Some years ago I read a fascinating book, The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande. He’s a surgeon and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and championed the use of checklists in operating rooms all over the world for the World Health Organization. It made the OR’s healthier with fewer mishaps. Pilots also use checklists to ensure they are using best practices. The book is an interesting read and makes a strong case that using checklists keep the best of us from forgetting or overlooking things, especially in the heat of the moment.
I’ve used checklists for years – including checklists for friends’ birthdays, packing, travel, preparing for Christmas, things to buy, year-end to do’s, etc. – and they have saved me so much time and angst. You should try checklists if you don’t use them already.