Have you ever felt the satisfaction of completing a list of to-do tasks (i.e., a checklist)? Without proper organization, people struggle to get things done, while others may struggle to figure out what they need to do. The answer to this problem is the checklist. Having a checklist to follow gives us a plan to stick to. It dampens the anxiety of the everyday chaos of life and stands as proof of our accomplishment.

Checklists provide psychological comfort, and the simple act of crossing off items on our checklist gives us a blissful feeling. It’s a system beautiful in its simplicity.

Checklist Items are Small-Sized Goals

Having a bigger picture in mind is very important because it stands as a goal that inspires and motivates you to work, improve, and progress. However, it’s almost impossible to achieve that goal without breaking it down into small, bite-sized goals. Once the main goal is established, it’s time to set SMART goals. These goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

Overreaching goals typically take some time, while smaller goals are short-term, not so complicated, and less challenging. Having a checklist of small goals will help you stay positive and motivated throughout the process.

Why Crossing Items of a Checklist Is So Satisfying

The irreplaceable and essential element of success is motivation. When people are not motivated, there’s a higher chance they will give up in the midst of a project and fail. By crossing these smaller objectives off the checklist, we experience small amounts of success.

That’s when our brains release dopamine that fuels our motivation and learning. We want to repeat the actions that resulted in success. Achieving those small successes helps us stay motivated during long-term processes and learn to take those same actions.

Checklists are Widely Used across Different Industries

Regardless of what platform, field, or industry we’re talking about, checklists can turn mundane, regular tasks into more “fun” activities. A completed checklist is an example of what our brain would perceive as a reward.

People rely on checklists for anything from packing for a vacation to checking pieces of equipment in a facility to make sure everything works. The possibilities are endless, but checklists are found to be especially useful when dealing with collaborative and complicated projects. For example, The Checker offers comprehensive checklist books for almost every industry as well as The Checker Pro software, which enables users to create their own checklists.

Takeaway

If you are working on a collaborative project, then using a platform where you can create and share checklists with coworkers is the perfect way to manage a complicated workflow. Coming up with business objectives for the year can be one checklist and the tasks to achieve them another. Checklists are universal. The more tasks you need to do, the more you must keep track of, and a checklist is the best tool for the job.

Tags: why inspect?, inspection checklists, checklist design

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