RESHAPE TOOL

Personal Kanban
Help see, choose and adjust your work —
rather than carrying everything in your head.
When you're burnt out, work can become a blur of things that need doing, things you've started, things you've forgotten, and things you're worried about. This simple Kanban tool gives you a different view. You put your work somewhere you can see it. To Do. Doing. Done. This isn't about squeezing more productivity out of yourself. It's about creating clarity, control and a visible sense of movement.
Kanban - meaning “signboard” in Japanese - originated in Toyota’s production system, where cards made work visible. In Agile software development, it became a simple visual system for moving work through stages To Do → Doing → Done.
Step-by Step Kanban
You can use a whiteboard & stickies, or a free web tool like Trello or Miro.
Put everything in TO DO
Start by getting the things currently occupying your mind onto the board. Work tasks, personal tasks, small things, big things — whatever is taking up mental space. Don't worry about organising them perfectly. The point is to get them out of your head and somewhere you can see them.
Move the tasks you're actively working on into DOING
Keep this column deliberately small (2 to 3 items, no more!). If everything is in progress, nothing really is. Choosing what you're working on is part of regaining a sense of control.
Move completed work to DONE
When something is finished, move it. Don't leave completed tasks sitting in DOING or simply delete them. Let yourself see what you've done.
Use it gently, it's YOUR board
The board isn't a commitment to finish everything you've put in TO DO. Things can be moved, postponed, broken into smaller pieces, or taken off the board altogether. It's not about getting everything into DONE.
  • Every morning
    At the start of your day look at the board and ask: What needs my attention today?
  • Every afternoon
    At the end of your day: move anything that has changed and take a moment to notice what has been completed.
  • TIP
    You can use this alongside your Personal Stand-Up to decide what you're taking on today.
Photo by GABRIEL CARVALHO on Unsplash
Made on
Tilda