The power of checklists

"Described as the biggest clinical innovation in 30 years, the checklist is based on a set of seemingly banal questions but is set to become as essential to daily medicine as the stethoscope. In Britain alone, the new procedure could save hundreds of lives a year and 80,000 complications."
- The Independent, Thursday, 15 January 2009

When you install iKnow, one of the example notes is 'Checklists':
"What is a checklist ?
- A checklist is used as an aid to memory.
- It helps to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task.
- It is often a step-by-step instruction to successfully complete a task.

iKnow is perfect for creating checklists; simply create a new note for each list."

Some examples:
- holding a presentation
- leading a meeting
- brainstorming
- interviewing people
- publishing a blog post
- GTD process
etc etc etc

Use your brain to research which steps are needed, and use iKnow to help you remember them every time you need them .

Checklists are simple, and VERY powerful !

Using PpcSoft iKnow for checklists

PpcSoft iKnow is optimized for productivity, and using lists in iKnow is no exception.

In the screenshot below, all the steps in the checklist have their own note for more information. You can then use AutoPreview to quickly view more details of each step.

AutoLists:
When creating a list item using a simple separator (like " - Check laptop battery"), pressing Enter will automatically insert " - " on the next line for you.

AutoBullets:
If you prefer bullets from separators/dashes, you can enter '*' (star) at the beginning of a line and it will automatically be converted into a bullet ('•'). You may also use the same shortcut as in MS Word - Ctrl + Shift + L to insert a bullet.

AutoIndent:
When a list item begins with " - " (like " - Check laptop battery"), pressing Tab will automatically indent the line for you.

MultiIndent:
When multiple list items begins with " - ", selecting several items and pressing Tab will automatically indent all the selected lines for you.

Mark as Done:
To strike out an item (or any line), simply press Ctrl + D (for 'Done'). The line will will marked as grey in addition to having a line through it. You may also select parts of a line and strike out that part only if you want to.

Templates:
Templates will let you create new notes based on a previous note. If you want to "check off" items in a list often, you simply create a "template" (standard note that you use as a template) and then create new lists based on this template.

AutoPreview:
For "complicated" steps in the checklist, you may simply add something like this:
- connect the projector (see HelpProjectors)

Using AutoPreview means that if you want some more information about connecting projectors, you simply hover your mouse over the link 'HelpProjectors', and you'll get a preview of the note 'HelpProjectors'.

In this note you may write down some tips on how to use the different projectors in your meeting rooms etc.

Using this technique, simple checklists may contain very complex additional information using links and AutoPreview.

Links: