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The Checklist Manifesto Summary – Atul Gawande

Arthur Worsley
by Arthur Worsley
M.A. Psychology, Oxford. McKinsey Alum. Founder & Editor at TAoL.
1 MINUTE READ
The Checklist Manifesto (2009)
How to Get Things Right

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One-Sentence Summary

The Checklist Manifesto is a fascinating investigation into the ability of checklists in business, medicine and every day life to promote greater efficiency, consistency and safety - by surgeon and public health researcher, Atul Gawande. (208 pages)

Note: This The Checklist Manifesto summary is part of an ongoing project to summarise the Best Productivity Books and Best Self Help Books of all time.

Note: This The Checklist Manifesto summary is a stub. I'll write a full summary later. For now, you'll find enough meta-data here to help you decide if it's worth reading the book.

The Checklist Manifesto Review

TLDR; Checklists are an essential tool for getting things consistently right AND freeing up headspace in the process.

If there’s anything you repeatedly do in life or work that would benefit from consistent execution: put the steps in a checklist, put the checklist somewhere obvious and follow the checklist every single time you repeat the activity.

Like Gawande’s Being Mortal, The Checklist Manifesto is one of those books whose core idea isn’t rocket science, but does a great job of expounding the importance (and wide-reaching relevance) of a simple yet powerful idea with well-written, well-researched case studies.

The Checklist Manifesto Summary

This publisher’s blurb comes from the Profile Books paperback edition of The Checklist Manifesto

“We live in a world of great complexity, where even the experts struggle to master the challenges they face. But acclaimed surgeon and best-selling writer Atul Gawande finds a remedy in the simplest of techniques: the humble checklist.

First introduced by the US Air Force, checklists have enabled pilots to fly aircraft of mind boggling sophistication. Now they are being adopted in the NHS and hospitals around the world, helping doctors and nurses respond to everything from flu epidemics to avalanches.

Gawande explains how checklists actually work to effect striking and immediate improvements – and he follows the checklist revolution into fields well beyond medicine, from disaster response to investment banking, skyscraper construction and business of all kinds.

The Checklist Manifesto is essential reading for anyone working to get things right.”

The Checklist Manifesto Contents

The Checklist Manifesto has 9 main chapters and 1 appendix…

Introduction

  1. The Problem of Extreme Complexity
  2. The Checklist
  3. The End of the Master Builder
  4. The Idea
  5. The First Try
  6. The Checklist Factory
  7. The Test
  8. The Hero in the Age of Checklists
  9. The Save

Appendix: Example Checklists

Read More: 5 Books Like The Checklist Manifesto

Enjoyed this The Checklist Manifesto summary? You might enjoy the rest of the books on these lists of the Best Productivity Books and Best Self Help Books of all time.

And in the meantime...

Here are 5 top books like The Checklist Manifesto...

Books Like The Checklist Manifesto: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey (FREE Summary)
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a perennial masterpiece on leading a happy, productive and purposeful existence and an unmissable stop for any pilgrim of personal improvement - by educator, author and speaker, Stephen Covey.
Published 1989 // 372 pages // Rated 4.1 over 623,800 reviews on Goodreads
Books Like The Checklist Manifesto: First Things First
2. First Things First - Stephen R. Covey (FREE Summary)
First Things First is an action-oriented time-management manual, filled with frameworks and exercises to help you do more of what matters and less of what doesn't - by the author of the #1 book on this list, Stephen Covey.
Published 1993 // 384 pages // Rated 4.1 over 40,400 reviews on Goodreads
Books Like The Checklist Manifesto: Goals!
3. Goals! - Brian Tracy (FREE Summary)
How to Get Everything You Want Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible
Goals! was the first book I ever read on productivity and probably the most readable and complete guide to goal-setting ever written - by sales legend and time-management master, Brian Tracy.
Published 1989 // 291 pages // Rated 4.2 over 14,200 reviews on Goodreads
Books Like The Checklist Manifesto: The Effective Executive
4. The Effective Executive - Peter F. Drucker (FREE Summary)
The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
The Effective Executive is THE timeless classic on leadership and management; on getting the right things done - by the dean of business and management philosophy, Peter F. Drucker.
Published 1966 // 208 pages // Rated 4.1 over 32,700 reviews on Goodreads
Books Like The Checklist Manifesto: The Slight Edge
5. The Slight Edge - Jeff Olson (FREE Summary)
Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success & Happiness
The Slight Edge is a short, punchy, practical guide to the why, what and how of using simple daily disciplines to achieve breakthrough success - by serial entrepreneur, speaker and author, Jeff Olson.
Published 2005 // 168 pages // Rated 4.3 over 21,900 reviews on Goodreads

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