Unit 2: Planning Strategies

List of contents

SMART planning

How do I organise my work?

The Kanban Method

How can I organize my planning clearly?

For planning that can be seen at a glance, the so-called "Kanban" was developed. Typically, it works like this: Physically - with sticky notes - or digitally, all the task " chunks" to be done are written on a small card. Then three columns are opened: to do - in progress - done.
In addition, you can also open a column – collection or backlog- in which all tasks are collected that come to mind but should only be completed at a later time.

The cards are then moved from the first to the next column depending on their status, so that you can see the status of your work at a glance.

Tools for this are the Deck function of the cloud of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Cryptpad or Trello. Here is an example of how a Kanban for a seminar paper can look like (here: with Cryptpad):

Kanban using the Deck of the Uni-Cloud

How can I use the Deck to use the Kanban method?

What is the Kanban method? Read more about it using this link! Use it to plan in small steps and backwards and always keep an eye on your progress! In addition to Cryptpad and Trello, the Friedrich Schiller University Jena offers a great tool for task planning, also for group projects: The Deck function of the University of Jena Cloud. Here you can find a tutorial on how to use this tool.

The Eisenhower method for prioritisation

Application

Since it’s one thing to receive tips and quite another to put them into practice, we’ve developed a reflection exercise for the Digital Learning Kit that you can use regularly—perhaps in conversation with a fellow student. 

Take a look at the questions below as a conversation starter to help you discuss the module’s topics!

Further resources