Not more than an hour’s drive from where I sit, the modern age of organization and productivity was born. But it wasn’t to help business people get things done. The revolution was made so the Army Air Corps could master and fly one of the most complex machines created to date: the B-17 bomber.
On October 30th 1935, at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, during final flight evaluations, the test aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. The investigation showed it was pilot error, an improperly set switch. And questions were quickly raised. Was this plane simply too complex to fly?
Of course not, as we now know. But the procedures to prepare for flight, take off, maintain flight, then prepare, land, and shut down, were all extremely complex. Even with rigorous training, vital steps could be missed, resulting in tragic loss of life and equipment.
But it was the pilots who solved the problem. They came up with checklists with complete details of EVERY procedure. And they started the discipline that these lists MUST be used every time, without fail. Because of that, the B-17 was a very successful aircraft and checklists have become a standard part of flying.
And checklists can help you too, but only if you use them.
Here’s where pilots get into trouble – and where you’re likely to have troubles as well: when you get so comfortable with your task that you “internalize” your checklists and say, “I can skip the list this time, I’ve done this a thousand times.” It may not be the first time you do this that you encounter trouble, but errors will creep in and eventually, you’ll miss a crucial step and crash.
One of the odd things about checklists is this: it’s taken decades for them to catch on for other complex processes and professions. Surgeons still do not use them uniformly.
I struggle with this and have to remind myself: use the check list!
My daily one includes the following, among other items:
- Process inbox to Zero.
- Review day folder.
- Review calendar for day and following week.
- Review Next Actions folder.
And where I get into trouble is when I do this mentally. For example, instead of actually opening and reviewing my Next Actions folder, I mentally review it, trying to remember what’s in it, especially if I haven’t added anything to it recently. And that defeats the purpose. The review lets me NOT have to think about what’s in the folder, not worry about missing things. I should review my check list, do each task, then check it off. It’s easy not to. Nobody’s going to die if I don’t. But missing important tasks, deadlines, or appointments can damage my reputation and relationships. I don’t want to do that. And if I’m managing a complex project, I want evidence that I’ve done every step – that’s what the checklist is for.
All this may seem overly simple, but this discipline is the key. Use the system, rely on it. If you start cheating, if you start getting overconfident in your internal recollection of your tasks, you’ll fail, and fail quickly. Is the risk worth the few seconds saved?
{ 2 trackbacks }