Ever had that sinking feeling? You’re halfway to the airport, and suddenly, a cold dread washes over you. Did you pack your phone charger? Or maybe you’re about to start a big presentation, and you realize you forgot that crucial clicker. We’ve all been there. Those small, seemingly insignificant oversights can derail our day, our week, or even something much bigger. What if there was a simple, almost too-obvious solution to prevent these moments of panic and ensure you consistently perform at your best? There is, and it’s called the humble checklist.
For years, checklists have been the silent workhorses of high-stakes environments, from aviation to medicine. They’re not just for beginners; they’re for anyone who wants to minimize errors, reduce mental load, and consistently achieve high performance. Today, we’re going to dive into why checklists are your ultimate productivity superpower and explore three essential types you need in your life.
The Hidden Power of the Humble Checklist
It might seem counterintuitive, but the more routine a task becomes, the more susceptible we are to making mistakes. Our brains are wired to conserve energy, and when something feels familiar, we tend to go on autopilot. This is where the danger lies. Think about it: a pilot who has flown hundreds of times might assume they’ve covered all the pre-flight checks. But what if they miss one critical step?
Back in 2014, a private plane crashed, tragically killing seven people. The investigation revealed a shocking truth: for 98% of its 175 takeoffs, the plane had departed without completing the full pre-flight checklist. The crew had developed a habit of skipping crucial safety precautions. The major issue that day? A gust lock was still engaged, a detail that would have been caught by a proper checklist. This wasn’t about a lack of skill or experience; it was about the human tendency to overlook small details in routine tasks.
This story isn’t just about aviation; it’s a powerful metaphor for our daily lives. How many times do we assume we remember everything for a routine task, only to find we’ve missed something important? Checklists provide a protective barrier against these failures. They explicitly remind us of the minimum necessary steps, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. They don’t just prevent problems; they instill a discipline that leads to higher performance. They free up your mental energy from remembering “what to do” so you can focus on “doing it well.”
What routine task in your life could benefit from a simple checklist?
Checklist Type 1: Task-Specific Checklists
We all have tasks we perform regularly, whether it’s sending out a weekly report, preparing for a recurring meeting, or even something as simple as watering your plants. Even after doing something hundreds of times, it’s easy to forget a small but important detail. For instance, when preparing for a podcast recording, even after 400+ episodes, it’s still easy to forget a specific setting on the phone or a particular piece of equipment. That’s why task-specific checklists are so powerful.
These checklists are designed for repeatable processes, ensuring consistency and reducing the cognitive load of remembering every step. At Asian Efficiency, we use them for everything from producing podcast episodes to releasing new blog posts and email newsletters. They transform complex processes into a series of simple, verifiable steps.
Where should you keep these checklists? The good news is, you don’t need fancy software. While we use tools like Confluence for company-wide standard operating procedures (SOPs) and checklists, your personal checklists can live anywhere that’s convenient for you. Many people use Evernote, Notion, OneNote, or even simple Apple Notes. If you think about it, your grocery list is already a checklist you use regularly. The key is to have it visible and easily accessible.
It’s worth noting the slight difference between an SOP and a checklist. An SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to perform a task, often with specific instructions and settings. A checklist, on the other hand, is more of a “did you do this?” verification tool. It ensures you haven’t missed any critical components. Both are valuable, but the checklist is about execution and verification, not problem-solving. When you have this documentation in place, you’re not trying to solve new problems every single time; you’re simply checking off what needs to be done.
What’s one routine task you do that, if you missed a step, would cause a headache? That’s a perfect candidate for a task-specific checklist.
Checklist Type 2: Travel and Packing Checklists
Traveling, especially for work, can be a whirlwind. Even the most seasoned travelers can fall victim to forgetting essentials. There’s a story about a speaking engagement in North Carolina that perfectly illustrates this point. It was a quick 24-hour trip, and the speaker, confident in his travel experience, decided to pack without his usual checklist. The result? A cascade of small disasters.
First, his phone was dying, and he realized he’d forgotten his charger. A frantic search at the hotel and nearby stores yielded nothing. Then, as he was about to rehearse his talk, he discovered he’d left his presentation clicker at home. Finally, the slides wouldn’t load properly on screen, forcing him to rely on memory for his entire presentation. It was a series of preventable mishaps that turned a potentially smooth trip into a stressful ordeal.
This experience was a powerful reminder: no matter how experienced you are, if you don’t have a travel checklist, or if you have one and don’t follow it, you will forget something. This is especially true now, as many of us are getting back into regular travel after a long break. Our routines might be a little rusty.
A good travel checklist goes beyond just clothes. It includes things like international SIM cards or eSIM apps, passports, travel scales, and even specific chargers for all your gadgets. The beauty of a travel checklist is that it evolves. After every trip, take a moment to evaluate: What did you not need? What did you wish you had? Adjust and improve it over time. For example, one time, someone went on a solo camping trip, confident they could just “throw stuff in their backpack.” They quickly realized they’d forgotten to pack pants, leading to a very chilly night. Lesson learned: pants went on the checklist, and it’s never skipped again.
What’s the one thing you always seem to forget when you travel? Add it to your travel checklist today.
Checklist Type 3: Rituals, Review, and Planning Checklists
Productivity isn’t just about doing tasks; it’s about having effective rituals for starting your day, ending your day, and regularly reviewing your progress. But how do you ensure you consistently perform these crucial activities? And how do you make sure you’re doing them effectively?
Many people struggle with consistency when it comes to things like a weekly review. It’s easy to sit down, ready to tackle it, and then realize you’re not sure where to start or what steps to follow. This is where checklists for rituals, reviews, and planning become invaluable. Imagine sitting down with your coffee on a Sunday morning, opening your GTD weekly review checklist, and simply executing each step. No thinking, no figuring out what to do next – just pure execution mode.
These checklists solve two major problems: actually doing the ritual and doing it correctly. They reduce the friction of getting started, which is often the biggest hurdle. When you don’t have to think about how to start, you’re much more likely to just begin. And because the checklist outlines the minimum required steps, you’re far less likely to skip important parts of your morning routine, shutdown ritual, or planning session.
We all have morning routines, shutdown routines, and various planning sessions (daily, weekly, quarterly). If you have checklists for these, you’re far more likely to stick with them. Even if you fall off track for a few days or weeks, having that checklist makes it incredibly easy to get back on track. You don’t have to research or remember; you just follow the steps you already laid out for yourself.
What ritual or planning session do you often struggle to be consistent with? How could a checklist simplify it for you?
Your Next Step: Create One Checklist Today
Checklists are incredibly high-leverage tools. If you’re willing to invest just 15-20 minutes upfront to create a checklist, your future self will thank you. Think about the return on investment: spending 20 minutes now to save five minutes every time you perform that task. If you use that checklist even 40 times a year, that’s 200 minutes saved – over three hours! And that’s not even counting the reduced stress and increased accuracy.
The best time to solve a problem is when you’re calm and focused, not when you’re in the middle of a crisis or feeling overwhelmed. By creating checklists proactively, you’re setting yourself up for success even on days when you’re tired or not feeling your best. It makes execution relatively easy, even when your mental energy is low.
So, what’s one checklist you can create today? Is it for your morning routine, your travel packing, or a recurring work task? Don’t overthink it. Even an imperfect bulleted list in a simple document is infinitely better than nothing. Start small, create one checklist, and experience the quiet power of this unsung hero of productivity.