I have been thinking about organizing my Next Action Cards according to the Personal Kanban system, which I learned about via Jim Benson (@ourfounder on Twitter). Until now I have been carrying them around around in my Capture notebook and arranging them on my work table according to what it is that I am working on at the time. This is proving to be a little unwieldy, as there is a lot of shuffling of the cards as I arrange them according to my strategic intent.

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Kanban Changes the Perspective

Kanban (看板 in Kanji) is a concept related to lean and just-in-time (JIT) production. The Japanese word kanban (pronounced [kanbaɴ]) is a common term meaning “signboard” or “billboard“. According to Taiichi Ohno, the man credited with developing JIT, kanban is a means through which JIT is achieved.^[1]

Kanban is a signaling system to trigger action. As its name suggests, kanban historically uses cards to signal the need for an item. However, other devices such as plastic markers (kanban squares) or balls (often golf balls) or an empty part-transport trolley or floor location can also be used to trigger the movement, production, or supply of a unit in a factory.

It was out of a need to maintain the level of improvements that the kanban system was devised by Toyota. Kanban became an effective tool to support the running of the production system as a whole. In addition, it proved to be an excellent way for promoting improvements because reducing the number of kanban in circulation highlighted problem areas

In order to better visualize the Next Action Cards that are currently in play I have attached them to a bulletin board according to the system of Personal Kanban 101: Backlog, Doing (Work in Progress), and Done:

On the left are the projects and Next Actions that are in the queue to be worked on in the future, and in the center are the things that I am working on now. One obvious thing leaps into my mind as I look at this – I am doing trying to do too many things at once.

Doing too many things at once

These Open Loops (unfinished actions or commitments, in GTD lingo) are a stressor, causing mental distress and reducing your motivation to actually get things done. I have been blaming my lack of productivity (outside of my commitments at the Tavern) on the amount of time that I have been spending working at the Tavern, but it only seems that way. At least part of it, anyway.

I have been quite productive so far this year, after catching up from being deathly ill in Oct/Nov. Yet, old habits die hard, and my procrastinating ways are coming back to haunt me. So I begin by moving some things back into the queue and reducing the amount of work-in-progress.

Now I can add a Context to each card, that is, what conditions are necessary to work on it, prioritize them, and get to work. I will maintain this system for a week and report back. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

UPDATE: Reader and colleague Martin Lindeskog (@lyceum on Twitter) writes to share his thoughts:

This system is a perfect match, with my background as a
purchaser working with supply chain management. I understand the work in process metaphor. I purchased raw materials for the production of welding electrodes. I purchased the stuff according to a pull system with a computerized priority lists based on historical data.

Recently I attended a course in lean production and we played a board game, producing widgets with different working stations. You visualized the bottlenecks, communication challenge, etc. Have you heard about Goldratt institute and Theory of Constraints?

I am thinking of using the index cards and filling them out with to-do stuff (designated for different contexts: phone, on the “run”, office, at the computer, home) and then check mark them and put them on colored Post-It notes on a white / bulletin board. The crucial thing is to minimize the work in process. I believe in the “crow epistemology,” i.e., we could handle max seven things at the same time, so I will use the number 7.

Thanks for sharing, Martin!