The mental load is real. It is all that mental work – the organising, list-making and planning, that you do to manage your life, and that of those dependent on you. Most of us carry some form of mental burden about our studies, work, finances, household responsibilities and personal life. The mental load is disruptive and can be emotionally crippling. When managed well, our valuable time can be spent simply relaxing or doing things we enjoy.
We love task boards because for us, it’s our way of making a difference in the lives of children and families. We started Creative Kanbans when we learnt that many people around the world (especially women) experience the mental load. The mental load is all the list-making, planning and organising that you do for yourself and those dependent on you.
The strain of carrying a mental load is a serious health concern that can lead to anxiety disorders. In Australia, anxiety disorders are the leading cause of ill health in girls and women aged five to 44. (Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s Health 2018: In Brief, page 12)
For many years Jenny suffered in silence. The turning point for us was in 2011 when Aden arranged an intervention for Jenny’s dear friend Dean to ask Jenny the simple question “Are you OK?”. Things were not OK for Jenny, and we got help from professionals to learn how to manage the mental burdens associated with a busy career, family, household responsibilities and studying. We found a simple solution that works to help us to manage the mental load associated with running our household. The solution was the giant task boards (visual planners) that are used by agile project teams to manage tasks that need to be done, are in progress or completed.
In December 2017, we set on a journey to adapt the design of the task board and the language associated with using them with people who had zero exposure to agile project management.
We have been working with students, individuals, carers of children and ageing parents and families to prototype and get feedback on our personal task board design as it is used in their family home. Based on the feedback and research, we have designed personal task board products to fit on standard sized doors, fridges and walls.
We manufactured our first task boards in October 2018 and have been thrilled about the response to Creative Kanbans. Not only are our task boards gracing homes across the country, we have been reaching out to children as young as 5 years of age and families to teach them the same planning and organising skills that we use in the corporate world to help manage the mental load.
We love amplifying the conversation about the mental load, and our task boards are increasing productivity and clarity for doers!
Here’s to getting things done and the feeling of joy that comes after completing a task. Joy is an intense momentary experience of positive emotion that comes with celebrating success. Whilst each moment of joy is small, over time they add up to more than the sum of its parts. We should be embracing joy and finding ways like getting the important stuff done more often.
JENNY GEE WAH & ADEN YOUNG
Co-Founders of Creative Kanbans
