I'm going to make a bold claim here: almost every multi-step task is made much easier by a checklist of sorts. Granted, most of us probably don't need a checklist for something like doing the laundry, but for things we don't do on a very regular basis, or that have many different components, checklists can make things go much more smoothly, can prevent forgotten steps, and, perhaps most importantly (at least for me), mean fewer reminders to store in your head.

Here's why I love checklists so much, and how to put them to work for you.

How Do I Love Them? Let Me Count the Ways
Sitting next to me as I write this are 3 checklists: one detailing things I want to be sure I remember to pack for my upcoming vacation, one listing the things I want to be sure I do before I leave for that vacation (emptying the trash and watering the plants among them), and one with reminders of the information I need to be sure I include with an application I'm submitting for a first-time homebuyer's program.

These three lists are totally unrelated, but they're all related to tasks I need to take care of within the next few days. The fact that all of these tasks are written down and organized by context means, first of all, that I don't have to try to remember everything I have to do; it's all there on paper. The lists also make it easier to tackle these tasks in a relatively orderly way. The evening before I leave for vacation, for example, I can run through my pre-departure tasks and get them all done in one fell swoop, rather than feeling the need to do them piecemeal or, worse, worry about them very (VERY) early on the morning I leave.

Creating different lists means that tasks and reminders don't become one big jumble, which can be one of the downsides to gigantic To Do lists. When I'm running down the list of stuff I need to be sure to pack, I don't want to have to worry about anything on my other lists. I keep my lists handy so I can add to them as soon as something relevant pops into my head. The result? Confidence that I won't forget anything important, and the ability to let my brain focus on things other than trying to remind me to unplug the coffee maker before I go.

Making Checklists Work for You
One of the great things about checklists is that they can be as fancy or as plain as you want them to be. I'm using a 3-part planner pad (see Related Links below), with separate perforated pages for different types of lists, but a plain notebook or a few sheets of paper would work just as well. You can also create a basic checklist program in a word-processing or spreadsheet program and modify it to fit your needs. And, of course, you can keep your lists electronically. It's entirely up to you. Just be sure to choose a format that's easy and convenient for you to use or, like any tool you'll be less likely to use it.

Get into checklist mode by creating a list for a multi-part task or project you do regularly or are about to do--perhaps a checklist for cleaning the house, planning a business trip, or (dare I say!) getting your kids ready to go back to school in the fall. List absolutely every reminder or bit of info you can think of related to this project. Don't worry about things being in order; you can re-write your list once you've gotten everything out of your head.

Next, take a look at what you've written and see if things fall into certain categories. If you're planning a business trip, for example, you might have tasks related to researching and booking your travel, tasks related to preparing for the things you'll be doing on your trip (meetings, conference sessions, and so on), and reminders of things to bring (the power cord for your laptop, the charger for your phone, a swimsuit for the hotel pool). Divide these into separate lists.

Finally, get your lists into a format that's useful to you. Once you've divided them up, you might re-write them--in some semblance of order--onto clean sheets of paper, or rejigger your electronic lists. And though this seems blindingly obvious, be sure you have some way of tracking your progress, whether actual checkboxes to tick off when you've finished a task (my favorite!), a way to cross things off, or the ability to delete completed items from an electronic list.

Now simply follow your list, and enjoy the ability to get stuff done without having to worry about remembering everything or forgetting something. Here's to the power and beauty of the checklist!

Share Your Lists
I'd love to hear about the checklists you're already using and any this article might have inspired you to create. Visit the Organization Forum to share your lists and ideas, and to see what your fellow readers have come up with.