When the Backlog Is Full

I’ve been trying to stick to a to-do list lately. You know, like the productivity advice everyone shares, write things down, prioritize them, work through them one at a time. Simple. Neat. Structured.

At least in theory.

But what happens when your backlog keeps growing? When you keep coming up with new ideas, new possibilities, new things to build or explore or improve? The list doesn’t shrink, it balloons. It multiplies.

And now, instead of ticking things off, I’m watching them pile up.

Do I go back and revisit what I started? Do I see it through? Or do I push it aside and move on to the latest spark? Because honestly, sometimes it feels like I’m just recycling backlogs, dragging yesterday’s ideas into tomorrow’s list, never quite catching up.

And maybe that’s the point where the idea of opportunity cost hits hardest. The real cost isn’t always what you choose to do. It’s what you had to leave behind to make room for it.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little drained by all of this, mentally cluttered, creatively over-saturated. And I’ve started to wonder if maybe I’m the one doing this to myself. Maybe I’m the one constantly chasing newness, obsessing over problems, trying to stretch my brain in every direction at once.

And then I think, should I stop? Should I put a cap on it?

But then again… how does one simply shut out wonder? Curiosity? Possibility? Do we even have control over that?

Jim Rohn once said, “When you train your mind to find problems, soon it becomes a problem machine.” Maybe that’s where I’m at. Maybe that’s what happens when your mind gets good at thinking, really good. You can’t stop it. Ideas come from everywhere. Half-baked ones. Brilliant ones. Weird ones. All tumbling in, uninvited but welcome.

And I’ll admit, that should feel like a gift. But right now, it kind of feels like a weight.

So what do I do?

Honestly, I don’t have the perfect answer. But I think the first step is giving myself permission to be okay with the backlog. To see it not as a failure, but as proof that I’m still dreaming, still reaching. It’s about balance, about being able to say not now without saying never.

Maybe the key is in making peace with the chaos. Accepting that not everything will get done, not every idea will get built, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean I’ve wasted time. It just means I’m human, with limited time and infinite thought.

So I’ll keep writing my ideas down. I’ll store them somewhere safe. I’ll revisit them when I can. But right now, I want to focus on what truly matters, what’s right in front of me. I want to give myself the grace to slow down, to move with intention, not just momentum.

And in doing that, maybe I’ll learn more about myself.

Maybe the real win isn’t in finishing everything, but in understanding my own limits, and honoring them. Maybe this is what it looks like to finally begin to know myself, not just my capabilities, but my capacity.

And that feels like a good place to start.