We all do it. We schedule something for a given day but run out of time (or energy) and push it to another day. That’s normal. If you rarely do that, you might not be getting as much done as you could. If you frequently do it, however, you might be trying to do more than you can handle. 

There is a sweet spot where you’re not doing too much or too little. But that’s a discussion for another day. 

Right now, a simple suggestion for you regarding what to do about tasks you postpone too often. 

Start by asking yourself why you keep postponing the task or project. Is it because it’s not that important to you, or not as important as other things you need to do? Is this task too difficult (right now)? Or tasks you find boring or otherwise unpleasant?

Because there are different options for each reason.

If you don’t see the value in doing the task, at least not in the short term, you might postpone it again (without feeling guilty about it), put it on a “someday” list, or delete it entirely. 

If the task is overwhelming, unpleasant, or too difficult, you might delegate all or part of it to someone who has more experience with that type of task or more time to do it. Or make the task easier to do, or at least easier to start, by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps. 

What if the task is too easy and you’re bored at the thought of doing it? You could make it more challenging or interesting by changing the way you do it. 

For example, instead of researching a project by piling through a bunch of books or articles, you might sign up for a course that shows you what to do step-by-step Or partner up with someone who does the parts you don’t like while you do others.

You could change the subject of a boring or unfulfilling task, e.g., writing a paper, to a different or more interesting subject.  

You could also expand the scope of a boring task and make it more challenging and/or more valuable. If you continually postpone outlining part of a presentation, for example, you might expand that into outlining the entire presentation.

Another idea is to change the software or tool you use, the newness of which should be more interesting and/or more challenging.

Once you know why you continually postpone a task, you can change that task, reframe how you think about it or how you go about doing it. It could be exactly what you need to do things you don’t want to do.

I like big lists and I cannot lie. I use them every day for everything. Bullet points give me order. Checkboxes give me peace. Lists save me time, keep me from forgetting things, and help me to be more productive. 

Can you relate? 

The other day, I was surprised to hear that Warren Buffet doesn’t make lists. I heard it from the man himself in a video. He says he doesn’t need lists because he knows what he needs to do and wants to do, and that’s what he does. 

And he has so much money, he can do whatever he damn pleases. Okay, I made that part up, but c’mon, we know that’s true. 

What about a calendar? That’s a list. You need to know about upcoming meetings and conference calls and appointments. Does he have someone who keeps that list for him?

What about the agenda when he delivers his annual report to shareholders? That’s a list, isn’t it? Does he read from a printed statement? That’s a list in narrative form, yes?

Anyway, this isn’t about the nitty gritty about what he does and doesn’t do. It’s about me romanticizing the idea of being so comfortable about your situation that you don’t need to make lists to keep you on track. 

I thought about what that would be like and wonder of wonders, I realized that I could actually make that sorta work.

I know the projects I want to work on today and this week. And I will work on them. Without needing to check my list. I know because they are important to me. 

I also know my daily and weekly routine tasks. Without a list and reminders, I might overlook some of them, but I’d get the most important ones done. 

I also know what I want to do after I finish my current projects and wrap up the week. How do I know? My subconscious mind reminds me. It knows what I need to do. And want to do. If it’s important, I won’t forget it. If I forget it, it wasn’t important. 

Maybe Mr. B. is onto something. 

Hold on. David Allen tells us to write down everything, to get it out of our heads and free up cognitive space for creating new ideas and working on them. 

Who’s right? The GTD guy or the weirdo who eats McDonalds every day? 

Tell you what, until I can hang with Mr. B., I’m sticking with Mr. A. 

Because I like big lists and I cannot lie. 

You don’t want to review that big file. You don’t want to call the adjuster. You don’t want to deliver the bad news to your client. Usually, you don’t think about it, you just do it.

But not always.

Some days, when you don’t feel like doing something that needs to get done, you avoid it and busy yourself with other things.

We all have days like that.

We also have days when we don’t feel like doing anything but sitting on the sofa and playing with our phone.

What do you do when you have a file you don’t want to look at or an article you don’t want to write? What do you do when you’re not motivated to do something you need to do?

You start.

Open the file. Find the phone number. Sharpen your pencil and write your name and room number at the top of the page.

Do something related to the task you are avoiding, however trivial, and let nature take its course.

Your brain will see you’ve started and compel you to take the next step.

Action is the solution.

“Getting started is magical,” says psychologist Thomas Pychyl. “Motivation follows action, not the other way around.”

On days when you don’t feel like doing anything, get out of the house and go to the office. If you work from home, go to your home office and sit at your desk, as if it was just another day at work.

Move your body, engage your mind, pick up a file or re-read your notes and momentum will take over.

Unless it doesn’t.

Some days, you just want to sit on the sofa and play with your phone. In which case, maybe you should take the day off.