The Number 1 Item On Your Checklist
When things aren’t going well
In his book ‘Checklist’, Atul Gawande describes the power of ticking off the basics. Every pilot must complete a checklist before taking off. Some of the items seem obvious — is there fuel in the plane? These are things that might go wrong 1 in 10,000 times, but one time would be catastrophic.
When checklists were applied in hospital operation settings, death rates decreased significantly. Some of the most obvious questions made the biggest impact. Are we operating on the right person? Is it the left leg or the right leg we are amputating? I kid you not.
When things aren’t going well for you, I recommend this one question goes right at the top of your “why are things going wrong” checklist:
“Am I tired?”
There are few things that a good night’s sleep can’t at least improve.
