Stay Ahead of Your Projects with Energy Boards

Managing your energy is just as important as managing your time. With the Energy Board in Merlin Project, you can match your tasks to your energy levels, ensuring that you work smarter, not harder. Let’s look at how it works, why it’s effective, and how to set one up in Merlin Project.

What Is an Energy Board and Why Is It Useful?

An Energy Board is a visual system that combines the simplicity of Kanban with the practical need to align tasks with your daily energy levels. It helps you stay focused on what you can realistically achieve while prioritizing effectively. By visualizing your workload, you’ll simplify task management, reduce stress, and make better use of your most productive hours.

How to Set It Up in Merlin Project

1. Switch to Kanban View

1. Open your project in Merlin Project.
2. In the Net Plan, select Kanban View or Kanban Compact for a column-based layout.

2. Define Your Phases

Create a new Status field and add phases that fit your work. For example:

• Backlog: Collect tasks and ideas you’re not ready to start yet.
• Routines: Add recurring tasks to see how much time you regularly spend and assess if you can handle more.
• Active Projects: The main working zone for current tasks. To limit overload, set a minimum or maximum number of tasks via the Inspector.
• On Hold: Place tasks that need feedback or are no longer a priority.
• Done: Track completed tasks and reflect on your achievements.

3. Create Priority Tags

1. Go to the Inspector, create a new tag called "Prio", and add levels like A (High), B (Medium), and C (Low).
2. Add colors for priorities: A → Red, B → Yellow, C → Green.
3. Assign these priorities to tasks.

4. Style Cards

1. In Styling General, click on the top-left square and assign the "Prio" tag to it.
2. Adapt the format to e.g. display the color instead of the text.

5. Sort by Priority
Open View Options in the Inspector and add a sorting rule for tasks by "Prio".

6. Organize Tasks
Drag tasks between columns to update their status and review your board regularly to stay aligned with your energy.

That's already it. We wish you happy organizing.