Using Sidekick Boards

A visual way to work towards what matters

Kanban is a productivity technique that dates all the way back to the 1940s. Originally inspired by empty shelves in a supermarket, Taiichi Ohno pioneered the first Kanban system for Toyota automotive in Japan. It was created as a simple planning system to help equalize their manufacturing productivity to that of American manufacturers.

Toyota production system

Today, you can find Kanban boards just about anywhere — used by many different people and industries to improve their own productivity and visualize their workflow.

And many of you have requested Sidekick boards for the very same reason. And, we heard you loud and clear!

Why you wanted boards in Sidekick!

That’s why, today, 🥳 boards are available in Sidekick.

Let’s take a look at how we can implement a few different techniques in boards to boost up our productivity.

Getting Things Done (GTD) x Boards

Developed by David Allen, Getting Things Done is a combination of a personal productivity and time management system.

“There is an inverse relationship between things on your mind and those things getting done.”

- David Allen

This technique is all about getting all the things on your mind out and on the metaphorical paper. There are 6 simple steps to this technique. We’ll illustrate them by using the Sidekick board.

Setting up the GTD Method in Sidekick boards.

1. Write out all the things you need to do in separate cards in the ‘To Do’ column.
2. Identify the priority by going through the list and pulling the most important tasks to the top of the column.
3. Identify what you’re going to do this week and drag these cards to the ‘Doing this week’ column.
4. Identify what you’re going to do today and drag these cards to the ‘Doing today’ column.
5. Complete the ‘Doing today’ tasks by scheduling deep work sessions for these tasks.
6. At the end of the day, reflect and plan. Reflect on what you got done and move these tasks to the ‘Done’ column. Plan what you are going to do tomorrow and move these tasks from ‘Doing this week’ to ‘Doing today.’

Tip: you can schedule linked sessions in the goal itself.

Scheduling a session within a goal card.

Pros: Free mental space, organized list.

Cons: Needs maintenance, might feel overwhelming, needs discipline.

Technique is best for: Those who love structure and want to feel in control of their tasks, those who are or strive to be organized planners.

The Rule of 3 x Boards

The Rule of 3 is a productivity principle that focuses on achieving three meaningful outcomes in a given time period.

Just like the name suggests, this technique has 3 simple steps. We’ll illustrate them using the Sidekick board.

1. Write down 3 things you want to accomplish today. Create these cards in the ‘Doing today’ column. This can also be done for 3 things you want to accomplish in the week, the month, or the year. Remember, to just keep these organized using the boards columns.
2. Do them! Schedule these tasks in the card itself or in the calendar.

3. When you are done, move these cards to the ‘Done’ column.

Setting up the Rule of 3 with Sidekick Boards and scheduling a session.

Pros: Practice prioritization, more focused attention, simple planning.

Cons: Difficulty prioritizing, might create a large ‘To do’ column.

Technique is best for: those overwhelmed by too many tasks.

Single tasking

Single tasking is a productivity technique that is actually not talked about a lot.

I first heard of this technique in Devora Zack’s book “Singletasking: Get More Done — One Thing at a Time.” It works off the concept that we cannot give 100% of our attention to multiple tasks at once. When we do this, each task gets less attention and therefore, less quality. So, this technique encourages you to focus on one specific task at a time.

Here’s how you can singletask with Sidekick boards.

1. Write down all your tasks in the ‘To do’ column.
2. When planning, either at the end of the previous night or the beginning of the day, identify what your focus will be. Move this card from ‘To do’ to the ‘Doing today’ column.
3. Schedule a deep work session for this card and complete it!
4. When you’re done, move the card to ‘Done’ and rest easy knowing you accomplished what you set out to.

Pro tip: Add subtasks to capture the true size and detail of your work.

Adding subtasks to a goal.

Pro tip: Create a session by dragging your goal onto the calendar.

Creating a session that’s linked to a goal.

Pros: Higher quality of work, more focused attention, simple planning.

Cons: Might feel less productive, difficult to gauge how long a single task might take.

Technique is best for: those overwhelmed with too many tasks, those who struggle with time management and distractions.

Kanban boards are extremely helpful for providing a new perspective — a birds-eye view of what’s on your plate. It can help you make progress goal by goal through big projects or make your week feel more manageable. Sometimes, that makes all the difference.

Whether it fits your workflow or not, productivity is all about finding your groove. Try out boards and let us know what you think.

How will you use your board? We’d love you to see your setup — share it with us on Twitter @TheSidekickApp and inspire others.

Thanks for reading!

Interested in Sidekick? Visit our website to learn more. Sidekick is currently in Beta — we’re always looking for people like yourself to try it out and let us know what you think!

We need your help to give power back to our most valuable resource, time, and put it where it matters — our goals and dreams. Head to our website to get started.