Wipe the Board

Reset WIP. Reclaim Focus.

Stijn Dejongh | 2025-04-24

Abstract

Knowledge work often accumulates invisible baggage: paused tasks, lingering ideas, and false progress signals. This practice encourages individuals and teams to clear their active task list daily, and recommit only to what deserves their attention today. Reduce mental clutter, expose blockers, and restore focus — one reset at a time.

Still “In Progress” ?

You’ve got tasks you started weeks ago. They’re still on your board.

Are they still real?

The problem with WIP

  • Zombie work: false signals of productivity
  • Cognitive overload: lack of clarity
  • Inventory waste: paused tasks, forgotten drafts, half-baked ideas
  • Guilt: “I should be working on this”

What we want

LESS IS MORE, MORE IS LESS

less work in progress = more results.
more work in progress = less results.

  • Progress comes from flow, not volume
  • Clarity on real status
  • Channels focus towards what actually matters

So . . . Wipe the Board

Every morning, start with a blank slate.
Recommit only to what truly matters today.
Shelve the rest.

5 simple daily steps

Clear the board

Today starts fresh.

  • Wipe your “In Progress” column completely.
  • No inherited productivity debt.

Re-evaluate each task

“Would I start this today if I had not been working on it?”

  • Is it truly active, relevant, and worth today’s energy?
  • Be strict: no “maybe” zones

Shelve the cruft

Put it on ice.

  • Irrelevant tasks to cold storage
  • Inactive tasks to backlog
  • (optional) Add a % done and reason for shelving

Recommit to a few

What will I work on today?

  • Pick one or two tasks to focus on
  • Only pick stuff you can actively progress today

Leave the rest behind

Move on. Get sh*t done.

  • No guilt, no shame
  • Transparency > Optics
  • If it was important, it will come back

What happens?

The effects of applying the ‘Wipe the Board’ practice.

What it does

Reframe WIP as a present decision,
not a lingering obligation

  • Reduced cognitive load
  • Increased clarity

What it reveals

  • If you keep shelving the same task, ask yourself “WHY?”
  • If everything feels urgent, nothing is urgent
  • WIP is a liability. Attention is a scarce resource.

This Isn’t Easy — And That’s the Point

  • Habit-building required — may feel unnatural at first
  • Risk of appearing “unproductive” externally
  • Doesn’t unblock tasks, only makes them visible
  • Needs cultural safety to uncommit without shame

Go Forth and Wipe the Board

  • Start with an empty “In Progress” column
  • Ask “Would I start this today?”
  • Recommit only to a few tasks
  • Shelve the rest (cold shelf, % done, reason)
  • Feel lighter. Focus better.

Questions? More info?

Drop a comment,
reach out to me on LinkedIn / github,
or visit the SDD Patterns Repository for more patterns.