The Most Underrated Productivity Tool: The Product Backlog

Today I want to talk about something that completely changed how I approach goals: the product backlog.
It comes from Agile methodology and is widely used in the SCRUM framework by the most innovative companies in the world. And yet, in personal productivity, this concept is shockingly undervalued.

In this post, I’ll explain:

• what a backlog is,

• how tech companies use it,

• and how you can apply it to your own life.

Product Backlog – Technical Definition

Let’s start with the technical definition of a product backlog. It will sound very technical, but don’t worry, I will simplify it later.

The agile product backlog in Scrum is a prioritized features list, containing short descriptions of all functionality desired in the product. Typically, a Scrum team and its product owner begin by writing down everything they can think of for agile backlog prioritization. This product backlog is almost always more than enough for a first sprint. The Scrum product backlog is then allowed to grow and change as more is learned about the product and its customers.

or

A backlog is a list of tasks required to support a larger strategic plan. 

Product Backlog In Plain English

Imagine a team building a brand-new iPhone app. They brainstorm everything the app should do — one feature per sticky note. Those sticky notes form a big to-do list. That list is the backlog.

And here’s the key:
➡️ The backlog is always longer than what the team can finish in one sprint. A sprint is usually somewhere between 2 and 6 weeks.

How Backlogs Work Inside Scrum Teams

In SCRUM teams, everything goes into the backlog — but nothing gets acted on immediately.

If someone says,

“We should add this feature!”
it’s added to the backlog.

If a CFO says,

“We need a new report!”
it’s added to the backlog.

Nobody drops their current work to chase the new request.

Before each sprint:

1. The product owner reviews every item.

2. Irrelevant or outdated tasks get removed.

3. The remaining tasks are prioritized.

4. Only a realistic number of tasks is selected for the next sprint.

Then the team works exclusively on those selected tasks until the sprint is complete.

How That Differs From Most Workplaces

Most knowledge workers live in constant reactivity:

• an email comes — everything stops

• someone asks a question — everything stops

• a new idea appears — everything stops

SCRUM says:

• Decide on the workload for the next 2-6 weeks (sprint).
• Capture everything coming your way during the sprint in the backlog.
• Don’t stop what you’ve committed to.
• Pull from the backlog when it’s time to pick work for the next sprint.

The SCRUM framework for product development is very intentional compared to the reactive approach that is so common these days in the knowledge work sector. 

Using a Product Backlog in Your Personal Life

Think of each area of your life as a project.
You write down every task and idea related to your goals — but you don’t act on them immediately.

Once a month you select the most important tasks and focus exclusively on completing these selected tasks. Nothing else. You only select the number of tasks you think you can do in three weeks.

Where the Real Magic Happens

The backlog becomes most powerful after you choose your sprint goals.
That’s when you start capturing everything else in a dedicated list instead of acting on impulses.

📱 I recommend keeping your backlog right on your phone — a pinned note works best.

Whenever inspiration or urgency hits:

• “Start painting every night.”

• “Take an online course on investing.”

• “Buy hiking gear.”

• “Launch a YouTube channel.”

Instead of taking action immediately,
➡️ Just add it to your backlog and keep going with your pre-selected sprint goals.

Your brain relaxes because the idea is stored safely.
You no longer need to obsess over it or fear forgetting it.

Why the Product Backlog Works

The secret is time.

A backlog creates space between:

• the impulse to do something
  and

• the action of committing to it.

If an idea felt important two weeks ago and still feels important today — it’s probably worth pursuing.

If it doesn’t make the cut twice in a row? It wasn’t important. It was just noise.

Most ideas don’t deserve our time. A backlog helps you see that clearly — without shame, guilt, or FOMO.

Recommended Reading:

• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

You should check this book it if you are having a hard time saying NO to things. If your schedule is stretched thin. If you are too busy. If you don’t know what things are truly important and what things are just noise.

If you think being busy and tired are requirements for success, check this book out.

How to use product backlog in other areas of your life

I’ve also used the idea of backlog in other areas of my life.

• I use it for cooking and meal planning
  • Whenever I see a recipe I want to make, I save it in my recipe app (I use Paprika 3).
  • I review and plan my meals once a week. That’s when I look at the recipes I’ve added throughout the past few weeks.
  • Every time I am amazed at how many dessert recipes I tend to add. By the time I do my meal planning on Sunday, I no longer want most of the deserts I’ve added, so I just archive those recipes.
  • If I’ve acted on my impulses and started baking all those sweets the moment I have found the recipe, my diet would’ve been much different.
• I also use backlog for shopping.
  • I now do online shopping on Wednesdays and Sundays.
  • During the week if I think that I should buy something, I put it on the shopping note on my phone.
  • On Wednesday or Sunday, I look at the list. I see if I can delete something. Most days I delete some items. Then I purchase only the items on the list.
  • For anything to be purchased, it has to be on that list first. No impulse purchases.
  • I also have a limit on how many things I can purchase in one session. It varies between 3 and 5 depending on my season of life.
  • If I didn’t have time to do online shopping on Wednesday, it doesn’t mean I will shop on Thursday. It means I will wait till Sunday. Because the rule is that I do online shopping on Wednesdays and Sundays.
  • What do I get in return? It is not a surprise that I have saved a lot by doing this. I only purchase the things I truly need.
• I use backlog for my free time activities –  movies I want to watch, books I want to read.

If you want to live a more intentional life this year, I highly recommend using the idea of backlog in the area of your life that is the most overwhelming.

• If it is finance, use a backlog for purchases.
• If it is weight, use the recipe advice provided above.
• If it is time management, use it for your to-do items.

I use it for pretty much every aspect of my life and it allows me to navigate my life with ease and a greater sense of purpose.

Update:

I revisited the concept of a backlog three years after publishing this post. You can read the post here or watch the video version

If you want to continue learning how to apply Agile to personal productivity, here are good next steps:

• Backlog: The Antitode to Chaotic Living
• Sprint Capacity for Personal Productivity
• Sprint Planning for Personal Productivity
• How to Use Definition of Done for Personal Productivity
• Daily Standup for Personal Productivity
• Sprint Retrospective for Personal Productivity

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