Personal Kanban is Kanban applied to your own work and life. It has just two rules: visualize your work, and limit your work in progress. The approach was popularized by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry in their 2011 book Personal Kanban.
Why it helps
A to-do list shows what you haven't done. A personal Kanban board also shows what you're doing right now, and that's where the benefit comes from. When you can see you've started six things and finished none, the problem becomes obvious.
Set up your board in 10 minutes
Start with four columns:
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Backlog | Everything you might do |
| This Week | What you've committed to this week |
| Doing | What you're working on now, three cards at most |
| Done | What you've finished |
Then:
- Empty your head. Write every task, errand and project idea as its own card in Backlog.
- Choose your week. Move only what you can realistically finish to This Week.
- Start something. Move one to three cards to Doing.
- Finish before starting. When Doing is full, the next step is to finish or drop something, not to add another card.
You can open this exact board as a free template, with no signup.
Make your tasks the right size
A card should describe something you can finish in one sitting or a few. "Plan holiday" will sit in Doing for weeks and feel discouraging. "Compare flight prices" can be done tonight.
Choosing your limit
Three cards in Doing is a good place to start. If you often feel scattered, try two. If things in Doing are mostly waiting on other people, add a Waiting column so they don't take up your limit.
kanban.fit shows the number of cards on each column but doesn't enforce a limit, so this one relies on your own discipline.
Keep it going with a weekly review
Set aside ten minutes a week to:
- Look at Done and notice what you got finished.
- Delete Backlog cards you no longer care about.
- Choose what moves into This Week.
- Clear out Done so the board stays calm.
Mixing work and personal tasks
You can keep everything on one board or use separate boards. One board gives an honest picture of your time. If you prefer separation, use a folder for each area of your life. On kanban.fit, your boards stay on your own device, which suits private tasks, but they won't appear on your other devices.
Frequently asked questions
What are the two rules of Personal Kanban?
Visualize your work, and limit your work in progress.
How many columns should a personal Kanban board have?
Three or four is enough to start: To Do, Doing and Done, optionally with This Week. Only add a column when you notice you need one.
Is personal Kanban better than a to-do list?
It depends on what you're struggling with. A list is fine for short, simple tasks. A board helps more when you're juggling several things at once. Read more in Kanban vs a to-do list.