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Quick Bio
Yawa Hansen-Quao is a travel professional and a women's empowerment activist. She loves Africa and firmly advocates that “one cannot love an Africa one does not know.”
25 Apr 2010 |
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Not long ago, I read a book called the Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande. Actually, it was Nina Chachu, the Head Librarian at Ashesi University who recommended this in response to me asking: “Nina, I’ve just quit my job in order to focus on building the Leading Ladies’ Network into an international women’s leadership development organization. What book(s) would you recommend a young social entrepreneur needed to hone on organizational skills?” The Checklist Manifesto was among her list of top picks.
The use of checklists to manage time and track progress is not really new knowledge but in this book, Atul Gawande uses really vivid examples, mostly from the field of medicine, to drive the point home. And at the least, this book got me seeing (really for the first time) that issues of productivity can really be life and death. Although I admit I do not have a natural affinity for check-lists, I’m convinced that checklists are really an excellent way to improve productivity. I for one, (after a lot of insistence from hubby), now use checklists to keep track of tasks that need to be completed throughout the day. I use them in meetings to ensure that I cover everything and don’t have to follow up unnecessarily. And because I have a very bad habit of “over-talking” I now use checklists to help me stay on track (meaning I make sense, and am not spending more time than allocated) during an oral presentation or speech. In fact, my last speech at Toastmasters lasted only 3 minutes and 14 seconds which for me was a big deal because I have a reputation for going over the 7 minute time allocation! And most of my peers agreed with me that particular speech was the most powerful I had given to date. Listing out the things I meant to say greatly enhanced my preparation process and truly nothing gives you confidence (especially for a speech) like being prepared. If you like are like me and need help prioritizing your time and increasing your productivity, here are a few web resources that I think might help you too!
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