We are really good at coming up with creative ideas and solutions. We are not so good with keeping track of all kinds of details. This is where checklists come in.

Pilots use checklists. They guide them trough getting the plane ready for take off, to landing it and for all kinds of other procedures. Being a pilot requires a process of selection and a long training, but a huge part of the things a pilot has to do is captured in a checklist.

A checklist allows you to focus on execution instead of remembering what to to. If you are sure the steps for writing a new proposal is captured, you can spend all your time on the actual work.

A checklist is an easy way to document how you work, which makes transferring tasks a lot easier.

Personally, I’m using checklists while I am working on new features, my weekly review is a checklist and I basically have a checklist for my day with things that are important to me, like adding an entry to my diary. It gives me a great feeling to tick off the boxes in a list and with that complete a larger task.

Good candidates for checklists are things that happen regularly, and require a lot of smaller things. By identifying and codifying them into a list, you’ll save time and increase the quality of your work.