Our Checklists

Long guides are useful the first time through. After that, most people only need a reminder of the steps. This page gathers short checklists drawn from our articles, so you can print one, pin it above a desk or keep it on your phone. Each list links to the full guide for when you need the reasoning behind it.

Before starting to learn something new

• Write down one concrete goal you could reach within a few months.
• Choose a regular time slot that fits around an existing habit.
• Pick one main resource rather than five half-used ones.
• Set up a single notebook or folder for everything on the subject.
• Plan how you will review: a few minutes, a few days later, again a couple of weeks on.

Full guides: How to Learn a New Language as an Adult and How to Take Good Notes.

Starting a hobby project

• Describe the project in one sentence and keep it visible.
• Begin with tools you already own or can borrow.
• Make a practice version nobody else sees.
• Decide on a pace you can keep during a busy month.
• Note what you learned after each session, however small.

Full guides: How to Start a Podcast and Tips on How to Make a Good Journal.

Planning a trip

• Sort ideas into must do, would like and only if nearby.
• Check opening days, booking rules and transport timetables on official sites.
• Group sights by area so each day stays in one part of town.
• Keep travel days light.
• Leave at least half a day free every few days.
• Store bookings, addresses and offline maps in one place, with a paper backup.

Full guides: How to Make a Travel Itinerary and How to Take Better Travel Photos.

Before a day of filming

• Charge every battery and clear space on memory cards.
• Pack a clip-on microphone and headphones to check sound.
• Bring release forms and explain the project to everyone involved.
• Scout the light at the time you plan to film.
• Record a minute of room silence at each location.
• Copy the day's footage to two drives before you sleep.

Full guide: How to Make a Documentary on a Small Budget.

Suggest a checklist

If there is a task you keep repeating and would like a short list for, tell us on the Write to Us page. The best checklists come from people who have tripped over the same step more than once.