What is the Kanban organizing technique? Experts explain how to 'boost productivity' with this simple method

We're always looking for ways to declutter and organize our homes, to take our space from stressful to serene and clear both our home and mind.

But, it can certainly be difficult to know where to start when it comes to which transformation technique is right for you, with so many decluttering methods and so much contradictory advice out there. That is where the Kanban organizing technique comes in, to cut through the noise and make things simple.

Here, experts explain our new favorite Japanese organizing technique, why it works, and, most importantly – how to use it in your own home.

The Kanban organizing method

Originally developed for Toyota Automotive, the Kanban method is a visual task organizing system that breaks tasks up into three different categories – to do, in progress and completed. Tasks then move between these stages as you work on them, giving you a clear overview of your progress, as well as what still needs to be done.

Ben Soreff, professional organizer at House2Home Organizing explains, 'The word Kanban means visual or sign card. While it began to aid car manufacturing it has been adapted by many businesses and home tasks.

'At the end of the day, it is designed to boost productivity by limiting your time on a task.'

How does the Kanban organizing technique work?

So, how does this home organizing idea work?

Meghan Kessman, professional home organizer at Meghan Kessman Home Organization says, 'Create a board (physical or digital) with the three categories. As you start a task, move it from to do to in progress, then to completed when done.

'Visually tracking progress keeps everything organized and feels satisfying,' so it's a great way to fall in love with organizing, too, as you can focus on more than one task at a time.

Kessman continues, 'It prevents a scattered feeling when juggling too much, and its visual nature makes it hard to ignore tasks, while completing tasks feels rewarding.'

How to use the Kanban organizing technique at home

To use this technique at home, you can purchase a specific Kanban board, such as the PATboard Scrum Board and Kanban Board available at Amazon, or just use a corkboard, such as the U Brands 17 x 23 in. Cork Bulletin Board available at Walmart and post-it notes, or paper. You can also just stick your post-it notes directly onto your wall.

Then, create the three columns, and create a list of everything you want to get one in the to do column – this can be anything at all around the home, although organizing expert Soreff recommends that this technique works best with smaller tasks, such as laundry, cleaning or meal prep.

He says, 'Kanban home organization uses center more on chores and may not be super helpful for organizing big projects like a garage for instance.'

Then, to make your to-do list less overwhelming, you can assign tasks to family members, as Kessman recommends, and move the task cards along the board as they are completed. This offers a sense of achievement and motivation, and is one of the things the most organized families have in common.

Importantly, however, Soreff warns that the challenge to do with any visual to-do list is the upkeep. He says, 'You have to keep it clutter free and actually move the post-it around. You also have to not cover up the board,' so keep this in mind and set it up in a high-traffic area of the home, such as a kitchen or utility room.

FAQs

What is the best order to organize a house?

Start with organizing your storage ideas, as this will give you more space to store items you want to keep. Then, moved to shared areas of the home, such as kitchens and living rooms, before moving onto any private areas, such as bedrooms, bedside table drawers, and en-suite bathrooms.

Most importantly, having a schedule is the best way to get organizing tasks done, so don't forget to plan breaks too.

If you're struggling with clutter around the home, why not try the five messes tidying technique, as another way to visualize your tasks before you get started? Unlike the Kanban technique, this method focuses on one specific task at a time, and is a great way to prevent distraction when getting things done.

Alternatively, if you are a sentimentalist, try the Mottainai organizing method to make the most of your clutter without it going to waste.