Check Marks The Spot

Have you ever gone to the grocery store without a list?

I've done it more times than I care to admit. And honestly, I have to hang my head in a little bit of shame because too many times, I've thought to myself, "I need this, and this, and this. But I can remember those few things. I don't need a list."

But inevitably I go, see more things I think I need, buy those things, get some of the other things I had thought of but get home without at least one of them.

And then I wonder for the 100th time why I didn't make a list.

But checklists can have great value beyond the everyday, to-do list that we may create for ourselves to mark things off and feel like we've accomplished some things for the day.

What if there is a process at work or in a field of work that if each step is not completed sequentially then something will not work or even that someone could die?

Thankfully for most of us, we don't work in a field where it is a do or die type of situation but checklists have been proven to help with:

Memory—It can be difficult in high pressure situations, crunch time, or even repetitive tasks to remember all the steps of a process. A checklist helps avoid decision fatigue - you don't have to try and remember what to do next, you just go through your checklist.

Improved Productivity—When you don't have to take the time to stop and think of what your next step needs to be, or of the accumulation of the steps that have been taken you save valuable seconds. And those seconds can add up for processes each day that could have checklists created for them.

Motivation—Who doesn't like to check something off a list? Doesn't it just give you a thrill of success when you mark something off? Checklists help motivate employees and people because there is a feeling of accomplishment and completion. And knowing that something wasn't missed can give a sense of security and freedom.

The benefits are proven, but how can checklists help YOU?

Think of a complex, potentially high stress task you have to accomplish. Even if it isn't something you do regularly, a checklist can help whenever you DO have to complete the task.

As you go through the process, write down each step you take. Give yourself enough detail to easily know what needs to be accomplished in the step but not a paragraph description!

Make sure that the checklist includes the details needed that if someone didn't know how to complete the task, they could do it by following the checklist.

Use the checklist the next time you must complete your task to verify that it includes every step needed to complete the process and you didn't have to stop and think through things as you went.

Now you've got your checklist! Think how much easier things will be the next time you have to complete this task—less stress! No forgetting anything. Or remembering where you were after you got interrupted.

Just checkmarks to know that you've got the spot!