A simple kanban board for personal projects

A simple kanban board for personal projects needs one list of tasks, one Status field and a board that shows each status as a column. Start with four statuses, To do, Doing, Waiting and Done, and allow no more than three cards in Doing at once. Then spend 20 minutes once a week moving cards and choosing what comes next.

What a kanban board is for

Kanban is a way of seeing work as cards moving across columns. Each card is one piece of work. Each column is a stage. When you look at the board, you can see what is waiting, what is in progress and what is stuck.

For personal projects, the main benefit is focus. A to-do list grows forever and treats every item the same. A board shows how many things you have started and not finished. That number is usually the problem.

Set up the board in a notes app

You can build a board in any notes app that has databases with a board view. The steps are the same in most tools.

1. Create a database on its own page and call it something plain, such as "Personal projects".
2. Add a Status property as a select, with four options: To do, Doing, Waiting, Done.
3. Add a few other properties, only if you will use them. A Due date, a Project select (Home, Garden, Side business, Learning) and a Done checkbox if you like ticking things off.
4. Add a board view that groups the cards by Status. You now have four columns.
5. Keep the table view too. Tables are better for scanning many rows or editing several properties at once.

Each card should describe one clear action or outcome. "Sort the garage" is fine. "Sort life admin" is too vague to ever move to Done.

Four columns are enough

It is tempting to add columns such as Ideas, Planning, Blocked, Review and Someday. Each extra column is another place for cards to sit unnoticed.

• To do holds everything you might do next.
• Doing holds what you are actively working on this week.
• Waiting holds work that depends on someone or something else: a reply, a delivery, a quote.
• Done holds finished cards until your weekly review.

The Waiting column is the one people skip, and it matters. Without it, blocked work stays in Doing and makes your board look busier than it is.

Limit work in progress

Set a limit of three cards in Doing. If you want to start something new, finish or move something first. This one rule does more for personal projects than any extra column or property.

Three is a starting point, not a law. If you have a demanding job and young children, one or two may be more honest.

A weekly review routine

A board only works if you look at it. Pick a fixed time, such as Sunday evening, and work through these steps in order.

1. Clear Done. Look at what you finished. Then delete those cards so the column starts empty.
2. Check Waiting. For each card, decide whether to chase, keep waiting or drop it.
3. Check Doing. Is each card still active? If one has not moved in two weeks, move it back to To do or break it into a smaller card.
4. Pull from To do. Fill Doing back up to your limit with the most useful next cards.
5. Prune To do. Delete anything you no longer care about. A short To do column is a sign of a healthy board, not a lazy one.

The whole routine should take about 20 minutes. If it takes longer, you probably have too many cards.

A worked example

Priya wants to finish three personal projects this autumn: redecorate the spare room, launch a small Etsy shop and complete an online Spanish course.

Her board on a Sunday evening:

• To do (7): choose paint colours, book a skip, order curtain fabric, price the products, and three course units.
• Doing (3): strip wallpaper, set up shop listing, course unit 4.
• Waiting (1): quote from a plasterer.
• Done (2): order sample pots, open Etsy account.

In her review she clears the two Done cards. She chases the plasterer by message and keeps the card in Waiting. "Set up shop listing" has been in Doing for two weeks, so she splits it into "Photograph first products" and "Write shop policies", moves the old card back and pulls "Photograph first products" into Doing. Doing stays at three.

Common mistakes

• Cards that are really projects. "Redecorate spare room" never moves. Break it into steps.
• No limit on Doing. Ten cards in progress means nothing is in progress.
• Too many properties. If you never look at a property, remove it.
• Skipping the review. A board you do not review becomes a second, prettier to-do list.
• Keeping Done forever. Clear it weekly so you can see this week's progress.

Try it in Asendify Notes

Asendify Notes has simple databases with table and board views, select, date, checkbox, text, number and url properties, and pages inside pages for your project notes. It works in the browser on desktop and phone, so you can check the board on the way home. It costs £1,450 a year (£1,000 plus a 45% service fee, shown openly), with no free plan or trial.

Key takeaways

• Use one database with a Status select and a board view.
• Four columns are enough: To do, Doing, Waiting and Done.
• Keep no more than about three cards in Doing.
• Write cards as single, clear actions.
• Review the board once a week, in the same order each time.

FAQ

How many columns should a personal kanban board have?

Four works for most people: To do, Doing, Waiting and Done. Add a column only when you notice cards that do not fit, and remove it if it stays empty.

Should I use a board or a to-do list?

Use a board when you are juggling several projects and tend to start more than you finish. A plain to-do list is fine for small, quick tasks that do not need stages.

What goes in the Waiting column?

Anything you cannot move forward yourself right now, such as a reply, a delivery or a quote. Check it in your weekly review and chase or drop each card.

More playbooks on other topics: https://www.asendify.co/books/

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