diff --git a/CHANGES/+deferred_task_args.feature b/CHANGES/+deferred_task_args.feature
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5e8125ff44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CHANGES/+deferred_task_args.feature
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Improved performance when handling tasks by deferred loading of encrypted args.
+This also allows seeing and purging tasks in case the symmetric db key was lost.
diff --git a/pulpcore/app/models/task.py b/pulpcore/app/models/task.py
index dac5af1041..c33db280da 100644
--- a/pulpcore/app/models/task.py
+++ b/pulpcore/app/models/task.py
@@ -63,6 +63,14 @@ class Meta:
         unique_together = ("task", "name")
 
 
+class TaskManager(models.Manager):
+    def get_queryset(self):
+        # Always make encrypted args deferred.
+        # This will prevent a lot of issues when the fernet key is lost.
+        # Only task workers need to be able to read these args anyway.
+        return super().get_queryset().defer("enc_args", "enc_kwargs")
+
+
 class Task(BaseModel, AutoAddObjPermsMixin):
     """
     Represents a task
@@ -88,6 +96,8 @@ class Task(BaseModel, AutoAddObjPermsMixin):
         pulp_domain (models.ForeignKey): The domain the Task is a part of
     """
 
+    objects = TaskManager()
+
     state = models.TextField(choices=TASK_CHOICES)
     name = models.TextField()
     logging_cid = models.TextField(db_index=True)
@@ -285,8 +295,10 @@ def refresh_from_db(self, using=None, fields=None, **kwargs):
         # loaded.
         if fields is not None:
             fields = set(fields)
-            deferred_fields = self.get_deferred_fields()
-            # If any deferred field is going to be loaded
+            deferred_fields = {
+                field for field in self.get_deferred_fields() if not field.startswith("enc_")
+            }
+            # If any state related deferred field is going to be loaded
             if fields.intersection(deferred_fields):
                 # then load all of them
                 fields = fields.union(deferred_fields)
diff --git a/pulpcore/tasking/_util.py b/pulpcore/tasking/_util.py
index 8aa6e56081..6d352a3d4a 100644
--- a/pulpcore/tasking/_util.py
+++ b/pulpcore/tasking/_util.py
@@ -95,7 +95,8 @@ def perform_task(task_pk, task_working_dir_rel_path):
     signal.signal(signal.SIGUSR1, child_signal_handler)
     # All processes need to create their own postgres connection
     connection.connection = None
-    task = Task.objects.select_related("pulp_domain").get(pk=task_pk)
+    # enc_args and enc_kwargs are deferred by default but we actually want them
+    task = Task.objects.defer(None).select_related("pulp_domain").get(pk=task_pk)
     user = get_users_with_perms(task, with_group_users=False).first()
     # Isolate from the parent asyncio.
     asyncio.set_event_loop(asyncio.new_event_loop())