Pocket Cheats for Not Stalling
Stuck at the starting line? That frustrating pause when your brain spins and your hands freeze is all too common. Checklists cut through the noise, giving you a clear path forward when momentum feels miles away.
Why Checklists Work
Checklists save you from thinking when thinking gets in the way. You don’t carry them to be rigid; you carry them because they load the right moves into your fingers when you’re tired or rushed. Print this page. Pin it. When you feel stuck, follow it once and watch a session click into place.
Quick Start
- Open the exact file you will change.
- Set a twenty‑five‑minute timer.
- Write the smallest outcome at the top of the file after the word “Ship:”.
You are now on a track. Your brain stops shopping for options and begins.
Sprint
- Halve scope once, even if you think you already did.
- Ship the thin slice you see on the page.
- Ask one person for one action the moment you have an artifact.
The ask locks the ship in place and produces the next clue.
Proof and Share
- Log the artifact in your proof doc with a line that says why it matters and a link if you have one.
- Post one sentence and the link in your channel.
Close the loop even when you feel the work was small. Small is the point.
Sweep and Retro
- Archive one stale item.
- Pick the next slice and stage the file.
- Write one lesson you will try next week.
The sweep keeps the path clear. The retro keeps the system tuned.
The Minimal Must-Do
If you do nothing else, do the quick start and the proof. A started file and a logged pixel almost always turn into an ask. An ask almost always turns into motion.
Use these checklists as your momentum shortcuts—lean on them to build cadence, compound progress, and keep moving forward in the next chapter and beyond.