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Mastering the Art of Checklists for Routine Tasks
S.J. Scott
October 26, 2024
Welcome to another edition of the 1% Habits Newsletter!
This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on small wins to improve your habits, productivity, and life satisfaction.
Let’s get to it…
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📈 Mastering the Art of Checklists for Routine Tasks
In our fast-paced world, essential tasks often slip through the cracks.
Forgetting just one detail can lead to setbacks and stress. Managing multiple responsibilities can overwhelm anyone.
But as someone who juggles multiple responsibilities, I’ve found that creating checklists is indispensable across various aspects of my life.
Whether I'm packing for family trips, writing books, doing my taxes, or even crafting emails for this list, checklists help me stay organized and efficient.
The humble checklist is a simple yet powerful tool to ensure consistency and completeness in any process.
Why Checklists are Helpful
After reading Atul Gawande's insightful book, The Checklist Manifesto, I was inspired to integrate checklists throughout my daily routine. This simple yet powerful approach demonstrated to me how even seasoned professionals can greatly benefit from the use of checklists.
Checklists help organize tasks and ensure that nothing is forgotten. By breaking down a process into individual steps, checklists make it easy to follow and complete each task correctly.
They reduce cognitive load, allowing you to focus on doing the actions to complete a task rather than having to summon each step from memory. This method is not only effective for daily personal use but also in professional settings where precision is critical, such as in aviation and healthcare.
For instance, when packing for a family trip, a checklist ensures that nothing essential is left behind. From passports and tickets to toiletries and snacks, every item has its place on the list, reducing last-minute stress and the likelihood of forgetting something important.
Similarly, when writing a book, a checklist helps in tracking the progress of each chapter, ensuring that research, drafting, and editing are systematically handled.
So let’s talk about how to take action on this simple idea.
How to Get Started
Step 1: Identify the Task
Start by pinpointing the repeatable task you want to streamline. It could be anything from preparing a weekly report to conducting a safety check.
Step 2: Break Down the Steps
Describe each step involved in completing the task. Make sure the steps are clear and to the point, leaving no room for ambiguity.
For example, here is a partial list of the steps that I take to complete my business taxes:
Identify people who I need to send out 1099s
Get W-9s for each person
Total up 1099s of person
Send out 1099s to each person
Total up the expenditures from Chase
Total up my earnings for my main business
Total up my earnings for my other side businesses
Total up my other expenditures
Totals for property taxes and interest payments
Total up expenditures from American Express
Total up expenditures from Receipts
Total up expenditures from PayPal
Total up expenditures from mileage
See how each of these items is a simple action that can be completed in less than an hour?
That’s how you break down any process into a simple checklist.
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Step 3: Choose Your Tool
Decide where to store your checklist. Digital tools like Google Sheets, Todoist, Evernote, or Notion are excellent choices. They allow easy access, updates, and sharing with team members if necessary.
For instance, using Todoist for daily work tasks can help prioritize and track progress, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
Now, if you prefer the pen and paper approach, you could use our Minimalist To-Do List Printable Template.
Step 4: Test and Refine Your Checklist
Once you have your checklist in place, use it a few times and note any areas for improvement.
Are there steps that need to be more detailed?
Are there unnecessary steps that can be removed?
Are there any actions that need to be added?
Continuous refinement will make your checklist more effective over time.
For example, when packing for trips, you might realize you consistently forget to include phone chargers, prompting you to add it to your list.
Step 5: Make It a Habit
The final step is to integrate the use of checklists into your daily routine. Consistently using checklists will help you develop a habit that ensures tasks are completed accurately and efficiently.
Set reminders to check your lists regularly, especially for tasks that are not daily but still recurring.
Over time, this habit will become second nature, and you’ll find yourself more organized and less stressed.
Final Thoughts on Checklists
By creating and regularly updating checklists, you not only make sure that each task is done correctly every time but also save time and reduce stress. Start small by identifying a few repeatable tasks and create your first checklists today.
Over time, you'll find that this simple habit can lead to significant improvements in your efficiency and peace of mind.
So, give your memory a break and start the habit of making checklists for efficiency and peace of mind. Take action now and experience the transformative power of this 1% habit in your daily life.
⚙️1% Habit Idea
Here’s a quick idea for today…
Many people struggle with to-do lists because they can make you feel demotivated if you plan too many activities.
So another option is to create a “done list” where you jot down all the tasks you achieved for the day.
This will help create motivation about what you’ll work on the next morning.
How to Get Started
Make a note of tasks as you complete them, or reflect at the end of the day and write down a list of everything you achieved.
🗂️ The Resource Roundup
🌱 Why Growth Requires Struggle – Mark Manson dives into why struggle and discomfort are essential for growth, drawing parallels between psychological and physical strength. He argues that the right amount of challenge builds resilience, while too little leads to fragility and too much can cause trauma.
⚙️ A System for Thinking Like Charlie Munger [3 Mental Models] – Curious about how Charlie Munger thinks? This article dives into three mental models he uses to make better decisions and shows how you can apply them to your life.
🪄 The illusion of productivity – Ever feel like you're constantly busy but not really getting anything done? This article explores the “illusion of productivity,” revealing how our addiction to busyness can distract us from meaningful achievements and how to break free from it. Discover practical tips to reclaim your time and focus on what truly matters!
🙂 5 Lessons from a Conversation with a World-Renowned Happiness Expert – Unlock the secrets to true happiness with insights from a world-renowned expert! Discover five transformative lessons that can reshape your approach to joy and fulfillment in life and work in this article.
🔋 The Nine Habits to Increase Your Energy – Feeling drained too often? Discover nine simple habits that can help you boost your energy levels throughout the day, from prioritizing sleep to incorporating quick exercise routines. Small changes can lead to a more vibrant, productive life!
That’s it for today.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Cheers,
Steve Scott
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