Do you feel like you are constantly running behind on overdue tasks, and still, the list keeps growing by the minute? Well, you are not alone.
68% of employees do not have time to go uninterrupted, focused work, as per a Microsoft study. This leads to burnout, a pile of tasks, and no motivation to complete them.
To prevent this, learning task management is an important skill that helps prevent overdue tasks and tackle challenges head-on. This article discusses the reasons for overdue tasks and how you can manage them effectively.
Reasons for frequent task overdue: why do tasks pile up so fast?
Even with the best techniques, it is inevitable for your tasks to get piled up at some point in your work life. Why is that? Is it because you are not a good knowledge worker? No.
Task management is a skill that focuses on not feeling overwhelmed when tasks pile up rather than avoiding overdue tasks at all costs.
We live in a time where your attention is your currency. Your email, chat apps, social media, and everything else around you require your constant attention. It is easy to lose track of your actual tasks when there is always something that is even more tempting. Let’s look at some other reasons contributing to over tasks.
1. Poor team communication
One of the main reasons tasks pile up in a team is due to the lack of proper communication.
Important task details are never communicated, such as what is due,
- When
- Why
- What can be deprioritized instead
- How will the task support the project directly
According to a study by Microsoft, 62% of employees spend most of their time searching for the right information to do their tasks. If information does arrive on time, delays occur, especially between departments. This impacts the task at hand and all the future tasks in the pipeline.
2. Lack of velocity + accountability
In many organizations, team members are not expected to be accountable for their work and take responsibility for its completion.
This lack of proactive responsibility leads to an approach where employees focus more on solving a crisis after it occurs rather than avoiding it in the first place. Cultivating task management as a skill becomes essential here.
3. No buffer time
Most tasks, especially if they are new, can take more time than one anticipates. One of the main reasons for overdue tasks is the lack of judgment on how much time a particular task will need.
Often, while you work on a task, you realize that three more small subtasks need to be done to accomplish your end goal. Therefore, creating buffer times between tasks is a good way to avoid overwhelm and manage tasks on time.
4. Lack of confidence in your ability
Fear of not knowing is often greater than the curiosity of understanding.
Many workplaces are built in a way that they focus on always figuring stuff out, which is a good quality to have. However, admitting that you need support and having confidence in your ability to accomplish the task is important.
5 tips on how to manage overdue work using task management
Now that we know the causes of task overdue, let’s look at how to manage tasks and avoid a pile up with simple, actionable steps.
a. Break down complex tasks into smaller chunks
A task seems daunting when you haven’t performed it before, or the scope is simply too large. The best thing to do in such cases is to break down that task into smaller, logical pieces that you can tackle one by one.
For example, if you have to write a blog post for a new client, here is how you can break it down into subtasks with 5day.io
Breaking down tasks helps you visualize all the small steps that need to be taken, which do not seem daunting, and tricks your mind into thinking that it is easily achievable.
b. Use a visual board for upcoming tasks
Lay out all your tasks in front of you, including what is overdue, due today, tomorrow, and this week. Having your tasks in front of you helps you tackle everything in order based on priority and helps avoid task paralysis.
Choose a task management tool that organizes all your tasks based on due dates so you never miss a deadline again.
c. Delegate or discard unimportant tasks
All the tasks on your list do not deserve to be given equal thought and work. Many times, what seems to be the most stimulating and urgent might not be that significant.
It is crucial to identify which tasks are urgent, important, unimportant, and not urgent. Based on this, you can assign priorities to it and discard what is not needed.
The Eisenhower matrix is a great way to understand the priorities of your tasks.
d. Follow the two-minute rule
The two-minute rule states that if a task can be done within a two-minute timeframe, do not put it off until later.
For example: Want to send an email? Write it and schedule it right away. Need to check up on a dependency? Send a message to your team member as soon as a meeting ends.
Small tasks throughout the day tend to pile up and become overwhelming. Tackle them right away to avoid clutter in your to-do list.
e. Set due dates and priorities
Due dates and deadlines are your best friend. Having due dates keeps your task list organized and your work on track.
Some tips to stay on top of your deadlines are:
- Make a limited task list of not more than 3 tasks per day
- Tackle the most complex task as soon as you start your day, then move down the scale
- Use a task management tool to keep track of all due dates and priorities
- Add recurrence to your weekly or monthly tasks so you do not forget about them
A task management tool like 5day.io is a great way to set priorities and deadlines for yourself. You can stay on top of your tasks by adding reminders, due dates, and priorities when necessary.
