Do you keep a daily to-do list of all the tasks that you need and hope to accomplish? You’re not alone. In a new survey of more than 6,500 members, social networking website LinkedIn found that 71% of women report frequently keeping to-do lists, compared to only 60% of men. In the same survey, the results found that 89% of professionals are unable to complete all of their daily tasks.
Because of the alarming data revealed in the survey, LinkedIn’s Connection Director Nicole Williams has developed some helpful tips to help you prioritize and effectively accomplish the tasks on your daily to-do lists.
Williams suggests making a list and putting everything on it for step one. She says this helps to nail down unproductive time used during the day. “One of my favorite ways of shocking people is to ask them for one week to make a record of all the time they spend on on-work essentials. 10 hours, 20 calls and 15 to-die-for-sales later, it puts the reality of your to-do list in perspective. You can have non-productive time in your schedule each day, but just be sure to add it to the list. It will quickly become clear why you didn’t get to that report.”
For tip number two, Nicole says to build an efficiency routine. “With 26 percent of the professionals stating that they are easily distracted, having a regular list of tasks that need to get done each and every day will help not only keep you focused but also ensure you’re able to respond to inevitable diversions of your attention.”
Lastly, she says to conquer the dregs. “You don’t need to be an expert to-do-er to know the trap of the dregs. These are the things that you find on your list again… and again… and again because they are either hard, non-essential or are things that frankly, you just don’t want to do.” Nicole says it may be helpful to divide the dregs into three categories and seek advice or help in getting these tasks done.
For Nicole’s full list of tips, read her blog post over at the official LinkedIn blog.