Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life

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Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life

 

I finished reading the book Personal Kanban: Maping Work | Navigating Life by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry. I’ve been practicing Personal Kanban for some time and this book gave me some more insights to improve my practice.

It gave me a better idea on personalizing Kanban board for different tasks by setting up different flows. I used to practice the basic flow of To-do, WIP and Done. The book explains how to set up further different flows. When I am studying, I have to do some research and collect notes for subjects; have to study, have to make short notes and have to review them. Rather than including all these tasks in WIP flow, I can set up different flows for these different tasks and add more clarity to my Personal Kanban system.

There are two rules that are very important in Personal Kanban; visualize your work, limit your work-in-progress. Throughout the book, Jim Benson and Tonianne Barry demonstrate the importance of these two rules and how to practice them. Even though Personal Kanban system has two rules, it is a very flexible system which can easily adaptable for changing environments.
 
The first chapter of the book explains rules, how they work and why Personal Kanban is needed. The next chapter explains how to create a Personal Kanban system for your work. The rest of the book explains the prioritization, time management, and how these things help to increase effectiveness.

Personal Kanban: Maping Work | Navigating Life was an easy read with lots of examples, cartoons, pictures, diagrams and clear explanations. The authors’ simple and forthright narrative style kept me out from getting bored on theories and principles. If you already know Kanban or practice Personal Kanban this book might not bring much new ideas. However, there are still good tips and explanations that make it worth the read.

“Personal Kanban is a simple, elegant mechanism that produces dramatic results. It helps us manage ourselves, but also lets us share our work, our goals, and our epiphanies with others. It’s a visual launched to personal effectiveness, spontaneous collaboration, and an integrated life. It’s low maintenance, but high yield. No crystals, no aromatherapy; just you, your work, and better planning.”       - Personal Kanban: Maping Work | Navigating Life