the car → I ask my husband ahead of time.
This step takes only a few minutes; however, it prevents hours of failure.
A mental trick that keeps me loyal to my sprint goals
The hardest part of sprints isn’t doing the work — it’s resisting shiny new ideas. Every sprint, my brain tries to convince me to abandon my priorities:
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This new project looks more exciting.
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The sprint goal can wait.
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Let’s organize the closet instead.
To counter this, I use the mental model of Manager vs. Employee.
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The manager has already chosen the sprint goals during the sprint planning session.
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The employee simply executes the work — no strategizing, no negotiating.
Therefore, when I feel tempted to switch goals mid-sprint, I tell myself:
“You had plenty of time to think during the cool-off week and planning session. Now we execute.”
A daily standup is simply a 5-minute meeting between your inner Manager and your inner Employee.
How you can start today
If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed by your tasks, try implementing a daily standup. Set a small limit on how many tasks you’ll tackle each day and focus solely on the next actionable steps. Don’t create lists of all the sub-tasks you’ll need to do to accomplish the goal. You’ll gradually move closer to your definition of done, gaining clarity and satisfaction along the way.
Why the daily standup works
Because it:
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reduces morning decision fatigue
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creates momentum through small daily progress
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ensures alignment with your sprint goals
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protects you from shiny-object distractions
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builds trust with yourself over time
Consistent progress doesn’t come from dramatic bursts of motivation. Instead, it comes from small decisions made ahead of time — and honoured the next day.
You can find the core Agile and Scrum principles and their practical application to one’s life on the Start Here page.
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