That pesky task list – the one that sits there on your desk or in your email calendar for days, weeks, months or even years. Why is it so hard to check off stuff on a task list?

At work, it’s not uncommon for tasks to go undone for quite some time. Whether it is management that’s been procrastinating or the staff that has fallen behind, an uncompleted task list can give off the impression of procrastination. If this sounds familiar, don’t worry, you and your employees are not alone.

The task list or to-do list can be a helpful tool that managers and staff can use to determine what they need to get done, what has already been done and what can be pushed down to the bottom of their priority list. The downside to having one of these lists glaring at you is that more often than not, it either goes ignored or other things get in the way of finishing it.

Today, let’s talk about some of the most common reasons why managers and staff don’t stick to their task lists.

Not Enough Time

A task list can be a simple way for management or staff to work through a daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly list of work responsibilities. However, most people only list things outside of their normal work flow on task lists. For example, if there are 10 things you need to do for your job on an everyday basis and what you put on your task list goes beyond those 10 tasks, you may be cutting yourself short on time.

Is there a fix for this? One of the best things to do is to create a daily task list and add in one extra thing per day. Rather than trying to fit in an extra 5 or 10 tasks on top of the 10 you already have, it’s much more manageable to try and do one extra thing per day to start off with. This way, you’re not going to feel immediately overwhelmed and stressed out looking at your list.

Another option is to improve on your time management skills. Pick an average day of the work week and write down everything that you do on that day – from eating lunch and how many breaks you take to how much “down” time you spend. If you keep track of what you do on a daily basis, you may find that a lot of time is being wasted that could be spent on the additional tasks that you want to complete.

Too Many Things on the List

There’s a possibility that your task list is making you feel overwhelmed. As we described above, rather than adding a bunch of things at once, start adding one or two things onto your task list on top of your other daily work tasks. The more items that are on your list, the more stressed you’re going to become, especially if you haven’t been able to find the time to complete them.

The List is in the Wrong Order

Can a list really be in the wrong order? It certainly can and if it is, your task list may go undone forever. When most people make a task list, they put the easiest things right at the top because the easier the task, the shorter amount of time it’s going to take to get done. The issue though is that when you get to work in the morning, by the time you check off the top of the list (the easier items), your mind is already going to be exhausted by the time you reach the more difficult tasks. Once this happens, you start saying to yourself:

“This is too hard.”

“I don’t feel like doing this right now.”

“I don’t remember how to do this.”

Give your mind a break from being tired and being stressed. When you get into work in the morning, start with the items on your list that are going to take the most brain power so that you don’t run out of energy or brainpower half way through the task. To make this easy, restructure your task lists so that the most time consuming and complicated matters are at the top.

Difficult Tasks

On another note about difficult tasks, have you ever put something on your task list which is either difficult or impossible for you to do? Maybe you don’t have the right skills or it’s something that you haven’t done in a while. Regardless of why the task is too difficult, remember that it’s always alright to ask for help or to divide up work tasks differently so that you’re not struggling to complete your work.

The task list is an effective tool but only if you make it work for you, not against you. By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be better able to make a task list which you can stick to more often than not.