Calling Projects Tasks

There are things on my to-do list that have been there long enough to stop feeling like tasks.

They aren’t urgent. The business isn’t suffering because of them. But they matter.

I’ve started thinking about them more consistently. I can’t tell if that’s readiness, or just the cost of leaving something unfinished for too long.

The most important of these “tasks” are probably more like projects. Multistep pieces of work that need proper thinking time. But I’ve labelled them as tasks because it feels lighter. It also stops me falling into a familiar rabbit hole:

Should this live in Things as a to-do?

Should it be in Notion as a project?

Should I manage this somewhere else entirely?

I’m interested in tech and new tools. I like experimenting. That means some of these items involve complicated automations across different systems. They would add value. I know that.

Most of them are unfinished.

They’d move things forward. But they require clarity, not effort.

When I look at the list, I don’t feel stressed. I just feel slightly stuck.

I don’t think I’m afraid of the work. I enjoy putting the effort in. But I require a defined outcome to work towards.

And, I think that, is the problem. Lack of definition.

Each of these tasks has undefined edges. No clear start. No clear finish. Decisions are required before execution, and decisions require commitment.

Labelling them as tasks lets me postpone that commitment.

It’s easier to manage a list than to define a direction.