Tonianne DeMaria Barry

Jim Benson provides a basic overview of how to use personal kanban in various settings to improve workflow. His discussion about the theory was a bit difficult to follow in the beginning, as I wasn't familiar with some of the terms (or maybe because I read it while I had the flu), but most of the text was straight forward.

I appreciated the summaries at the end of each chapter and the variations on the basic kanban that the author provided. His use of concrete examples to explain abstract ideas were helpful, too. For instance, he used a congested freeway to explain time management. If one tries to cram too many tasks into the workflow, nothing moves, just like too many cars on the freeway (a frequent occurrence in the greater Seattle area) causes gridlock.

The book focuses on using a physical kanban, but the technique can also be applied to various digital applications. I created a sticky note board on my office cabinets to try to tame my personal office, homeschool mom, and household manager life.… (mehr)

This book throughly describes both the 'hows' and 'whys' of employing just two rules to form the most definitively elegant and systemically executable task management system for personal work (and life) management. If you've never heard of 'kanban' before, this is a very interesting, albeit unique, introduction. If you've seen kanban only in the context of software development or industrial work management before this book should provide a whole new appreciation for the methodology. Either way, this is a brilliant adaptation of the functional visualization/prioritization functions of the core kanban work-in-process methods for more than just efficient, but rather 'effective' personal time management - I highly recommend reading and using the concepts described for anyone who wants (needs) to become more effectively productive!… (mehr)