How I Keep It Together as a Founder (Most of the Time!)

Disclaimer: This isn’t about the projects and tasks we handle as a company — these are my personal strategies for managing the varied responsibilities of being a founder. Our clients are happy and have been with us for years, thanks to the great work our team delivers.

In my journey as a founder, I’ve come across one recurring challenge that resonates across most people I meet in the community: managing time, responsibilities, and the constant demand to shift between different “hats” with unique priorities.

This isn’t just about fitting tasks into a calendar or time boxing each task. Founders are constantly challenged with various responsibilities — from securing new clients to refining product strategies and staying hands-on with their teams.

Here’s how I’ve approached balancing my work, life, and the methods I’ve found to be working for me along the way.

A little bit of background about what I do as a founder,

Right now my responsibilities are distributed across few areas.

1. Client Relations: I’m responsible for finding new clients, pitching, sending proposals, and ensuring that our existing clients remain happy and satisfied.
2. Product Development: I strategise product development for both internal and client projects, planning development resources, technical architecture, and infrastructure requirements to meet the goals.
3. Hands-on Team Engagement: I work closely with all my teams, stay involved in coding, reviewing PRs, and daily technical discussions. When needed, I jump in to code or fix issues myself.
4. Uncategorised: Probably everything else.

It’s a lot to juggle (So I’ve been frequently told), and while I’ve tried various apps and productivity tools, I realised the solution wasn’t in the tool — it was in finding a system of my own that matched my work style and responsibilities.

The never-ending-to-do list

One of the toughest aspects has been managing a never-ending backlog of tasks. For every item I cross off, more seems to appear, especially when balancing my personal life, family, friends, and self-care. Finding a way to work that didn’t overwhelm me became critical, and after a lot of trial and error, I’ve landed on a few methods that have made a huge difference for me.

How I’m tackling priorities and tasks

1) I keep two separate backlogs

A time-sensitive backlog, covering tasks that have strict deadlines or need quick responses. A non-time-sensitive backlog, which contains tasks linked to different areas of responsibility but without urgent time constraints.

A non-time-sensitive backlog, which contains tasks linked to different areas of responsibility but without urgent time constraints.

This separation helps me maintain focus on what’s immediate while also making steady progress on the important goals.

2) Right task in the right tool

My time-sensitive backlog is in an app that has my task list top-to-bottom right next to a calendar, helping me manage date-times and deadlines efficiently. The other backlog sits in a kanban-style board, where I track tasks by their status or stage — perfect for me to see where my things are at.

3) Right task at the right place

This method has been a huge life changer. I adjust my tasks based on my environment. If I’m at a family gathering or travelling, I tackle tasks that require less concentration. For high-focus work (that isn’t coding), I change settings entirely. Heading to a co-working space or a quiet café helps me fully focus, often working on one task “window” at a time. This shift in setting has proven invaluable for maintaining clarity and creativity — removing distractions and focusing on complex problems without interruption when i need to think.

Some bonus habits that have been immensely helpful to me

Travel, yes travel!

Traveling regularly gives me a much-needed reset. Stepping away from the day-to-day routine helps me return with a fresh mindset and often inspires new ideas or solutions that I’d never have considered while I’m in the usual workspace.

Meditation

Meditation has become a daily habit for me that clears my mind and builds focus. I’ve gotten completely addicted to it. Whether it’s just a few minutes in the morning or a midday reset, meditation has a huge impact on how I handle everyday ups and downs. I would highly recommend everyone to try this.

Navigating the demands of a founder’s role can feel relentless, but these practices have helped me find a much more balanced and clarity in my day-to-day work so far. To fellow founders facing similar challenges: sometimes the key is finding a structure that truly supports your unique responsibilities and work style.

Would love to hear your thoughts, and how you handle your day-to-day backlogs and responsibilities.