5 ms·
But where does one begin to identify the parts of life where a checklist would reduce cognitive load? In IT, some cases are obvious (such as deploying new rele
by blunte 7y ago
But where does one begin to identify the parts of life where a checklist would reduce cognitive load?
In IT, some cases are obvious (such as deploying new releases). However, if a process is so repeatable that you could have an accurate checklist, then you could probably automate the process and eliminate the need for the checklist.
I would love to know what parts of my life I could relegate to checklists so I could free my mind to focus on just the things that I excel at...
- crispyambulance 7y agoIn critical situations where the a bad outcome is really, really negative, checklists are fine. I've seen checklists abused, however, in project management. Where some folks are apt to generate a "one-size-fits-all" checklist for every project large or small. It ends up becoming boilerplate, and worse, people take their tasks less seriously if trivial, nebulous or non-applicable stuff is grouped onto the same footing as things which take hard work. Everything ends up being a checklist item with check-box and a date on it.
- mav3rick 7y agoIronically for packing before travel.
- cco 7y agoPacking for a vacation or camping trip is a very good candidate. If you live in a winter climate you can create a good winterizing checklist. Weekly home upkeep is another.
- deepspace 7y agoYes! I used to forget something every time I traveled. After reading Gawande's book in 2010 I started making a checklist. It took about five trips to converge on a stable list and these days travel is a breeze. Print out checklist. Do stuff on checklist, in sequence. Enjoy stress-free travel.
- Too 7y agoPacking for anything is perfect candidate for checklists. I even made one for going to the gym which which is something i do regularly but still very often manage to forget some mundane thing like shampoo, padlock, member card, socks, water bottle.
- kemitche 7y ago> However, if a process is so repeatable that you could have an accurate checklist, then you could probably automate the process and eliminate the need for the checklist. To flip this on its head though, writing (and following) a checklist for a process is perhaps a good first step to automating it.
- dragonwriter 7y ago> However, if a process is so repeatable that you could have an accurate checklist, then you could probably automate the process and eliminate the need for the checklist. The checklist is (a key part of) the documentation for the automated solution, and would not, as such, stop being necessary just because the automated solution existed; it would be a key resource for change management. Automation eliminates the need for the people acting on the checklist, not the checklist itself.
- peter303 7y agoI have mental checklists I use all the time for routine tasks I could forget. I losealot fewer things. I get lost less frequently. First getting up in the morning Leave the house Leaving the garage Parking in the parking lot Starting work in the morning Leaving work Parking in the garage Arriving in gym locker room Leaving gym locker room Packing for a trip Unpacking from a trip The bugaboo is an interruption that could make you forget a step. Or forget to memorize something.