Kanban Board
To Do / Doing / Done
To Do
Doing
Done
What is a Simple Kanban Board?
A kanban board visualizes work in three columns —To Do, Doing, and Done —so progress is visible at a glance. Limit work in Doing to reduce multitasking and finish what you start.
How to Use
- Add tasks to To Do as they enter your active workload.
- Move only one or two items into Doing when you begin work.
- Drag cards to Done when complete —the Done column builds momentum.
- Review To Do weekly and archive stale items to Backlog.
How It Works
Kanban originated in Toyota production systems: visualize work, limit WIP, manage flow. Personal kanban applies the same leverage —the Doing column exposes overload instantly. Finishing visible cards triggers completion motivation stronger than invisible checkbox lists.
Why It Works for Productivity
Status-at-a-glance reduces "what was I doing?" recovery time after interruptions. Column limits prevent seventeen parallel projects. Done columns provide evidence of progress during low-motivation days.
Tips
Keep Doing to one card during deep work blocks. Sync with Daily Standup —Doing equals today's active work. Move someday tasks to Backlog instead of cluttering To Do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kanban vs. Today List?
Today List is a daily priority cap; Kanban tracks status across To Do, Doing, and Done over multiple days.
Can I move cards between columns?
Yes. Use column actions to advance or regress tasks as reality changes.