I remember going through IMC In fall 2024 and talking about the class with some of my friends who weren't in it. They would ask me about my day and I'd tell them “I gotta update the Kanban”. I got some questionable looks for sure. The general public don’t know what a Kanban is, the overwhelming benefits that it can have, where to make one, and how to get into the habits. That's what I'm here to explain.
A Kanban is essentially a fancy word for a calendar, but more complex. It keeps track of all of your tasks that you need to complete in the next couple of days, weeks, months, but with more sections. Let's break down a basic Kanban framework.
The To-Do (also called a backlog) is where you place all of the tasks you NEED to accomplish in a time period. Doing (Work-In-Progress) is what you are currently working on. Finally, Done is Done. Pretty simple right?
A Kanban is an organizational tool that can help you stay organized, improve productivity, and reduce stress in both professional and personal settings. A Kanban encourages focus and efficiency, which ensures that tasks move smoothly from one stage to the next. Whether you're managing school projects or organizing personal tasks, the Kanban can provide clarity, help you stay on track, and give you continuous improvement in how you work/manage.
In IMC, we deal with two types of organization systems that follow AGILE; Kanban and scrum. Scrum is a term that you've been introduced to but most likely don't remember because it is so integrated into IMC already. Scrum is the two week consistent sprints that we have been completing since the start of the quarter. Sound familiar?
Both the Kanban and scrum benefit us not only in IMC but in our future professional careers. As mentioned before, these are both organization systems that will help you manage and regulate tasks with yourself and also a team.
Common Question:
Does the Kanban need to be JUST school work or priorities? No. You can add whatever you would want into the Kanban. Need to walk the dog today? Add it. Cooking a new recipe? Add it. This is the glory of the Kanban.
I remember going into IMC and being confused and also wondering why we even have to create a Kanban. What's the point? I have a planner already, why do I need to do this? After using a Kanban for two quarters now, I personally see its benefits but let's start by looking at it from a general perspective.
Kanbans are typically beneficial in team settings. It visualises to the other collaborators what they need to accomplish, what's being worked on, and what is currently completed. This type of organizational system provides the members with complete visibility, accountability, and flexibility. What are the personal benefits? As we've talked about, a Kanban is an organizational system and some of the team benefits pass onto an individual kanban.
One of the prime benefits of a personal Kanban is it will reduce your stress. For example, if you're the type of person to keep everything in your head, your schedules, assignments, due dates, extracurriculars; that's a lot to keep track of. Keeping a Kanban can help you put those thoughts on paper. “But what if I keep it in a planner?” A planner can still drown out all of the important tasks you need to complete. The organization features of a planner can vary from a Kanban because it is a FULL task, not broken down or simple. You will cause yourself more stress taking on big projects rather than simplifying it, which is one of the main purposes of a Kanban.
How do you lay out what you need to accomplish? Is it by weekly? daily? monthly? Attribute your Kanban to that framework. Personally, I like to have my week planned out. Let's start there. If you’re a student, you have all of your assignments that you need to complete by the end of the week. You can take those and add them into cards on the Kanban to help you stay on top of your tasks. I usually update my Kanbans on Sunday so I know what my upcoming week will look like, which you can definitely steal ! Setting up your Kanban can set you up for success with in-depth planning and keep you more organized.
There's no need to be working on multiple things at once and when we are in school it is hard to remember this. Overworking yourself can cloud the small tasks that you can accomplish within 20-60 minutes. I want to touch two points in this section; not working on too much and taking on the easy stuff first. Obviously there are deadlines that need to be met, but starting with simple tasks that would need to be met next week will 1. Make your week easier and 2. Get you started in a positive cycle of work. With that being said. DON'T WORK ON TOO MUCH !! Give yourself a limit of what you can do (about 2-3), and really stick with it. Once you do start working on the small things it gets the ball rolling and you can complete the harder tasks more effectively.
This tip sounds silly because of course you would organize it, but it's HOW you do it. Make sure that you have the most important pieces of work that you need to complete at the top. This could be by due date, priority, personal task that you need to get done first, etc. By doing this, you can see in your backlog (to-do) what needs to be completed first so you won't forget it in the tons of other tasks you need to complete. Keeping the Kanban in chronological order will benefit you in your personal life by making you feel more organized and on top of deadlines.
There are many free Kanban tools that you can use. My personal favorites include..
These are all electronic options to creating your personal kanban, but what other options can you think of? Think of the Kanban cards as sticky notes, could you make a paper Kanban with sticky notes? Personally, I never like to use electronic tools because I feel that I can get lost in all of the information and also get distracted with my computer or phone. I usually prefer physical copies of textbooks for example but specifically for the kanban, I prefer the electronic version. Here is a copy of my personal kanban from my IMC days.
Kanban is a great way to organize your tasks, reduce stress, and stay on top of your work. By visualizing your tasks, limiting distractions, and focusing on 2-3 things at a time, you can boost your overall productivity and feel more in control of your schedule.
Ready to get more organized? Try these tips for your personal tasks and see how it works for you. If you feel that this blog was helpful to you, please share with your community!
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