Dive summary:
- Lots of people use checklists, but some use them ineffectively or insufficiently. The article's author, Chris Brogan, maintains there are three types of checklists: personal and repeatable, repeatable processes, and daily check list.
- So why use them? Checklists push you to get more done. If you have a checklist of 3 things to do and you get all three done vs. having a checklist of 29 things and get 7 done, you accomplished an additional 4 things in the latter scenario. The ideal, though, is somewhere in the middle where you're reaching but it is still attainable.
- When checklists cover repeatable processes, they can free up your mind so you can think about more creative ideas. Examples: Newsletter production checklists, repeatable meeting flows/agendas, etc. With those processes established, your brain is available to work on bigger problems.
From the article:
“Discovering” something that everyone else knows about is like planting your nation’s flag in the flower bed at the mall and feeling accomplished for the effort. To say that I’ve come to understand that checklists are a huge part of The Works (the absolute must-do parts of business, sometimes also called the Grind), is really to my embarrassment and to your possible advantage, if only to hear my thoughts, and even if it’s to nod simply and sagely, and acknowledge that you arrived there first. Checklists are what drives one through The Works. Checklists Push Y...
