Work Archives

40 Career Questions: Assess Your Job & Plan Your Next Moves

Are you content in your career, or are you itching to make a change? Are you worried about where the job market is headed and wonder how to maintain a competitive edge? Your job is a big part of your life. The more thoughtful and strategic you are about it, the more rewarding it can be. We’ve put together 40 career questions that will help you evaluate your career, assess your professional self, navigate career challenges, and plan for a second career. Continue reading for these questions that could set you up for greater success and fulfillment.

Personal Kanban: Book Overview and Productivity Takeaways

What’s Personal Kanban about? How can you use kanban boards to organize your life? In Personal Kanban, Agile productivity experts Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria teach you how to use kanban boards—a management method that keeps automakers efficient and software developers productive—to organize your life. Read below for a brief Personal Kanban book overview.

What Is the Kanban System? The Best Way to Stay Productive

What is the kanban system? How does having your own personal kanban improve productivity? Before you start developing your own personal kanban, it’s helpful to understand the system’s background. In Personal Kanban, Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria explore what kanban is, its origins and benefits, and the difference between traditional and personal kanban. Let’s break down the basics of the kanban system below.

The History of Kanban: The System’s Origins in Toyota

A digital Kanban board of different tasks.

What’s the history of kanban? Who invented this organized production system? Kanban is traditionally a lean method used in workplaces to keep production moving. According to Personal Kanban by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria, the origins of kanban actually started with a well-known vehicle manufacturer. Learn more about the surprising history of kanban systems.

The 4 Benefits of Kanban + Why It’s Better Than a Checklist

A white board with sticky notes and a Kanban chart.

Do you experience a lot of setbacks while working? How could kanban benefit you? In Personal Kanban, Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria argue that kanban offers advantages that other productivity systems can’t. These benefits include transparency, prioritization, and adaptability. Find out more about the benefits of kanban.

How to Create a Kanban Board: 6 Steps to an Organized Life

Do you know how to create a kanban board? How do you know what tasks are the most important to work on? In Personal Kanban, Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria teach you the basics of personal kanban so you can create one yourself. They lay out the steps to get started on your personal organization journey. Continue reading to learn how to develop your own kanban board.

How to Prioritize Workload: Carefully Choose Your Tasks

Are you overwhelmed with the amount of tasks you have to complete? How do you prioritize all your work? In Personal Kanban, Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria say that a kanban board will help you complete your tasks. To do so, you need to start prioritizing the important to-do items over the less important ones. Keep reading to learn how to prioritize workload based on a “Ready, Doing, and Done” table.

Importance and Urgency: How to Tell the Difference

What’s the difference between importance and urgency? Is it better to prioritize important tasks over urgent ones? In Personal Kanban, Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria advise prioritizing important tasks that inspire continuous improvement. While these tasks may not be urgent, they’ll benefit you in the long run. Learn how to tell the difference between what’s important and what’s urgent.

What Are Value Streams? A Personal Kanban Tracking Method

What are value streams? How do you set up a value stream that fits your needs? A value stream is the development of tasks from ideas to accomplishments. Setting up a value stream is the second step of a kanban board, according to Personal Kanban by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria. Check out how to create a value stream that fits your needs.

The 3 Building Blocks of Kanban’s Continuous Improvement

How can you constantly improve yourself and your work habits? How is continuous improvement part of the kanban system? In kanban, continuous improvement is at the core of the workflow system. The way you achieve it is by observing your work, asking questions, and trying out new ways of doing things. It’s important to take some time to step back and reflect on what you’ve accomplished so you can continue moving forward. Let’s look at three ways to embed continuous self-improvement into your personal kanban practice.

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