From Chaos to Clarity: How Scrum Fundamentals Streamlined My Daily Routine

How Scrum framework transformed my daily routine by mastering the time management

What is Scrum

Scrum is a framework that is widely used in agile project management. It is based on the principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation, and emphasizes collaboration and iterative development. Scrum involves a set of ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives. During sprint planning, the team decides what tasks they will complete during the upcoming sprint. Daily scrums are brief meetings where the team members report on their progress and identify any roadblocks. Sprint reviews involve a presentation of the completed work to stakeholders, while sprint retrospectives allow the team to reflect on their process and identify areas for improvement. Understanding Scrum fundamentals is important for effective project management because it promotes communication, teamwork, and continuous improvement. By using Scrum, teams can stay focused on the project goals, collaborate effectively, and adapt to changes in requirements or circumstances.

I stumbled upon Scrum while working on a project and thought it was a great framework for managing tasks and goals in a team environment. But then I had an epiphany - why not apply it to my personal life as well?

Why I decided to Incorporate Scrum into My Daily Life

For a long when I was struggling with getting my life together in terms of getting things done, doing something useful at the end of the day after the office, and not sitting in front of Netflix or just surfing social media! One such evening I kinda got a heavy understanding that Life management is a lot like product management - both involve constantly iterating and improving to make things better! In product management, you're always looking for ways to add value to your product and make it more appealing to users. Similarly, in life management, you're always looking for ways to add value to your life and make it more fulfilling. Whether it's learning a new skill, meeting new people, or improving your health, there's always something you can do to make your life better. And just like with product management, the key is to never stop iterating and improving - because life is a product you'll be working on for the rest of your life!

So, I started to find a correlation between Scrum for product management and scrum for life management. And I decided to start incorporating Scrum principles like daily journaling, weekly planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives into my routine.  And, has it been a game-changer? I usually used to do some of the stuff like journaling or planning occasionally but I lacked consistency and it impacted my confidence. But since I started to think in that way, it was like having a personal coach who helps me stay focused, motivated, and accountable. Plus, it's a lot more fun than a traditional to-do list. So, if you're looking to spice up your productivity game, give Scrum a shot - you might just surprise yourself with how much you can achieve!

One of the main benefits I hoped to gain from incorporating Scrum into my daily routine was the scrum principles itself - transparency, inspection, and adaptation. I wanted to be able to take ownership of my daily tasks to ensure that I was aligned with my goals and priorities. I also hoped that Scrum would help us to be more flexible so that I could respond quickly to changes in my change of priorities.

Too much theory, let’s come to some actions.

How I incorporated Scrum principles into my daily routine:

Section 1: Sprint Planning

Let’s consider Sprint planning as equivalent to weekly life planning.

When I first learned about Scrum, I was immediately drawn to the concept of sprint planning. As a working professional, I often struggled to stay focused and productive throughout the week. To apply this concept to my daily routine, I started doing weekly schedule planning on Sunday evenings.

Every week, I take some time to plan out my goals and tasks for the upcoming week. I start by identifying what I want to achieve in the short-term, based on my long-term goals. I then break down these goals into smaller, more manageable tasks.

I prioritize my tasks based on their importance and urgency. I use the Eisenhower matrix to categorize my tasks into four quadrants: important and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither important nor urgent. This helps me to identify which tasks need to be done first, and which ones can be postponed or delegated.

By doing weekly planning, I can set clear goals and priorities for the week and avoid getting overwhelmed by a long to-do list.

Here’s what to do:

1.      Identify Goals:

At the start of each week, I take some time to reflect on my long-term goals and identify my top priorities for the upcoming week. I write down my goals in a planner or on a piece of paper and make sure they are specific, measurable, and achievable.

For example, if my long-term goal is to run a marathon, my weekly goal might be to run a certain number of miles or to try a new workout routine. I make sure to write down why these goals are important to me and how they align with my long-term vision.

2.      Break Goals into Smaller Tasks:

Once I have identified my goals for the week, I break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks. I use a mind map or a list to brainstorm all the tasks that need to be completed to achieve my goals.

For example, if my goal is to run a certain number of miles, my tasks might include scheduling my runs, researching new running routes, and tracking my progress.

3.      Prioritize Tasks:

After I have identified all the tasks that need to be completed, I prioritize them based on their importance and urgency. I use the Eisenhower matrix to categorize my tasks and decide which ones need to be done first.

I try to focus on the tasks that are important and urgent, as they will have the greatest impact on achieving my goals. I also make sure to schedule time for jobs that are important but not urgent, as these tasks often get neglected in favour of more pressing tasks.

4.      Schedule Tasks:

Once I have prioritized my tasks, I schedule them into my calendar or planner. I try to be realistic about how long each task will take, and make sure to give myself enough time to complete each task without feeling rushed.

I also try to schedule breaks and self-care activities into my day, such as taking a walk, doing some stretching exercises, or reading a book. This helps me to stay focused and productive throughout the day, without getting burnt out.

If it seems too much for a beginner, here’s what you can do:

Try dedicating some time each week to planning out your schedule in advance. This can help you stay focused and on track throughout the week.

Section 2: Daily Scrum

Let’s set the self-reflection as we all know as journaling as well, similar to Daily Scrum.

Another Scrum concept that I found helpful was the daily scrum. This practice involves taking time each day to reflect on your progress and set intentions for the day ahead. To apply this to my daily routine, I started writing in a journal each morning. I would reflect on the previous day, write down my goals for the day, and identify any potential obstacles that I might face. This helped me stay accountable for my goals and maintain a positive mindset.

Here's what to do:

1.      Decide Duration:

Set aside 15 minutes every day to reflect on my progress: Just like how the scrum team comes together every day to discuss their progress, I make it a point to reflect on my day and see what tasks I completed, what I plan to do the next day, and if there were any roadblocks or challenges that need to be addressed.

2.      Journal or any other mode of writing:

Use a journal to keep track of progress: I keep a journal where I write down my daily reflections and track my progress. This helps me stay organized and focused on my goals.

3.      Choose a Consistent Time:

I try to have my daily scrum at the same time each day so that it becomes a consistent part of my routine. For me, this is usually first thing in the morning, but it could also be in the afternoon or evening depending on my schedule.

4.      Find a Quiet Space:

I make sure to find a quiet and comfortable space where I won't be interrupted during my daily scrum. This could be a room in my home, a quiet park bench, or a secluded corner of a coffee shop.

5.      Reflect on the Previous Day:

During my daily scrum, I reflect on the previous day and what I accomplished. I make a mental or written note of what went well, what didn't go so well, and what I learned from the experience.

6.      Identify Top Priorities for the Day:

Based on my reflection from the previous day, I identify my top priorities for the current day. I make a list of the tasks that I need to complete and prioritize them based on their importance and urgency.

7.      Overcoming challenges:

One of the biggest challenges I faced was staying motivated and accountable. To overcome this, I set daily goals for myself and hold myself accountable. I also reward myself for completing tasks like getting dinner with a friend or watching my favourite anime on Netflix, which keeps me motivated and focused.

8.      Stay Accountable:

At the end of each daily scrum, I commit to completing my top priorities for the day. I hold myself accountable for following through on my commitments and try to avoid distractions or procrastination throughout the day.

9.      Reflect and Learn:

At the end of the day, I reflect on my progress and assess how well I achieved my goals for the day. I make a mental or written note of what went well, what could have been better, and what I learned from the experience.

Based on this reflection, I adjust my goals and tasks for the following day. This helps me to stay focused and productive, while also being kind and compassionate to myself.

Incorporating the daily scrum ritual into my daily life has been incredibly beneficial. It has helped me stay organized, focused, and motivated, and has enabled me to achieve my goals more efficiently.

Section 3: Timeboxing Events

Timeboxing can be interpreted as Dedicating sets of time for your daily activities. For example – “I’ll do homework for 1 hour”, “Watch anime for 30mins” or so on.

1.      Break Down Tasks:

Before I start timeboxing, I break down my tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. This makes it easier to estimate how much time each task will take, and allows me to schedule my time more effectively.

2.      Set a Time Limit:

When I'm ready to start working on a task, I set a specific time limit for how long I will work on that task. This could be 30 minutes, 1 hour, or any other length of time that works for me.

3.      Eliminate Distractions:

To make the most of my timeboxing, I eliminate any potential distractions. This might mean turning off my phone or closing my email inbox so that I can focus solely on the task at hand.

4.      Take Breaks:

After each timebox, I take a short break to recharge and refocus. This could be a quick stretch, a walk around the block, or a few minutes of meditation.

5.      Stay Flexible:

While timeboxing can be a helpful tool for staying focused and productive, it's important to stay flexible and adapt to unexpected changes. If a task takes longer than anticipated, I adjust my schedule accordingly and try to stay positive.

6.      Learn from Mistakes:

If I'm consistently underestimating how long a task will take, I take note of that and try to be more realistic in my timeboxing moving forward. I also try to learn from any mistakes or setbacks and use that knowledge to improve my time management skills over time.

Section 4: Sprint Review

Now let’s look at Weekly Review, which can be very similar to what we know as Sprint Review.

1.      Reflect on the Week:

At the end of each week, I take time to reflect on what I've accomplished and what I still need to work on. I think about the tasks I completed, the progress I made towards my goals, and any obstacles or challenges I faced.

2.      Celebrate Achievements:

As I reflect on my week, I celebrate my achievements - both big and small. This could be as simple as acknowledging that I completed a task on time or recognizing a new skill I've developed. When I make progress towards my goals, no matter how small, I celebrate that progress. This could be as simple as taking a moment to acknowledge the hard work that went into completing a task or treating me to a small reward like a piece of chocolate.

3.      Identify Areas for Improvement:

Along with celebrating achievements, I also identify areas for improvement. This could be a task that took longer than expected or a goal that I didn't make as much progress towards as I had hoped.

4.      Brainstorm Solutions:

Once I've identified areas for improvement, I brainstorm potential solutions. This could be as simple as adjusting my time management strategy or seeking out additional resources to help me achieve my goals.

5.      Plan for the Week Ahead:

Finally, I use the insights gained from my Sprint Review to plan for the week ahead. I set new goals and prioritised tasks based on what I learned during my reflection.

6.      Stay Positive:

Throughout my Sprint Review, I try to stay positive and compassionate towards myself. I remind myself that progress is not always linear and that setbacks and obstacles are a natural part of the process.

One of the key benefits of this approach is that it helps me stay accountable for my goals. By regularly reviewing my progress and identifying areas for improvement, I'm better able to stay on track and make meaningful progress towards my objectives.

Overall, Sprint Review is a powerful tool for reflection, celebration, and goal-setting. By taking the time to reflect on my achievements and identify areas for improvement, I can continue to grow and make progress towards my personal and professional goals.

Section 5: Sprint Retro

As take some time to reflect on your week, was it good, or could have been better?

1.      Set Aside Time

First, I set aside 10 minutes every Sunday evening to reflect on the previous week. During this time, I focus on what went well, what didn't go so well, and what I can do differently next week to improve my productivity and overall well-being.

2.      Use Notebook or Weekly Journal

Next, I write down my reflections in a notebook or journal. This helps me stay organized and allows me to look back on my progress over time. This is different from daily journaling (i.e. the daily scrum). I usually like to write a weekly reflection as well to keep the progress.

3.      Involve Other:

Just like in scrum, I involve others in the retrospective process. I may ask a friend or family member to provide feedback on my productivity or how I've been managing my time.

4.      Growth Mindset

It's important to approach the retrospective process with a growth mindset. Instead of beating myself up for mistakes or shortcomings, I focus on what I can learn from them and how I can improve moving forward.

For example, if I have set aside time for writing an article but was unable to do so for some days, I try to understand why the same happened, and start asking questions like was I too ambitious and I couldn’t adjust the time or was it laziness, what could I have done differently etc. Reflecting on these questions helps me to get back on track and saves me from the guilt of not having to complete some of the activities that I have planned for the day.

5.      Reflect on the Day:

At the end of each day, I take time to reflect on what went well and what didn't. I think about the tasks I completed, any challenges I faced, and how I felt throughout the day.

6.      Identify What Worked:

As I reflect on my day, I identify what worked well - whether it's a task I completed successfully, a positive interaction with a colleague, or a healthy habit I maintained.

Overall, Sprint Retro is a powerful tool for reflection, improvement, and growth. By taking the time to reflect on my successes and challenges, I can continue to learn and grow as a person and achieve my personal and professional goals.

Just like in scrum, we come together with the squad and the business sponsors to review the work that has been done in the week, highlight challenges, how can we solve the challenges also what changes we can do to the product backlog to make the product more efficient. I have a product backlog in terms of yearly goals that I want to achieve and then further break them down into more impactful in terms of efforts and values and try to focus on it first through this method. Like improving communications, reading more (target some number of books to finish for the year), writing every day etc.

In summary, incorporating a sprint retrospective into my routine has helped me stay focused, accountable, and motivated. By regularly reflecting on my progress and identifying areas for improvement, I've been able to make meaningful progress towards my goals and become a more productive and fulfilled person.

Benefits of adopting Scrum principles:

Here are some benefits of adopting Scrum principles in real life that I have experienced personally:

1.      Clear focus and direction:

With weekly sprint planning, I can set clear goals and prioritize my tasks for the week. This helps me stay focused and avoid distractions that can derail my progress towards achieving personal life goals.

2.      Improved time management:

By breaking down my yearly goals into smaller chunks and planning them weekly, I can better manage my time and ensure that I am making progress towards my goals every day.

3.      Accountability and ownership:

Daily journaling helps me keep track of my progress, challenges and solutions, and hold myself accountable for my actions. This sense of ownership helps me stay motivated and push myself towards my personal life goals.

4.      Continuous improvement:

Weekly sprint reviews and retrospectives help me reflect on my progress, identify areas for improvement, and make necessary changes. This allows me to continuously improve and become more efficient in achieving my personal life goals.

5.      Better work-life balance:

By adopting Scrum principles in my personal life, I can better manage my time and prioritize my tasks. This has helped me achieve a better work-life balance, allowing me to devote more time to my personal life goals and hobbies.

Overall, adopting Scrum principles in my personal life has helped me become more efficient, focused, and accountable towards achieving my personal life goals. By breaking down my yearly goals into smaller chunks and planning them weekly, journaling daily, reviewing weekly, and retro my schedule weekly, I can continuously improve and learn to become better every day.

Challenges faced

1.      Time Management:

One of the biggest challenges I faced was time management. I struggled to find the time to plan my week, review my progress, and hold retrospectives. However, I learned that by making it a priority and setting aside specific times for these activities, I could overcome this challenge.

2.      Sticking to the Plan:

Another challenge I faced was sticking to the plan. Sometimes, unexpected events would occur, and I would have to adjust my plan. However, I learned that this was a normal part of the process and that by being flexible, I could still achieve my goals.

3.      Accountability:

It can be difficult to hold yourself accountable when you are the only one responsible for your progress. However, I found that by sharing my goals and progress with friends or family members, I could gain support and encouragement, which helped me stay on track.

4.      Perfectionism:

I realized in a very hard way that perfectionism kills what’s important to you. I often found myself getting caught up in small details and losing sight of the bigger picture. However, I learned to focus on progress rather than perfection. For example, if your daily routine says you wake up at 6:30 am but on one fine morning you oversleep and end up waking up at 7:30 am, will you let that impact your whole day or rather adapt quickly to the situation and start focusing on what’s ahead on you? If you keep focusing on why couldn’t wake up at 6:30 am then you’re trying for perfectionism and trust me, it’s going to have a bad influence on the rest of your day. So rather than trying to be perfect, just focus on what you can do today and what’s there ahead of you!

Results achieved

1.      Improved Focus:

 Incorporating Scrum principles into your daily routine has helped you to set clear goals and prioritize your tasks based on their importance. This has helped you to stay focused on the most important tasks, leading to better productivity and efficiency.

2.      Increased Accountability:

By using Scrum principles, you have become more accountable for your personal and professional goals. You now have a clear understanding of what you need to achieve and are better equipped to track your progress and take corrective action if required.

3.      Better Time Management:

Scrum principles have helped you to better manage your time by breaking down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. This has made it easier for you to work towards your goals, without feeling overwhelmed or stressed.

4.      Improved Communication:

Scrum principles emphasize the importance of regular communication and feedback. By incorporating these principles into your daily routine, you have become better at communicating your goals and progress to others, as well as seeking feedback and input from others to improve your performance.

5.      Enhanced Self-Awareness:

Scrum principles have helped you to become more self-aware by encouraging regular reflection and review of your progress. This has helped you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and make necessary adjustments to achieve your goals.

Tips

Based on my experience, here are some tips and advice for others who are looking to incorporate Scrum principles into their daily routine:

1.      Start small:

Don't try to tackle everything at once. Pick one or two Scrum principles that you want to incorporate into your daily routine and focus on those first. Incorporating Scrum into your daily routine can be overwhelming at first. Start with one or two principles, such as daily journaling or weekly planning, and gradually add more as you become comfortable.

2.      Be consistent:

Consistency is key when it comes to Scrum. Make sure to stick to your daily and weekly routines, and set aside time each week for sprint review and retro. Set a regular schedule for your Scrum activities and stick to it. Whether it's daily journaling, weekly planning, or sprint reviews, make it a habit.

3.      Use tools:

There are plenty of tools and apps available that can help you with Scrum activities. Find one that works for you and use it to keep yourself organized and on track.

4.      Be flexible:

While it's important to be consistent, it's also important to be flexible. If something isn't working for you, don't be afraid to adjust and try something new. Scrum is all about being flexible and adaptable. If something isn't working for you, don't be afraid to change it up and try something new.

5.      Focus on continuous improvement:

Just like in Scrum, the goal of incorporating these principles into your daily routine is to continuously improve. Use sprint retro to reflect on what worked well and what didn't, and make adjustments for the next week.

6.      Stay motivated:

It's easy to lose motivation when things get tough, but remember why you started incorporating Scrum principles into your daily routine. Stay focused on your goals and the benefits you will gain, and don't give up.

7.      Celebrate your successes:

Take time to recognize and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may be. This will help keep you motivated and on track.

As for what has worked well for me, I've found that setting aside dedicated time for Scrum activities has been key. Whether it's 10 minutes a day for journaling or an hour on Sunday evenings for planning, having a set time for these activities helps me stay on track. I've also found that using a tool like Trello to keep track of my goals and tasks has been helpful.

If I were starting again, I would focus more on setting specific, measurable goals for myself. It's easy to get caught up in the routine of Scrum activities, but without clear goals, it can be hard to see progress. So, I would recommend starting with some clear, achievable goals and then using Scrum principles to help you reach them. Reflecting on what could have been done differently and how to improve for the next week has been a game-changer for me. Additionally, I would be more open to trying new principles and adjusting as needed to find what works best for me.