Stop Ignoring Overdue Tasks
Most task apps let you set due dates and alert you when you miss them. If you manage work with an approach like GTD, it is tempting to add deadlines to everything:
- “Finish this by the 10th.”
- “Wrap that up by 3 p.m.”
- “Have an answer ready by Friday.”
The problem arises when you mix truly urgent tasks with “nice-to-haves” and give all of them deadlines. Soon the list fills with red overdue items.
Overdue Tasks Drain Your Brain Like Background Processes
Your mind can juggle foreground work (what you are consciously thinking about) and background work (concerns simmering out of sight). Every time you set a due date, you create another background process—“Don’t forget, this is due.”
Leave those processes running and your mental “computer” slows down or even crashes. Missing due dates adds more and more of that invisible load.
Keep the Background Light
- Set deadlines only for tasks that truly require them. Everything else can stay undated or go on a wish list.
- When overdue tasks stack up, review each one: reschedule it, move it to a Someday/Maybe list, delegate it, or delete it.
