---
title: "Every to-do opens a little loop in your head"
description: "Do you have to say you had no time again in the next meeting? This is how you see the open loops in your head, and close them one by one."
language: en
source: https://coachsteff.live/en/elke-to-do-opent-een-lusje
---

# Every to-do opens a little loop in your head

In a training session on meetings, I asked the group to raise their hands. Who had ever received a to-do in a meeting, and had to say in the next one: 'I had no time, I have not got round to it yet'? Almost all hands went up. One participant kept his hand neatly down. I congratulated him, because apparently he had it completely under control.

You probably recognise this. And that is not just down to you. Sometimes there are circumstances or systems that just hold you back. What I show in the training is how such a to-do actually works in your head. When you see that, it becomes easier to do something about it.

At the bottom of this article you will find a prompt to line up your own open loops. Feel free to copy it.

## This is how a loop runs in your head

During a meeting you get a to-do. The minutes say that you will do it, by next Tuesday. At that moment a little loop opens in your head. And it starts running. Then it is Thursday, and you still have not been able to finish that loop. Then it is Friday, and you think: damn, I have had no time this week. And then it is Monday, and it has to be done first thing. But on Monday, of course, all the other things arrive on your plate too.

And that does not just apply to that one to-do. Every email, every question from a colleague, every assignment from your manager, every question from a customer: they are all triggers. We actually walk around all day with open loops in our heads. Some you close in a few seconds, with a short answer. Others take days, and some never get finished. And that causes an enormous amount of stress, even if you do not immediately call it that.

## Frequently asked questions

**Why do unfinished to-dos cause so much stress?**

- Every to-do, email or question opens a little loop in your head that keeps running until it is finished. You carry many at the same time all day long. You only notice that when you line them up.

**What do I say in a meeting if my task is not finished yet?**

- Give a status instead of an excuse. Say that the task has been picked up and what it is waiting for now, for example a decision or information. If it really does not work out, say so in advance.

**How do I end up with fewer open loops?**

- Pass on what is not yours, state clearly where you are waiting for a decision and plan recurring things at fixed moments. A fixed moment per week for the loose ends helps too.

**Where do I learn to manage my time and tasks better?**

- In the From procrastination to productivity training you work on your own way of planning and finishing. You can find all dates at [Workshops & Events](https://coachsteff.live/agenda).