The power of checklists. Checklists are the most underappreciated yet powerful organisational tactic that you can know about but never use. We are all familiar with to-do lists and shopping lists, which are, perhaps, the simplest implementation of checklists, yet they can be so much more.

The checklist by Atul Gawande is a fascinating journey into the power of checklists, and as a medical professional he has used them to help save lives. But in our more ordinary lives, how can we use them effectively?

Breaking down complex projects into a checklist relieves our mind of trying to remember. Make a checklist for everything. There are plenty of simple online tools to help, such as Google Keep, or just use pen and paper. Then when you think you’ve listed everything, ask yourself what have you forgotten?

It’s time to use the humble checklist much more than we do.