Workplace Challenges

Canadians are big procrastinators, survey finds

To-do: Quit putting off tasks

Until now, our love of hockey, reputation for politeness and passion for Tim Hortons coffee have helped define Canadians. Thanks to the findings of a new survey, we can also brag about our love of to-do lists. But it's understandable if you don't share that news right away. The same survey revealed another trait: procrastination.

LINDA WHITE
[ 2008-03-12 ]

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Canadians leave some items on their to-do lists for an average of 26 days before completing them.

The Kelton Research survey, commissioned by Microsoft, polled thousands of respondents in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany, Spain and Italy this year.

It found that Canadians rely on daily to-do lists more than any other nation. In fact, nearly four out of five (78%) of us depend on to-do lists for daily direction. But, alas, we ranked last for efficiency in completing those tasks and expressed frustration with our lists.

According to the survey, Canadians leave some items on their to-do lists for an average of 26 days before completing them. But we're not alone. The U.K. shares the top spot with us. The most efficient country? Italy. Respondents there say they leave tasks on their to-do list no more than an average of 14 days.

How do we stack up to our neighbours to the south? According to the survey, we're not quite as productive. Fewer Canadians (77%) than Americans (84%) complete more than half of their tasks in an average week.


"Canadians are making to-do lists as a way of managing tasks, but it's obviously not the answer. They need to plan time within their calendar to complete those tasks," certified professional organizer Ellen Damaschino of Oregon says. She recommends creating one to-do list for work and another for your personal life so you're not overwhelmed.

Damaschino is travelling with Microsoft Canada to share the benefits of electronic organizers like Windows Mobile software. It provides a choice of devices that allow you to check e-mail, manage calendars and contacts, edit documents, surf the web and enjoy entertainment on the go.

"We carry our cellphones every day," Damaschino says. "Why not make your phone an organizing tool? Don't carry multiple calendars, date books and file folders ... Having everything with me means I can use five minutes of time to get things done, like catching up on e-mail when I'm at my daughter's cello lesson."

The survey revealed other interesting findings:

- Canadians are a tenacious bunch: we're more likely to tackle the hardest item on our list than the easiest (54% versus 46%).

- Men and women are divided on the best way to manage their many tasks. Among those who keep multiple to-do lists, men are much more likely to use these lists for long-term goals, while women focus their list-making on things that need to be done immediately.

QUICK FACTS


Nearly four in five Canadians rely on to-do lists to get them through the day, a Microsoft-commissioned survey discovered. Other findings:

- 49% of Canadians spend an average of one hour per week making, rewriting, consulting and checking off items on their to-do lists.

- 40% of Canadians are frustrated with finding the time to get everything checked off their to-do lists.

- 96% of Canadians who keep a to-do list have neglected an important task because they forgot to put it on their list.



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