How are you, as GIS professionals, spending most of your day at work?
Well, I think there is a role you are not considering explicitly: GIS developers. :-)
In my opinion, the task list you are mentioning seems quite detailed and I know several GIS professionals that usually do things like the ones you mention. But depending on the background each person has, the tasks list may differ a lot. For example, in my case I am a computer scientist, therefore, I spend my day, mainly, in programming (client apps and other webtools), publishing data/map services or suffering with spatial databases (mostly integration of different data sources). It means that usually, I do not sit in front of my computer and create maps or perform vector/raster analysis: I develop frameworks to make possible other GIS analysis.
But hey, we are GIS professionals too! :D
Im my "GIS time" (~ half of the working-day) I use
60% day at computer scripting (70% developing software and "GIS recipes", 30% leading with digital cartography); 20% at meetings (skype and presential); 20% learning/refreshing.
Suggestion: review with more people here (and perhaps editing your question) the "typical tasks" list. The consensual list, and perhaps a survey (if here, can you consolidate answers? else you can prepare a page like freeonlinesurveys?), can be used by many others.
GIS professionals, typical day-by-day tasks
PS: cartographers, geographers, programmers, etc. can be "GIS professionals", since use/develop GIS as an usual task.
Cartography – creating new maps, or modifying others...
- Mainly with layout (ex. editing CSS or mapfiles).
- Mainly with databases (ex. building new layers with new SQL complex queries)
- Mainly with raw data (ex. editing points, lines and polygons).
Research/develop - supposing to producing new things,
- on GIS software/architecture
- on Geoprocessing methodologies/recipes
Installing and/or Testing GIS tools and methods - no new thing; find, select, prepare and test.
Data editing/cleansing - editing or reviewing already created data.
Spatial Analysis - finding answers for spatial questions.
Meetings
- With "GIS people"
- With "non-GIS people"
Learning - reading books, journals, visiting GIS.stackexchange.com and another sites; using email, chat, telephone, presential talk, etc.
Somewhat tongue in cheek, but very true for me...as an academic...25% lecturing, 15% searching for interesting stuff and/or answering questions on various forums, 15% marking and the remainder learning new languages and/or software programs related to Geomatics.