Have you ever reached the end of a long day feeling drained, only to realise the one task that actually mattered is still untouched? You were busy all day, yet somehow nothing meaningful moved forward. If that sounds familiar, you may be task masking. It looks like productivity on the surface, but underneath, it’s quietly holding you back.

What actually is task masking?

Task masking is when you fill your time with lots of small, relatively easy tasks to avoid doing the one big thing you’re supposed to be doing. You might be replying to emails, adjusting layouts, organising files, or jumping between tabs, while the important task sits untouched in the background. This behaviour often goes unnoticed because it feels responsible. You are doing something, after all. But being busy is not the same as making progress and task masking thrives in that confusion.

The classic task masking moves

This is what task masking looks like: you sit down to write that important presentation, but first you need to check your emails. Obviously, then you notice the 17 unread messages on Teams. Better sort those out. Oh, and your desk is a bit messy, which is definitely affecting your ability to concentrate. And didn’t you read somewhere that staying hydrated improves productivity? Time for a tea break. Two hours later, you’ve got a spotless workspace, an empty inbox, but precisely zero slides created.

Why do we do it?

We don’t task mask because we’re lazy. Usually, it’s the complete opposite. We do it because the big, important task feels overwhelming, scary, or uncomfortable. You may not know where to start, or you’re worried you’ll mess it up. It may involve doing something that makes you feel vulnerable, like presenting your ideas or having a tough conversation.

So your brain does what any sensible brain would do when faced with discomfort: it distracts you with something easier. Something that still feels like work, so you don’t have to confront the guilt of actually doing nothing. The problem is that those big tasks don’t go away. They just get bigger, scarier, and more urgent. And now you’ve also added exhaustion to the mix, because you’ve spent all day frantically busy, while somehow achieving nothing meaningful.

The self-sabotage cycle

Task masking creates this vicious cycle that’s absolutely brilliant at making you miserable. You avoid the big task, so it doesn’t get done. Then you feel rubbish about yourself for not doing it. That makes the task feel even more intimidating, so you avoid it harder. More small tasks pile up as cover. You get more exhausted. Less gets done. Round and round, we go.

Before you know it, you’re working longer hours than ever, constantly knackered, and still haven’t done the thing you were supposed to do three weeks ago. Your colleagues think you’re busy, your manager thinks you’re productive, but you know you’re just spinning your wheels. Worst of all, you start to believe you’re not capable of doing the hard stuff. That you’re just not cut out for it, which is absolute nonsense, but task masking is very good at convincing you otherwise.

How to stop sabotaging yourself

Enough doom and gloom. The good news is that once you spot task masking, you can actually do something about it.

Name it when it’s happening. The next time you find yourself re-organising your files when you should be writing that report, just notice it. Say to yourself, “Oh, I’m task masking.” You’d be amazed at how powerful this simple recognition can be. Ask yourself what you’re avoiding and why. What feels threatening about the real task? Once you know what you’re actually afraid of, it becomes easier to tackle.

Break the big scary thing into stupidly small steps. Don’t write the presentation. Just open PowerPoint. Don’t even make a slide. Just sit there with it open for five minutes. Make it so small it feels ridiculous. You’ll often find that once you’ve started, you’ll do more than you planned.

Set a timer for unimportant stuff. Sometimes you do need to clear your inbox or tidy your desk. Fine. Give yourself 20 minutes for that stuff, set a timer, and when it goes off, move on to the real work.

Get comfortable with discomfort. This is the hard one. Sometimes you just have to sit with the horrible feeling of not knowing if you’re doing it right, or worry about whether it’ll be good enough. That feeling won’t kill you. In fact, it usually passes pretty quickly once you actually start.

Task masking is one of those things that seems harmless until you realise how much time, energy, and confidence it’s been quietly stealing from you.

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FAQs

Q1. Is task masking the same as procrastination?

Not quite. Procrastination is delaying work altogether, while task masking means doing easier tasks to avoid the important ones.

Q2. Can task masking affect career growth?

Yes. Consistently avoiding high-impact work can limit visibility, slow skill development, and reduce long-term opportunities.

Q3. Does task masking happen more in remote work?

It can. Fewer boundaries and constant digital communication make it easier to appear busy without doing meaningful work.

Q4. How can managers identify task masking in teams?

A focus on activity rather than outcomes, constant busyness, and missed priorities are often early signals.

Q5. Is task masking linked to burnout?

Yes. Staying busy without a sense of progress can increase exhaustion and emotional fatigue over time.