{"id":6684,"date":"2024-01-19T15:54:40","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T23:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/academics\/2024\/01\/19\/using-a-checklist-to-prepare-for-the-new-term\/"},"modified":"2024-01-19T15:54:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T23:54:40","slug":"using-a-checklist-to-prepare-for-the-new-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/academics\/2024\/01\/19\/using-a-checklist-to-prepare-for-the-new-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Using a Checklist to Prepare for the New Term"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago I bought a new planner for 2024 and since its arrival I have been dutifully making my \u201cTo Do\u201d lists and organizing my time more effectively. However, I\u2019ve learned that even with the most well-honed planning systems, things still slip through the cracks occasionally. It is that RSVP that is missed (apologies to my friend Kat), the grocery item that is forgotten (oops, missed the fresh parsley), or that work task that is delayed far too long (<\/span>ahem<\/span><\/i>, Concur expense report). It is because of my desire to be more organized that I recently read Atul Gawande\u2019s <\/span>Checklist Manifesto,<\/span><\/i> where he reminds us that:<\/span><\/p>\n

We have accumulated stupendous know-how. We have put it in the hands of some of the most highly trained, highly skilled, and hardworking people in our society. And, with it, they have indeed accomplished extraordinary things. Nonetheless, that know-how is often unmanageable. Avoidable failures are common and persistent\u2026and the reason is increasingly evident: <\/span>the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely, or reliably\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

This means we need a different strategy for overcoming failure, one that builds on experience and takes advantage of the knowledge people have but somehow also makes up for our inevitable human inadequacies. And there is such a strategy \u2014 though it will seem almost ridiculous in its simplicity, maybe even crazy to those of us who have spent years carefully developing ever more advanced skills and technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a checklist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He continues on to explain how the implementation of simple checklists into spaces like surgical theaters have saved countless lives and how they ease our need for \u201cremembering\u201d numerous details.\u00a0 Instead, we can simply go through the checklist to ensure that we are prepared.<\/span><\/p>\n

After reading Gawande, I added a sticky note to the back of my front door that reads:<\/span><\/p>\n