Episode Details
Back to EpisodesBreaking the Backlog Cycle: Never Get Behind Again
Description
Backlogs. We all have them. But, how do you clear them and then prevent them from happening again? That’s what we’re looking at today.
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Script | 367
Hello, and welcome to episode 368 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show.
Organising your work, creating lists of things to do, and managing your projects in your notes are all good common-sense productivity practices. However, none of these are going to be helpful if you have huge backlogs of admin, messages, and emails creating what I call a low-level anxiety buzz.
You’re going to be stressed and distracted and in no place to be at your very best.
What’s more, this can become a chronic problem if those backlogs are growing. This is when critical things are going to get missed.
I’m often surprised to get an email from someone asking me if they can have a discount code for an early-bird discount that expired three or four weeks previously. I mean, come on. If it’s taking you three to four weeks to get to an email—even if you consider it to be a low-value email—there’s a serious problem in your system. (Or more likely, you don’t have a system at all.)
So this week, I want to share with you a few ideas that can help you regain control of these backlogs and, more importantly, prevent them from happening again.
So, with that said, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week’s question.
This week’s question comes from Wyatt. Wyatt asks, hi Carl, how would you help someone who is backlogged beyond belief. I’ve got over 3,000 emails in my inbox, and my team are still waiting for me to finish their appraisals from last year! I feel so stuck. Please help.
Hi Wyatt. Thank you for your question.
Sorry to hear you feel swamped. I know it can be a horrible place to be.
Before we begin, let me explain the three types of backlogs we all have to deal with.
The first is the growing backlog. This one is the worst because it’s getting bigger and unless you take action immediately, it’s going to overwhelm