The Checklist You Didn’t Know You Needed: For Competition and for Life

Most of us are already familiar with the concept of a checklist. In fact, you’ve likely made one before to make sure you complete everything that needs to be done or prevent you from doing what you don’t want to do.?

The perfect example - a grocery list. A simple tool that keeps you on task, ensures you get everything you need, and prevents you from cluttering your pantry. Even more importantly, it’s a simple way to prevent impulse buying. The strength of impulse control varies throughout the day, and hunger or fatigue can drive you towards impulse buys you would not normally make. There is a good reason why grocery stores stock the check out areas with candy and soda…?

Airline pilots have lengthy checklists, and I, for one, am so grateful for them each and every time I fly. These checklists ensure that nothing goes unnoticed and frankly, I want to feel secure that my pilot has checked everything before saying that the plane is good to go. I would be seriously concerned if the pilot only checked things that were top of mind. After all, we usually remember the things that stand out, but not necessarily the salient things. A faulty O-ring seal caused the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. It’s a sad reminder a small thing can cause a terrible tragedy.

Our brains are set to move repetitive tasks into a subconscious system, so you don’t have to actively think about them. For example, if you have ever had to teach someone how to do something you do regularly, you know that what seems easy, almost like second nature to you can take some time to map out all the steps for someone else. When I was teaching my children how to tie their shoes, I had to concentrate on the specific steps needed, even though it was a behavior I had done almost every single day of my life!

Or, the example we all know and love - forgetting something very important when traveling. One time, I forgot my make-up bag and had to purchase some of the most basic, but essential items, and let me tell you, it was an expensive lesson!

Had I made myself a checklist, maybe that would not have happened. Your brain tries to put information into a subconscious system so it doesn’t tax the critical prefrontal cortical areas that need to be available for planning, problem solving, creating, and inhibition.

Think about something that you know how to do very well, perhaps something like riding a bike or driving a car. Those types of behaviors tend to be overlearned and automatic, which allows you a lot of room to think about other things. Perhaps you find that time driving in a car is a wonderful time to conceptualize ideas or problem-solve. In that case, your prefrontal cortex can be fully present for those mental challenges because driving is quite automatic and you don’t need to put much thought into it.

The other important point here is that the brain REALLY doesn’t like to have things unfinished because if something is incomplete, it still requires active thought. For example, when I was in college, I would often purposely let a paper be unfinished for a day or more. My brain knew that it was unfinished so the content remained in the actively thinking areas of my brain. It generated a lot of activity in order to complete the task and move on. I found that I was better able to conceptualize the task and more fully develop the material because my brain was motivated to finish the paper. It’s not that I am promoting procrastination, but rather, I knew my brain would go into overdrive with a looming deadline.

Most athletes already have a checklist. As an equestrian, I knew that the list of items to pack for a horse show was huge! They need food (probably at least two kinds of food), buckets, blankets and sheets, leg wraps, brushes, hoof picks, fly spray, finishing product, shampoo, fans when hot, etc.! And that is only for the horse!

The fact is, no one wants to be unprepared, but all too often, we don’t take that extra step to make a checklist for our performance.

When I was 13-years-old, I won my first National Championship in Horsemanship. It was incredibly exciting and it motivated me to always be the best I could be so I could win more! However, I found that I could be distracted when I was showing and this distraction would cost me the ability to ride as well as possible. I asked my mother to make an appointment with a sport psychologist to help me overcome this problem.

My work with Dr. Rosengren changed my life and gave me the tools I use when I am striving for a goal. One of those tools was how to use a checklist when I was showing my horse. The checklist included everything I needed to think about when I was showing and went from the top of my head to the bottom of my boots.

Horsemanship is a class that judges the rider on how they hold their body while maneuvering the horse through a pattern. The position of a rider’s body communicates a lot to the horse, so it is crucial for your body to be in the correct position. There is often a tendency to focus on ”weak” areas and not pay attention to the whole. For me, I naturally “toe out” and it drove my trainer crazy! However, only focusing on that one aspect of my riding form would have been a terrible mistake because I would be neglecting the other parts of my body that needed to be addressed.

The great part about my checklist was that I could rerun through it as much or as little as I needed. I practiced it enough so I had it down by heart. At the event, once I had run through it for the first time, I knew everything was in line. This automation released the prefrontal cortex so I could use it to navigate the pattern and meet any challenges I faced during the ride.

All this to say, there is a direct correlation between making and sticking to a checklist and how your brain functions. But the real question is, how do you make checklists that can trigger the right responses and help you perform at your best?

1.??? Be clear on what you want to achieve. ? If you are making a dish or writing a book, it is crucial to know what you want to happen. This focus will guide you toward developing a workable checklist - in this case, a recipe or an outline.It keeps you on track and prevents you from deviating from your original goal along the process. ?

2.??? Review the steps you need to take to achieve your goal. This is the start of your checklist. So, once you understand the goal, this step allows you to break it down into manageable pieces so that you do not get overwhelmed or forget anything.

3.??? Make it work for you. You know yourself best, so you know how much detail or what format you need to use to make it most beneficial to you. For example, my husband and I keep a grocery checklist app so we can individually add needed items. Then, before grocery shopping, we check the list together, add or delete as needed and then we have the finished list. So, if I make scrambled eggs for my breakfast and use the last egg, I add it to the list. It alleviates the pressure of having to come up with the entire list at once and possibly (probably) forgetting something. There are many apps available for this kind of list so look around for one that works for you and your needs.

4.??? Let the list sit for a bit. It is unfinished so your brain will work toward finishing it by thinking about what else needs to be done. Remember that checklists can change according to changing needs, so be flexible.Give yourself time to have another “aha!” moment.

5.??? Reinforce it. If you’ve found what works for you, keep using it! The checklist is a tool for you to continue to refine so it will evolve with you and be more useful in the future. Take into account lessons learned and make it better.

So go out and try it! If you’re still having trouble, feel free to reach out and we can talk about how to make the right checklist for your needs.