How I Use A Kanban Board To Boost My Productivity Over A Week

Being Busy – Using Kanbanflow

As a co-founder in a fast growing software business it’s important to me that I leverage my time in the best way possible. There is a tool I found that has really made it easy for me to get tasks done called Kanbanflow. It’s a free productivity tool you can use to boost your personal and professional productivity. I get tasks done at a faster rate and I feel good doing it. Having a productivity tool like this can make a huge difference for a business, and I find it works really well for me.

 

Pomodoro Begats Kanbanflow

Kanbanflow is a tool that is centered around the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique is a time management strategy that is based on a unit of time called a Pomodoro. Each Pomodoro is equivalent to 25 minutes followed by a five minute break.

The idea is that whenever you work on a task, you work for a Pomodoro and take a 5 minute break. The purpose is to make sure you’re using each Pomodoro to its fullest by focusing completely. By doing this you can enter deep focus.

What’s great about Kanbanflow is that it gamifies the Pomodoro technique. Each time you start a task and start the timer the website counts down until your break and notifies you. When you have finished a Pomodoro without stopping you receive points. If you stop while you’re working you lose points.

It’s a very rewarding time management strategy when combined with Kanbanflow.

Setting Up A Kanbanflow Board

I set up the Kanbanflow board in the following way. I have a column that is labeled “to-do,” and it has all my tasks that I need to complete for the week. Each task on the column is equivalent to particular amounts of Pomodoros. I color code the tasks, and each color corresponds to a different Pomodoro amount.

I have separate columns for each day of the week, Monday through Friday. Then I have an in-progress / waiting column. This column is for tasks that I am currently working on but have to put on hold due to logistical reasons.

The final column I have is the “done” section where I put all my completed tasks. As you complete tasks you might notice the done column gets larger. It’s quite motivating to see.

Using The Board

I work the board like this. I put tasks into my to-do list a week ahead of time. Then I assign each task the Pomodoro amount that I think it is going to take me to complete. I then assign each task to the days I should do them and I put them in the order I want to do them.

When I am working on each task, I completely focus on that task and try to finish it in the Pomodoro amount I allocate. If I am working on a task but I can’t finish it, I’ll put my work in the in-progress / waiting section. If I finish a task, I put it in the done section and I get to look at all the awesome work I managed to complete.

I aim to get 5 to 10 Pomodoros completed each day. This a pretty good amount of productivity for a given day. The best amount that you can get done in a day is around 10. That’s about 5 hours of focused work!

If you use Kanbanflow it can change your work habits for the better, and as a busy entrepreneur I highly recommend it.

 

Action Steps

1. 1. Set up your board with a to-do column, a column for each day, an in-progress column, and a done column.
   2. Put all the tasks you are going to assign for the week in the to-do column. Color-code each task to a corresponding Pomodoro amount.
   3. Assign tasks for each day and put them in the order you want them to be completed in a given day.
   4. Complete your tasks throughout the week, and if you can’t finish them, put them in the in-progress / waiting section.
   5. Put all the tasks you’ve completed in the done section.

Bonus: Use Kanbanflow to gamify this system.

 

Result You Will Achieve

A boost to your productivity and task completion over a week by engaging in focused deep work for defined periods of time.

This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.