This document discusses the principles and benefits of Personal Kanban, a method for visualizing and limiting work in progress to improve productivity. It provides guidelines for establishing a value stream, backlog, and work in progress (WIP) limits. Implementing Personal Kanban can help individuals juggle tasks more efficiently by doing less at once and allowing for idle time, which boosts overall output by reducing stress from incomplete work. Templates are available to set up a Personal Kanban system using visualization tools.

1. Based on Personal Kanban by Jim Benson, T Barry
Hrishikesh Karekar
© Hrishikesh Karekar 2013

2. Photo courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/fuzzysaurus/3828689071/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Send weekly
report
Fill the travel
expenses
I need it today
Take wife for a
movie
Son’s football match
next week
Pay credit card
bill
Send task force
meeting MOM

3. Photo courtesy :http://www.flickr.com/photos/11879543@N06/3435602949/

4. Photo courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluefade/4229364807/sizes/l/in/photostream/

5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/8839483843/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29261875@N05/7201337516/sizes/z/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sirwiseowl/8126511509/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/9913697/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffb/129736452/sizes/m/in/photostream/

6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/silent/2347875497/sizes/m/in/photostream/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideabookse/9381849877/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92656826@N07/8741413064/sizes/m/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/immunity/2306226841/sizes/m/in/photostream/
getting organized is not new

7. http://www.flickr.com/photos/giophotos/5042972239/sizes/z/in/photostream/
create personal value – manage tasks, work and goals better

8. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
~ “If” by Rudyard Kipling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manicomi/2625869734/

9. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2985066755/sizes/l/in/photostream/

10. http://www.flickr.com/photos/orcmid/3879384912/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Rule # 1 : Visualize Work

12. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland/3066167162/

13. When we promise work, we agree to juggle it
When we start work, we start juggling
Each new ball adds overhead exponentially
Even if you stop working on it, your brain keeps juggling it.
EXISTENTIAL OVERHEAD
the cost in distraction and
stress of uncompleted tasks.
http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/expert/combating-existential-overhead/#sthash.omIsoNSj.dpuf
http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/primers/why-limit-work-in-progress/#sthash.98b2Nkkh.dpbs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99525143@N06/9413822713/

14. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynac/321100379/sizes/m/
A freeway can operate from 0 to 100 percent
capacity. But when a freeway’s capacity gets
over about 65%, it starts to slow down. When
it reaches 100% capacity – it stops
Our brains are not much different
So-called “idle” time is vital for a
healthy brain – and it is a misnomer.
Time when you aren’t forcing your
brain to pump something out is
when it’s doing background
processing on things you “aren’t”
doing
http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/primers/why-limit-work-in-progress/#sthash.PRO68N27.dpbs

15. http://www.flickr.com/photos/toolstop/4546017269/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Do less at a time, do things more efficiently, and
end up doing more overall by doing less right now.

16. Establish your value
stream
Establish your backlog
Establish your WIP LimitBegin to Pull
Prioritize, Refine, Reduce
http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/primers/building-your-first-personal-kanban/#sthash.SheQX1LB.dpbs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imbertti/5079466322/sizes/z/in/photostream/

17. Templates – www.kanbantool.com

18. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hey__paul/7511824068/sizes/m/in/photostream/