Checklists account for the mundane but essential tasks
People tend to resist structured protocols like checklists because of an aversion to rigidity. But the reality is that checklists account for the crucial (but mundane) tasks that must be completed, freeing up cognitive space for addressing the difficult tasks.
The fear people have about the idea of adherence to protocol is rigidity. They imagine mindless automatons, heads down in a checklist, incapable of looking out their windshield and coping with the real world in front of them. But what you find, when a checklist is well made, is exactly the opposite. The checklist gets the dumb stuff out of the way, the routines your brain shouldn’t have to occupy itself with and lets it rise above to focus on the hard stuff.[1]
See also:
- Checklists ensure success in complex conditions
- Checklists establish a higher standard of baseline performance