In a get-it-done society, sometimes you need a helper to make sure you don’t forget something.
Susan Mincey of Cocoa Beach and Debra Carttar of Palm City, near Stuart, hope their Web site, SimplyChecklists.com, will be the assistant you’re looking for.
With more than 80 lists so far, they provide point-by-point guides to a wide range of topics, among them planning a camping trip, preventing identity theft, preparing for hurricanes, selling goods online, making a scrapbook and living green.
“It’s a tool you have to get used to using, and then once you do, I think you depend on it,” said Mincey, a Web developer. She handled the construction of the site.
Carttar, a technical writer, had a lot of input on the lists. She and Mincey agree that Carttar is very organized. “Extremely organized,” Carttar said.
She gets inspiration for the lists from all kinds of sources. “Somebody will say a word, and I think, ‘That would be a great checklist.’”
They hope to have at least 100 lists on the site by year’s end. “Right now I have this file that’s just full of ideas in different areas to go,” Carttar said.
They got the idea after reading an article about another Web site that earned revenue from Google’s advertising system.
“I told Deb, you know, that’s something we can do,” Mincey said. As longtime friends, they’re always brainstorming together. Carttar suggested they create a richer checklists site than anything else online.
They have ads on their pages which, so far, are just paying for their expenses, Mincey said. Users can opt to print an ad-free PDF of the lists they want, which are formatted to fit on one page.
To add a personal touch, the lists are preceded by anecdotes and poems.
Who needs checklists?
“I think everyone needs it, but I don’t think everyone uses one. I think some people think it’s a crutch: ‘Oh, I can remember,’” Mincey said.
Checklists help her remember, she said. “I’m juggling too many balls, usually.”
Checklists may not help in every situation, says Merritt Island’s Marcie Katz, a professional organizer whose Expertly Organized (expertlyorganized.com) specializes in helping retirees and seniors.
“Checklists are very valuable if you already know how to do a task,” Katz said, “but they’re not as valuable if it’s something new to you, because basically, a checklist is not a to-do list.”
For instance, a checklist for packing for a vacation is helpful because you have the skills to pack. A checklist for starting a business might not be as helpful, given the higher level of skill and knowledge needed to accomplish the task.
“Another valuable use of checklists is for something that you’re trying to develop as a habit or a routine, such as household chores,” Katz said, “or before you leave your house, particularly for busy parents who might be rushed in the morning.”
If you don’t find the exact thing you want, there’s even a blank checklist under the Miscellaneous category on SimplyChecklists.com.
But don’t be surprised if Mincey and Carttar catch up with you and your list.
“It’s something that we think we can do for years,” Mincey said.