How do solo entrepreneurs handle their backlogs?

I doc everything I do, for example: if I sent emails to many bloggers about my product, I create a list of those emails so I will be able to return to them in my next product.

For tasks and ideas I just create a simple list, I don't need more than this.

Beside it, I try to automate any repeated tasks, it helps me a lot in my day to day tasks.

Hope it helps! :)

Top of the Backlog : A simple Effort / Value score, from XS to XXL (converted to Fibonacci sequence). Value should be tied to your current goals (I use OKR for that).

Bottom of the Backlog : Eisenhower matrix to delete what I will never do.

I like to utilize the 20/80 rule. What’s the 20% of work that you can work on that will yield 80% of the results you want to achieve? Work on that first or only that.

Then use Parkinson’s law to make it happen. Work expands to fill the time you give it. If you give a task a week to complete, it’ll take a week. If you take that same task and give it a day it’ll take a day.

Obviously you’ll need to scope it in order to fit the right amount of time. But it’s good to constrain and go for the tiny wins to move your business forward.

Good luck!

Good question - been running around like a headless chicken today on Product Hunt launch day for my AI Tour Guide Startup. My very unflattering look here https://twitter.com/byhazellim/status/1664591764294868992?s=20

I struggle with this too. I find the indiehacker's mantra of "Marketing Week" vs "Building Week" helps. That and physically working at different location (home vs cafe for example) helps with changing roles in my own head

I like to start each day getting through the things I enjoy least so I can use dev time / product building as a carrot for later in the day. Ex. I start with support emails or marketing todos first before getting into building afterwards.

I like to keep things simple with a single spreadsheet for customer feedback with counts for how often something is requested and who requested it. My day-to-day tasks, notes and design thoughts I keep close to my code in a todo.txt file that I've added to my global .gitignore file so that it's not checked into git (some might like it getting checked into source control but my list changes a lot) - it's pretty simple but works for me.

Time blocking, week theming. So say between 7 to 8PM every Thursday I'll work on writing copy, this week I'll focus on product and next week on marketing, etc.
I've also thought about implementing the eisenhower matrix and its getting more necessary to have an effective system for prioritisation as the demands on my time go up.

Block your time every or every other day for specific activities. For example, every morning I block at least an hour for lead generation & 30-45 mins for content.

Then you need to set up system for the activities. Like if you do lead generation on Sales Nav, you already have your leads on the list, and templates for messages that you send ready. That way you don't have to think too much who to contact & what to send.

Same approach for other stuff. And most important of all - no need for perfection. You'll perfect it over the time.

I know it's tough, and I'm right there with you. I also have a baby daughter to take care of. I believe everyone has their own way of handling their backlog and workload. Typically, I create a weekly list of "epic" things I want to accomplish, instead of daily ones which can be overwhelming and lead to burnout. The weekly list consists of no more than 20 significant items, such as creating social media content for the week or drafting a pitch deck. Each item takes around 2-4 hours of work. If you have a big goal to accomplish, try breaking it down into smaller weekly tasks. This approach has helped me stay sane. Keep up the good work!

When I was founding my first product, it's always been about working on the next thing that comes to mind. Anything.

But as I've found multiple products already, I sorta have a way.

1. Theme the most important thing that moves the needle

You should have a name for your next initiative. Let's say the most important thing that you build next is "Ship the automation builder". Then there should be many tasks from your backlog that are related to that theme. Drag them along and ship that damn thing! Ideally, you should have one or two themes for each week.

2. Do the marketing

I'm not talking about promotion here. Basically do anything else besides making features, and I think the next important thing in growing your startup is marketing. Specifically, it's all about solving your customers' problems. Only then it'll give you some hints about the next important themes that you need to tackle. Afterward, you could go back to #1.

And don't fret about which one you should start first. It doesn't matter. Start anywhere and repeat those steps alternately, in and out consistently.

Let me know if you still have more questions.

We just prioritized on each task. Recommend to use Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle. I have used and it's really helpful.

Based on personal experience, here are two techniques that I can share right away:

• Large tasks can be daunting and overwhelming. Ergo, break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks so that they seem less daunting and more achievable.
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• Set deadlines for yourself so that you stay on track and avoid procrastination. When you set deadlines for yourself, you're more likely to get things done.

My personal strategy is time-based.

I spent half my time working for my client (trading my time for money) and the other half of my time pursuing entrepreneurship (investing my time).

My workday is about 10 hours long, three hours for my client, three hours for entrepreneurship, one hour for personal work, one and a half hours for exercise, one hour for lunch, half an hour for my morning routine, and a bit of downtime.

After this, I spend time socializing, pursuing my hobbies, eating dinner, relaxing, and getting ready for bed.

I have my own custom-built mobile productivity app called Hessia that I used to keep everything organized, and it’s been working pretty well for me.

That said… There’s a lot of room for improvement, and I’ve recently started building my productivity app in public.

Overall, I have a long way to go toward my goals, but I’ve also come a long way =)

Wishing you the best!

I use a single daily note where I just list my daily tasks. My daily note is connected to my knowledge base, so it all stays in one place.

I am less of Trello boards and more of simple notepad tracking. Basically, prioritise based the customer priority (high value customer vs low tier customer etc) and how much the feature would be useful for the whole product.

Solo entrepreneurs handle their backlogs by prioritizing tasks, setting realistic goals, and effectively managing their time and resources. They may use strategies like creating to-do lists, using productivity tools, outsourcing certain tasks, and focusing on essential activities to stay organized and ensure efficient backlog management.

I just use trello and notion to manage my task