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A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

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Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#31

Post by beaconstudios »

Does anyone know of a good cross-platform checklist app? There's a million and one todo list apps but I can't seem to find a good checklist one. I use my phone's memo app for checklists but it doesn't help me with staying consistent over time, and doesn't scale as I use the same app for note taking, ideas, a scratch space and so on.

Oh, and if you're thinking "I don't need no stinkin' checklists, what would you even use them for?" here's what I have currently:

- Code review key checks

- Code review smells and anti-patterns

- Out-the-door checks (got my keys, entry pass, grabbed lunch from fridge etc)

- Gym gear list

- Traits to work on a la Benjamin Franklin

- Self-care list for when I'm stressed/anxious (relief suggestions e.g. drink a glass of water, go for a walk, mindfulness, organise workload on paper, etc)

- Carry lists for a couple hobbies

I would likely have more but the poor form factor limits how practical it is to keep many lists.

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#32

Post by taneq »

supertrope wrote: post #19
vertexFarm wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. That's such a supreme indicator of overconfidence--the belief that I and I alone am so competent that I don't need safeguards. I would not have hoped that a high percentage of surgeons have that trait. I wonder if I am guilty of it as well. Something to examine in the mirror in our future endeavors.

I like to use the term Dunning-Kruger instead of over-confidence or hubris to describe it. Everyone thinks they demonstrate above average skill. During the 2007-2009 financial crisis every single financial services firm justified their executive bonuses by claiming their personnel were above average. Very few car drivers consider themselves below average. Before germ theory gained acceptance or was even understood, p…

It's not the Dunning-Kruger effect because it's overconfidence expressed by highly trained, highly competent experts about their own performance compared to their peers. If anything it's "skilled and too aware of it" rather than "unskilled and unaware of it".

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#33

Post by nanomonkey »

beaconstudios wrote: post #31

Does anyone know of a good cross-platform checklist app? There's a million and one todo list apps but I can't seem to find a good checklist one. I use my phone's memo app for checklists but it doesn't help me with staying consistent over time, and doesn't scale as I use the same app for note taking, ideas, a scratch space and so on. Oh, and if you're thinking "I don't need no stinkin' checklists, what would you even…

Markdown or Org-mode are both cross platform compliant and as text files are easy to generate just about anywhere.

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#34

Post by upofadown »

People are generically bad at reliably setting states. The problem isn't so much that someone failed to do something (an action) but that they failed to notice that the action was not done (the state was wrong).

Often times people forget the "check" part of the term "checklist" and treat them as a list of things they must do. The result is less reliable because it is easy to skip a step, even if you end up ticking a box. A checklist involves two steps, first doing the thing (possibly from memory) and then consulting the checklist to see that the appropriate state is set.

This is a particular issue for programmers as programmers are constantly involved with lists of actions that are performed in sequence. As a result there is a tendency to let the list run the human in a way similar to how a computer runs a program. Computers are way better at states than humans are however...

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#35

Post by forapurpose »

beaconstudios wrote: post #31

Does anyone know of a good cross-platform checklist app? There's a million and one todo list apps but I can't seem to find a good checklist one. I use my phone's memo app for checklists but it doesn't help me with staying consistent over time, and doesn't scale as I use the same app for note taking, ideas, a scratch space and so on. Oh, and if you're thinking "I don't need no stinkin' checklists, what would you even…

A few thoughts from someone who has used checklists extensively for many years:

1. Use a spreadsheet. The flexibility to change the structure as you go, and to create a 2-dimensional checklist is great. All the other power of a spreadsheet is at your fingertips, including automation.

2. Visualization is extremely valuable, and I think necessary. If you have to read through the text of the checklist to understand the current state, it's too cumbersome (other than for small lists) and hard to process. If spreadsheet cells change color based on status, and if their location indicates, via visual memory, what they represent, then now you have a dashboard which tells you the state of the project at a glance.

3. Human beings are terrible at following and updating checklists. I don't know why - it seems easy in concept - but I've never met anyone who could do it without forcing themselves. And everyone starts instinctively skipping steps after awhile. Keep it as simple as possible, with as little detail and as few updates as are necessary to keep things going.

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#36

Post by beaconstudios »

nanomonkey wrote: post #33
beaconstudios wrote: post #31

Does anyone know of a good cross-platform checklist app? There's a million and one todo list apps but I can't seem to find a good checklist one. I use my phone's memo app for checklists but it doesn't help me with staying consistent over time, and doesn't scale as I use the same app for note taking, ideas, a scratch space and so on. Oh, and if you're thinking "I don't need no stinkin' checklists, what would you even…

Markdown or Org-mode are both cross platform compliant and as text files are easy to generate just about anywhere.

it's not so much the text formatting as the ability to set reminders, physically check off the list and have a record per-day/instance/whatever of completing the list, that kind of thing. The main reason I use checklists so much is because my memory is extremely bad, so prompts make a huge difference to me.

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#37

Post by krallja »

upofadown wrote: post #34

People are generically bad at reliably setting states. The problem isn't so much that someone failed to do something (an action) but that they failed to notice that the action was not done (the state was wrong). Often times people forget the "check" part of the term "checklist" and treat them as a list of things they must do. The result is less reliable because it is easy to skip a step, even if you end up ticking a…

My coworker just fixed an unset state of mine— I checked the box, but did not perform the related action, three weeks ago.

Thankfully, Trello keeps a log of most changes, so it was easy to see where in the process my eyes had glazed over. We’ll get around to automating those steps someday, too.

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#38

Post by shanghaiaway »

supertrope wrote: post #19
vertexFarm wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. That's such a supreme indicator of overconfidence--the belief that I and I alone am so competent that I don't need safeguards. I would not have hoped that a high percentage of surgeons have that trait. I wonder if I am guilty of it as well. Something to examine in the mirror in our future endeavors.

I like to use the term Dunning-Kruger instead of over-confidence or hubris to describe it. Everyone thinks they demonstrate above average skill. During the 2007-2009 financial crisis every single financial services firm justified their executive bonuses by claiming their personnel were above average. Very few car drivers consider themselves below average. Before germ theory gained acceptance or was even understood, p…

>I like to use the term Dunning-Kruger instead of over-confidence or hubris to describe it. Everyone thinks they demonstrate above average skill.

On HN, everyone thinks that everyone but themselves are affected by Dunning Kruger. In fact, calling out Dunning Kruger in others is a symptom of someone under the very same effect.

Re: A Life-Saving Checklist (2007)

#40

Post by Pamar »

segmondy wrote: post #39

After reading this article when it came out, I ended up reading the book "Checklist Manifesto" and have incorporated checklists into my professional and even personal life. I highly recommend it.

One question (for you or anyone else with relevant experience, really): the more negative reviews on Amazon say that the book is mostly a collection of anecdotal evidence about how great checklists are. Assuming this is true, and that one is already sold on how useful a checklist is, can you suggest more practical hands-on books on how to build effective checklists? (If you think that the reviews are wrong, and the book provides actual practical advice, this would also be useful information, thanks).
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