diff --git a/db_internal_test.go b/db_internal_test.go
index 6b8f748..4d217ed 100644
--- a/db_internal_test.go
+++ b/db_internal_test.go
@@ -136,21 +136,25 @@ func TestReadAndWriteStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 			ID:      -1,
 			Name:    "Backlog",
 			CardIds: []int{1, 14, 9, 10},
+			Order:   1,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      -1,
 			Name:    "Next",
 			CardIds: []int{2, 5, 12},
+			Order:   2,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      -1,
 			Name:    "In progress",
 			CardIds: []int{3},
+			Order:   3,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      -1,
 			Name:    "Finished!",
 			CardIds: []int{4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13},
+			Order:   4,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -172,6 +176,7 @@ func TestReadAndWriteStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 		ID:      -1,
 		Name:    "Archived",
 		CardIds: []int{34, 51, 894},
+		Order:   5,
 	}
 
 	modifiedStatusList = append(modifiedStatusList, archiveStatus)
@@ -186,26 +191,31 @@ func TestReadAndWriteStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 			ID:      1,
 			Name:    "Backlog",
 			CardIds: []int{1, 14, 9, 10},
+			Order:   1,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      2,
 			Name:    "Next",
 			CardIds: []int{2, 5, 12},
+			Order:   2,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      3,
 			Name:    "In progress",
 			CardIds: []int{3, 14},
+			Order:   3,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      4,
 			Name:    "Finished!",
 			CardIds: []int{4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13},
+			Order:   4,
 		},
 		{
 			ID:      5,
 			Name:    "Archived",
 			CardIds: []int{34, 51, 894},
+			Order:   5,
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/kanban.go b/kanban.go
index ece220b..37ccb8e 100644
--- a/kanban.go
+++ b/kanban.go
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 package main
 
-// Status represents the status of the Kanban board.
-type Status struct {
-	ID      int
-	Name    string
-	CardIds []int
-}
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+
+	bolt "go.etcd.io/bbolt"
+)
 
 // Card represents a card on a Kanban board.
 type Card struct {
@@ -13,3 +13,68 @@ type Card struct {
 	Title   string
 	Content string
 }
+
+// Status represents the status of the Kanban board.
+type Status struct {
+	ID      int
+	Name    string
+	CardIds []int
+	Order   int
+}
+
+// ByStatusOrder implements sort.Interface for []Status based on the Order field.
+type ByStatusOrder []Status
+
+func (s ByStatusOrder) Len() int {
+	return len(s)
+}
+
+func (s ByStatusOrder) Swap(i, j int) {
+	s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i]
+}
+
+func (s ByStatusOrder) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	return s[i].Order < s[j].Order
+}
+
+// readStatuses reads all statuses from the database. If there are no statuses in the database then the default
+// status list is created and stored in the database. Before returning the status list, the list is ordered based
+// on the status' 'Order' field.
+// TODO: function needs to be unit tested.
+func readStatuses(db *bolt.DB) ([]Status, error) {
+	statuses, err := loadAllStatuses(db)
+	if err != nil {
+		return statuses, fmt.Errorf("unable to read statuses, %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(statuses) == 0 {
+		if err := createDefaultStatusList(db); err != nil {
+			return statuses, fmt.Errorf("unable to create the default statuses, %w", err)
+		}
+		readStatuses(db)
+	}
+
+	sort.Sort(ByStatusOrder(statuses))
+
+	return statuses, nil
+}
+
+// createDefaultStatusList creates the default list of statuses and saves the statuses to the database.
+func createDefaultStatusList(db *bolt.DB) error {
+	s := []Status{
+		{
+			Name:  "To Do",
+			Order: 1,
+		},
+		{
+			Name:  "Doing",
+			Order: 2,
+		},
+		{
+			Name:  "Done",
+			Order: 3,
+		},
+	}
+
+	return saveStatuses(db, s)
+}