Task vs project
A task is a single step you could do without deciding anything first. A project is any outcome needing more than one — which in practice is most of what people write on a to-do list.
By Bohdan StefaniukLast updated
The test
Read the item and ask whether you could start it right now, as written. “Book the dentist” passes. “Sort out health admin” does not — it needs a decision before it needs an action, and that unmade decision is what makes you skip past it every time.
GTD sets the bar low deliberately: anything taking more than one step is a project, including things that will be finished this afternoon. The point is not ceremony, it is that a multi-step thing needs a next action or it stalls.
Why the distinction earns its keep
A list of stalled projects is what makes a system feel heavy. You carry the weight of every commitment while having no way to act on any of them, and the usual response is to stop opening the app.
Separating the two gives you a cheap weekly question — does every live project have a next action? — which is step 8 of the weekly review.
How apps model it
Most give projects a container of their own. In TaskPocket a project holds tasks and sections, can carry its own deadline, and can be completed — which archives it with its history rather than deleting it. Areas sit above projects for the things that never end. See projects and areas.