"Get around to" gives a professional a natural way to admit a task is late without saying "I forgot" or "I didn't do it." Instead of framing the task as dropped, it frames it as still on the list -- delayed by competing priorities, not abandoned.
The reframe: still on the list, not forgotten
Blunt: "I forgot to review the report." Natural: "I still haven't gotten around to reviewing the report -- hoping to get to it tomorrow."
Both sentences report the same underlying fact: the review didn't happen yet. But the second one signals the task is queued, not lost, which is a more accurate and more professional way to describe most real delays -- work usually gets deprioritized, not forgotten outright.
Where this phrase belongs
"Get around to" is spoken-register and informal-to-neutral. It fits naturally in standups, 1:1s, casual Slack messages, and quick check-ins with a peer.
Standup: "Quick update: I still haven't gotten around to the QA pass, hoping to finish it tomorrow."
Where it doesn't belong
In polished client-facing or executive-facing written prose, "get around to" can undersell professionalism or read as an excuse. A more neutral phrase does the same job with more weight.
Want to learn "Get Around To" in depth?
Lyra Practice teaches advanced non-native professionals the nuance of high-value expressions like this one, then has you practice using them in realistic work scenarios.
Start learning for free →Client update, more formal: "This item is still pending; we expect to complete it by end of week." Same update, too casual for this audience: "We haven't gotten around to this yet."
One honest caveat
Repeatedly explaining missed deadlines with "haven't gotten around to it" instead of naming the actual blocker can read as low ownership in upward communication. That's simply a fact about how the phrase functions in a status update -- if there's a real blocker, naming it directly is usually the stronger move.
The rule
Use "get around to" for internal, informal-to-neutral admissions of delay, where framing a task as queued rather than forgotten is both accurate and appropriately low-key. Switch to more formal, neutral phrasing ("still pending," "not yet completed") for client-facing or executive-facing writing, where the phrase can read as too casual.
Practice scenarios
Practice admitting a delay in situations like:
- a standup update where a task slipped to the next day
- a Slack apology to a colleague waiting on feedback
- a client-facing status update where a more formal phrase fits better
Useful practice phrases:
- "I still haven't gotten around to it -- hoping to finish tomorrow."
- "This item is still pending; we expect to complete it by end of week."
- "Sorry, I haven't gotten around to your feedback yet -- will do it today."
Delayed, not forgotten -- and matched to the right register for who's reading it.
Lyra Practice helps advanced non-native English professionals learn the nuance of high-value workplace expressions and practice using them in realistic scenarios, so their English sounds natural, precise, and senior at work. Try Lyra Practice.