Kanban guide · Kanban basics
Personal Kanban: Manage Your Own Work With Two Simple Rules
Personal Kanban applies Kanban to an individual's work. It was popularised by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry, whose 2011 book reduced it to two rules: visualise your work, and limit your work in progress.
Key takeaways
- Personal Kanban has two rules: visualise work and limit WIP.
- Start with Ready, Doing and Done.
- Review weekly and finish before starting.
The two rules
- Visualise your work: put every task on a board so you can see your real workload.
- Limit your work in progress: decide how many things you will work on at once, and finish before starting more.
Setting up a personal board
- Use a whiteboard, sticky notes on a wall, or a simple app.
- Create three columns: Ready, Doing, Done.
- Write each task on its own card.
- Set a WIP limit on Doing, typically two or three.
- Each morning, pull the most important card into Doing.
Useful additions
- A Backlog column for everything you might do, with Ready holding only this week's priorities.
- A Waiting column for items blocked on other people.
- A Today column for daily focus.
- Colours for work, personal and learning tasks.
Why it works
- Seeing all your work reduces anxiety and forgotten commitments.
- Limiting WIP reduces task switching, which costs focus.
- The Done column shows real progress.
- Weekly reviews help you notice patterns, such as tasks that keep stalling.
Making it stick
- Keep the board where you see it every day.
- Review it weekly and clear the Done column.
- Say no, or not yet, when Doing is full.
- Keep tasks small enough to finish in a day or two.
Free templates for this topic
Frequently asked questions
What is a good WIP limit for personal Kanban?
Two or three active tasks is common. Start low and adjust after a week or two.
Can families use personal Kanban?
Yes. Many households use a shared board for chores, errands and plans.
What is personal Kanban?
Personal Kanban applies Kanban to one person's work, using a simple board to see everything you need to do and limit how much you work on at once.
What are the two rules of personal Kanban?
Visualise your work and limit your work in progress. The approach was popularised by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry in their book Personal Kanban.
What columns should a personal Kanban board have?
Start with Backlog, Doing and Done. Many people add a Today or Ready column, and a Waiting column for items blocked on someone else.
What is the best app for personal Kanban?
Any simple board tool works, such as Trello or a Kanban view in Notion. A sticky-note board on a wall or notebook works just as well.
How is personal Kanban different from a to-do list?
A to-do list shows what needs doing, while a personal Kanban board also shows what is in progress, what is waiting and limits how much you start. That makes overload visible.
Can students use personal Kanban?
Yes. Students often use it to manage assignments, revision and deadlines, keeping a small WIP limit so they finish one task before starting the next.
How do you handle recurring tasks on a personal Kanban board?
Keep a reusable card for each recurring task and move it back to the backlog when done, or keep routine chores in a separate small lane so they do not crowd out project work.
How often should you review a personal Kanban board?
Glance at it daily to choose what to pull next, and do a short weekly review to clear Done, reprioritise the backlog and reflect on what slowed you down.
Does personal Kanban help with procrastination?
It can, because a small WIP limit and a visible next step make it easier to start and finish one thing. Seeing the Done column grow is also motivating.