Workflow template

Personal Kanban for Nextcloud Deck as a free board template.

A five-stack board for one person: Inbox, Next, Doing, Waiting, and Done. Starter cards set the daily and weekly habits.

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Personal Kanban

Inbox2

Capture loose tasks here

Use this list for quick mobile capture before review.

  • Write the task as an action, starting with a verb
  • Add the detail you would need in a week
  • Do not sort it now, that is what Next is for
Quick

Empty the Inbox once a day

An inbox you never process becomes a second, worse to-do list.

Quickdue in 1 day

Next1

Pick one next action

Move only the work you can actually start soon.

Deep Workdue in 1 day

Doing1

Keep Doing to three cards

A short Doing list is the whole point. Finish something before you start something.

Deep Work

Waiting1

Review waiting items twice a week

Keep blocked work visible without mixing it into Doing.

  • Note who you are waiting on and since when
  • Chase anything older than a week
  • Move it back to Next once you are unblocked
WaitingBlockeddue in 3 days

Done1

Clear Done at the end of the week

Read it before you archive it. Seeing what you finished is the useful part.

Quickdue in 7 days
QuickDeep WorkWaitingBlocked
View the portable v1 template JSON
{
  "schema": "deckloud-template-v1",
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "slug": "personal-kanban-nextcloud-deck",
  "locale": "en",
  "title": "Personal Kanban for Nextcloud Deck",
  "description": "A small personal workflow for capture, next actions, active work, waiting items, and done work.",
  "category": "personal-productivity",
  "tags": [
    "kanban",
    "capture",
    "personal"
  ],
  "quickCreateStackKey": "inbox",
  "compatibility": {
    "requiresBoardCreate": true,
    "includesAttachments": false,
    "includesComments": false
  },
  "board": {
    "title": "Personal Kanban",
    "color": "0066FF"
  },
  "labels": [
    {
      "key": "quick",
      "title": "Quick",
      "color": "10B981"
    },
    {
      "key": "deep-work",
      "title": "Deep Work",
      "color": "3B82F6"
    },
    {
      "key": "waiting",
      "title": "Waiting",
      "color": "F59E0B"
    },
    {
      "key": "blocked",
      "title": "Blocked",
      "color": "EF4444"
    }
  ],
  "stacks": [
    {
      "key": "inbox",
      "title": "Inbox",
      "order": 1
    },
    {
      "key": "next",
      "title": "Next",
      "order": 2
    },
    {
      "key": "doing",
      "title": "Doing",
      "order": 3
    },
    {
      "key": "waiting",
      "title": "Waiting",
      "order": 4
    },
    {
      "key": "done",
      "title": "Done",
      "order": 5
    }
  ],
  "cards": [
    {
      "stack": "inbox",
      "title": "Capture loose tasks here",
      "description": "Use this list for quick mobile capture before review.\n\n- [ ] Write the task as an action, starting with a verb\n- [ ] Add the detail you would need in a week\n- [ ] Do not sort it now, that is what Next is for",
      "labels": [
        "quick"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stack": "inbox",
      "title": "Empty the Inbox once a day",
      "description": "An inbox you never process becomes a second, worse to-do list.",
      "labels": [
        "quick"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 1
    },
    {
      "stack": "next",
      "title": "Pick one next action",
      "description": "Move only the work you can actually start soon.",
      "labels": [
        "deep-work"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 1
    },
    {
      "stack": "doing",
      "title": "Keep Doing to three cards",
      "description": "A short Doing list is the whole point. Finish something before you start something.",
      "labels": [
        "deep-work"
      ]
    },
    {
      "stack": "waiting",
      "title": "Review waiting items twice a week",
      "description": "Keep blocked work visible without mixing it into Doing.\n\n- [ ] Note who you are waiting on and since when\n- [ ] Chase anything older than a week\n- [ ] Move it back to Next once you are unblocked",
      "labels": [
        "waiting",
        "blocked"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 3
    },
    {
      "stack": "done",
      "title": "Clear Done at the end of the week",
      "description": "Read it before you archive it. Seeing what you finished is the useful part.",
      "labels": [
        "quick"
      ],
      "dueOffsetDays": 7
    }
  ]
}

01

When to use this board

For one person, especially anyone who dropped a bigger project tool because keeping it up became the work.

02

How to run this board

  • Capture into Inbox without sorting.

    Add every loose task as it comes up, from your phone or the share sheet.

  • Empty Inbox once a day.

    Move each card to Next or Waiting, or delete it. Promote only what you can start soon.

  • Keep Doing at three cards.

    Finish or move a card before pulling a new one. Read Done on Friday, then archive it.

03

What this creates

5 stacks, 4 labels, and 6 starter cards with 6 checklist steps.

04

Standard Deck objects only

The result is an ordinary Deck board that you edit like any other. With a Nextcloud account, Deckloud writes it straight to your server, with no relay.

05

Safe import rules

The file holds no server IDs. Due dates count from the day you create the board, and checklists are Markdown task lists in card descriptions.

FAQ

Practical questions

Does the template include comments or attachments?

No. Comments need an author, and attachments differ between servers and Deck versions, so v1 templates hold text only.

Why keep Doing limited to three cards?

A long Doing list mostly hides waiting work. The cap makes you finish something or move it to Waiting.

Is this different from just using one to-do list?

Yes. Inbox and Next are separate, so you capture without deciding and decide once a day.

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