Category Archives: Expert

What Are Your Task Types?

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Jim Benson

Flexibility is an unsung virtue. People want absolutes: “Do this, then do that, don’t deviate and then you’ll achieve success.” But we all know that absolutes are often false, and that context is king – in life, in work, and … Continue reading →

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Guest Post: My Current Personal Kanban System

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Corey_Ladas

One of my favorite observations about using kanban-like systems for time management is that I have never drawn the same task board twice. Every system that I have designed has had some unique feature to it. Even if I start … Continue reading →

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Dependencies in Personal Kanban

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Jim Benson

Dependencies are things that occur in succession. One thing happens, then another thing can happen. Ideally, on a kanban, the value stream will visualize these transitions. For a value stream like this: Analysis -> Creation -> Refinement -> Launch refinement … Continue reading →

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Am I Productive, Efficient, or Effective?

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Jim Benson

Productivity: having the power to produce Efficiency: the ratio of the output to the input of any system Effectiveness: being able to bring about a desired result Personal Kanban is considered a Productivity tool, because it gives us the power … Continue reading →

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Respect Your Backlog and Manage It

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Jim Benson

Your backlog is bigger than it should be and it needs to be managed. Everyday people tell us how they are overwhelmed by their backlog, and cannot possibly manage it within a Personal Kanban because it could contain hundreds or … Continue reading →

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Rapture – Training Your Mind for Completion

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Jim Benson

Don’t strain your brain, paint a train You’ll be singing’ in the rain… – Blondie Your brain is a muscle. As we repeat certain actions, our “muscle memory” becomes comfortable with those actions, and programs itself to anticipate them. As … Continue reading →

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Getting "Personal" with Your Kanban

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Tonianne DeMaria Barry

So why call it “personal” if I can use it with my family, in the classroom, or with a team at the office? In life and in business, we create value.  For Personal Kanban, “personal”  relates to  personal value.  Personal … Continue reading →

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WIP and Priorization: Recommended Portions

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Jim Benson

You’ve been hiking all morning and the mercury is nearing 100. You’re parched. You need water – lots of it.  But even in your thirst, you want that water to be manageable. Which holds more water – a lake or … Continue reading →

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Multiple Projects & Threaded WIP: Using The Big Picture for Personal Kanban

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Jim Benson

The two rules of Personal Kanban: Limit WIP and visualize your work. The truth about personal work: it’s messy. So people with messy work have been asking me for: ways to create multiple Personal Kanban(s) with unique workflows, ways to … Continue reading →

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A WIP Workout: Pomodoro and Personal Kanban

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Jim Benson

Pomodoro is the workout: Personal Kanban is the trainer. Continue reading →

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