Why Your Project Board Feels Overwhelming
I talk with business owners every week who tell me the same thing. They built a project board to stay organized, but somehow it made things worse. Instead of clarity, they feel stressed. Instead of saving time, they spend more time managing the board itself.
The problem isn’t the tool. It’s how the board is being used.
Project boards are supposed to help you see your work clearly and know exactly what to do next. When that doesn’t happen, it’s usually because a few simple rules are being broken. The good news is that once you fix these mistakes, your board can quickly become one of the most powerful tools in your business.
In this article, I want to walk you through five rules I use every day. These rules work whether you use Trello, Notion, Asana, or any other project board tool.
Rule One: Limit the Number of Columns
The first thing I always look at is how many columns are on the board. If I have to scroll sideways just to see everything, that’s already a problem.
When you have too many columns, important tasks get ignored. Your brain can’t focus on everything at once. The same thing happens to your team or your clients if they also use the board.
I recommend keeping your board between five and seven columns. This range keeps things visible and easy to understand. Anything more than that usually means the board is trying to do too much.
If you have two columns that both sound like tasks, combine them. Use labels instead. Labels and filters are much easier to manage than extra columns that sit there unused.
Your board should be simple, not a dumping ground.
Rule Two: Every Task Must Be Action-Based
One of the biggest mistakes I see is vague task names. Things like “Client changes” or “Content plan” don’t tell anyone what to do.
A task should always start with an action. Decide. Write. Review. Create. Update.
When you read a task, you should immediately know what the next step is. If you have to stop and think about it, the task is not clear enough.
Clear action-based tasks reduce mental effort. They make it easier to start, and that means work actually gets done.
Rule Three: Match the Board to Real Life
Your board should reflect how you actually work, not how you wish you worked.
If your real workflow is simple, your board should be simple too. Adding extra steps doesn’t magically improve productivity. It just adds friction.
I usually recommend starting with ideas on the left and ending with done on the right. Everything should move forward. If cards don’t move, the board loses its purpose.
If a column never gets used, remove it. If a step doesn’t exist in real life, it doesn’t belong on the board.
Rule Four: Limit Work in Progress
An “In Progress” column with ten or twenty tasks is a warning sign. It means nothing is really in progress.
When everything is being worked on, nothing gets finished.
I strongly suggest limiting how many tasks can sit in certain columns. Five is often a good number. This forces you to finish work before starting new tasks.
Limits create focus. Focus creates momentum.
Many tools even let you set visual warnings when limits are exceeded. Use them. They reduce overwhelm for everyone involved.
Rule Five: Review Your Board Regularly
Even the best board will fall apart if you never review it.
I recommend doing a simple review at least once a week. Sort tasks by oldest first. Look for cards that haven’t moved or been updated.
Ask simple questions. Is this still relevant? Does this task need to be clearer? Can this be archived?
Most boards also let you filter by activity. Look for tasks with no activity in the last few weeks. These are often the biggest sources of mental clutter.
A short weekly review keeps your board clean and useful.
Final Thoughts on Building a Simple System
If you follow these five rules, your project board will stop feeling heavy. It will start working for you instead of against you.
You don’t need more tools. You don’t need more features. You need a simple system that saves time and supports your business.
You deserve to work without feeling overwhelmed.
