What is Kanban
At a high level:
Kanban = visualizing work as states + moving items through states
Think of it like a pipeline:
Ideas → Doing → Blocked → Done
Each task is a card, and each stage is a column.
Why it exists
Without Kanban
- Tasks are buried in notes
- No visibility of progress
- Hard to prioritize / track flow
With Kanban
- You see state transitions
- You focus on flow, not just tasks
- You reduce mental overhead (externalize thinking)
How to set up
-
Install Kanban plugin
-
Create a markdown file — Obsidian will automatically render as Kanban
---
kanban-plugin: board
---
## TODO
- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2
## DOING
- [ ] Task 3
## DONE
- [x] Task 4
Core Concepts (How to Use It Properly)
Columns = States
Simple workflow
- TODO
- DOING
- DONE
More realistic engineering workflow
- BACKLOG
- READY
- IN PROGRESS
- REVIEW
- DONE
My case
- IDEAS
- INVESTIGATE
- IMPLEMENT
- VERIFY
- SHIPPED
Cards = Units of Work
Each card can be: a simple task / a note link
Example:
- [ ] Implement voucher use_link logic [[Voucher Customization]]You can:
- Link to notes
- Add descriptions
- Expand into sub-tasks
Moving Tasks = State Transition
Dragging cards across columns = moving work through a system
Advanced Usage
Cards as Entry Points to Knowledge
Instead of writing everything inside the card:
- [ ] Debug rate limiter issue [[Rate Limiter Deep Dive]]Now:
- Kanban = execution layer
- Notes = knowledge layer
Add Metadata / Context
- [ ] Trace request flow for voucher distribution
- priority: high
- blocker: unclear proto contractChecklist inside Cards
- [ ] Food Voucher Customization
- [ ] Understand PRD
- [ ] Trace call chain
- [ ] Modify proto
- [ ] Update BFFMy Kanban Design
Work Kanban (Execution)
BACKLOG
READY
IN PROGRESS
BLOCKED
REVIEW
DONE
Learning Kanban (Understanding)
TO LEARN
EXPLORING
UNDERSTOOD
INTERNALIZED
Life / Reflection Kanban
THOUGHTS
WRITING
REFINING
PUBLISHED