Good morning, bookworms. In our last poll, 80% of you voted that audiobooks count as reading. Which means the other 20% probably didn't hear the question.

This week, we discuss checklists. Let's dive in.

— Maneet

Weekly Discussion

Who would you trust more:

Somebody with a lot of experience?

Or somebody who follows strict organization?

At first glance, my answer would probably lean toward experience. I’m a big believer that “life experience” is more important than “textbook experience.” I have a hard time taking advice from anybody who hasn’t done the thing themselves that they’re preaching. But after reading the beginning of this month’s book, The Checklist Manifesto, my perspective on this has started to change.

Even the most experienced people can make mistakes.

And a lot of the time, these mistakes are costly and preventable.

The stories told in the book mostly revolve around hospitals. Doctors who have years and years of training under their belts, but end up making a small mistake that costs somebody their life. Things like forgetting to wash their hands properly, or not asking a basic question until it’s too late. Mistakes like this can happen to anybody, no matter how much of an expert you are.

The solution is rather simple:

Use a checklist.

Look, I’m certainly not doing any type of work that’s a life-or-death situation. But the lesson of using checklists still resonates with me deeply. Following a checklist each time you do an important task can be the easiest way to prevent big mistakes. For some people, those mistakes are more costly than others, but we all have our own versions of them.

In recent days, I’ve begun using a simple checklist for my bedtime routine.

Following a checklist has helped me remember to do the small tasks I often forget each night—journal, plan the day ahead, clean my workspace, etc. Instead of trusting myself to do everything, having a checklist forces me to confront what I’m supposed to be doing, even if I don’t feel like doing it. It’s like having built-in accountability to do things the right way each time, every time.

Are you a checklist kind of person? I’d love to hear how you use them. Reply and let me know.

Weekly Poll

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