You’re motivated clear out your backlog. To finish the games you’ve left unfinished and to complete all the games you’ve been missing out on.
You have a plan, and maybe you even made some progress. But, as time goes on you find yourself losing all momentum and dreading how much time this is going to take.
Not only is it going to take a lot of time, but you also might have to miss out on the new releases your friends are playing.
This isn’t a “how to organize your backlog” but rather a modifier to your approach that can help you focus your efforts in a way that allows you to enjoy gaming more than currently are.
Your backlog is an iceberg
You may have several categories or collections of games to sort out your backlog. That is totally fine. Please do not get rid of your current organization if you like it and it’s working for you. We are going to simplify your approach here.
Take a look at all the games you have of your entire backlog, on every storefront, in every genre, those unfinished or haven’t started, and consider all of them to be a part of an iceberg.
Those are all a part of your backlog iceberg.
Your backlog iceberg has swelled to the point where it is a heaping, cold block that demands to be noticed but offers no obvious way to remedy.
In fact, it is often threatening to grow even larger!
You are the sun
For the purpose of this analogy, you are the sun chilling up in sky.
Wait, no, the iceberg (backlog) is the one chilling and you’re trying to melt it.
How do you begin to melt the iceberg that has only gotten larger over the years? I’m not a real life scientist but I recognize this is similar to many other analogies for finally tackling bloated backlogs.
I’ll give you a hint. You don’t melt the whole thing at once.
Where is sea (see) level?
I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase “that’s just the tip of the iceberg” but did you know only 10% of an iceberg is actually above water.
Part of the reason your backlog feels so daunting is because you are looking at the entirety of it. You need to just look at what is above sea level.
When you think of your backlog what is the first game you think of? Try to list the games that come to your mind without looking at your backlog.
Take those games and add them to a new category signifying the tip of the iceberg. When you are looking for games to play go to that category first. Then, as games clear out from there, you can gradually replace them with other titles from your backlog or new titles you pick up on sale.
How will this help?
Well, first off you won’t be abandoning anything from your backlog. You are free to decide when a game gets removed from your backlog without completion but you should be able to do so because you want to and not because of time constraints.
Also, this frees you up to buy the games you truly want to play as the come out/go on sale. Just put them above sea level as you focus on completing them before returning to the next game on your mind.
This way your efforts are focused in a way that will allow you to make progress without being overwhelmed.
I’ve been doing this myself and its freed me up to make a shortlist of many of the games I always wish I got the chance to play. The rest of the gems and games I was interested in are still a part of the iceberg, just below the surface. And, in due time, they will rise above the water for me to focus on.
I hope this helps.
Happy Gaming.
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