Office to-do list seldom gets done: LinkedIn

A large section of professionals in India and over the world regularly maintain a to-do list but seldom complete all the tasks they plan to do, reveals a survey.

According to LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, 63 percent of the surveyed reported that they frequently keep a to-do list. But, when it comes to checking the boxes on their to-do lists, only 11 percent of professionals globally reported accomplishing all the tasks they plan to do in a given day.

The study showed that the likelihood that a professional will complete his to-do list varied by industry. While, professionals in the agriculture industry were the most productive, professionals in the legal industry had the lowest completion rate on their daily plans.

In agriculture, 83 percent of professionals said they regularly fulfilled most or all of their planned tasks. While, 66 percent of legal respondents said they accomplished most or all tasks.

The respondents pointed to unplanned tasks (such as unscheduled phone calls, emails and meetings) as primary cause for not completing all items on their to-do lists.

"As professionals, we constantly attempt to plan our day at work in the most effective manner. While surprise phone calls, meetings and other unplanned tasks usually make it difficult to adhere to a to-do list, professionals can rely on the intelligence gathered on LinkedIn to work smarter," LinkedIn India Country Manager Hari V Krishnan said.

The survey further noted that in India, 45 percent of professionals reported splitting their workday equally between planned and unplanned tasks. At 38 per cent, India had the fourth-highest percentage of survey respondents who spent most of their day on planned tasks.

Globally, 71 percent of women say they frequently keep to-do lists. Only 60 per cent of men say they frequently keep to-do lists, said the survey, that covered more than 6,500 professionals globally and over 400 in India said.
     
The study examined how professionals in different industries tackle tasks planned for a given workday; the differences between men and women's to-do list habits; and global insights on where professionals keep to-do lists and what gets in the way of completing them.