Upgrade Your Editing Checklists

Many editors use checklists, but if you’re looking to make an upgrade , consider coming to my session, Build Better Checklists for Your Editing Tasks, at the Editors Canada conference in May. I’ll be discussing how using comprehensive checklists for your editing tasks can transform your workday!

Basic versus comprehensive checklists

Checklists are everywhere. Search for “editing checklist” on the internet, ask AI to create one, or refer to your favorite editing textbook, and you are likely to find basic checklists. These basic checklists often provide generic lists of things that need to be done, in no particular order, without style details, process instructions or time tracking elements. They may provide a starting point, especially if you’re a new editor, but they’re not specific enough. If you want to grow as an editor, then you should consider creating comprehensive checklists for your editing tasks. Comprehensive checklists contain details specific to you and the task, process steps, style items, time tracking notes and other reminders to help you be efficient, consistent and productive.

Why create and use comprehensive checklists?

Going through the process of establishing what needs to be done, organizing my steps within the task for optimal efficiency and being able to follow a set list of items that I check off as I go has allowed me to be efficient and more consistent in my editing work. The ability to be consistent in formatting, style and wording has been invaluable. The checklist also keeps me on task, which allows me to take breaks with less loss of focus and certainly less worry. It also allows me to track metrics and accurately estimate future projects. It’s a nice motivational tool, too, because I get to see my progress as I go and can better estimate how much longer the task will take by where I am in the checklist. Because I have a lot to do in too little time, and value quality and consistency in the materials I edit, I like knowing I’ve done my best. The checklist documents all of that.

Who does this benefit?

Newer and intermediate editors benefit from comprehensive checklists because they allow you to document all the steps you take in a process, adding new things as you learn them (so you don’t quickly forget them in the rush of your everyday work) and rearranging steps as you develop better routines. 

I create and use new editing checklists all the time as I take on new types of work and new clients, so I know creating comprehensive checklists is also a worthwhile endeavor for experienced editors, like me, who need to keep track of work for multiple clients at a time.

Why come to my session?

While I provide helpful information, interesting examples and positive motivation, I think your fellow editors will also have good information to share. I love talking to other editors about their checklists. Even if you think you’ve gotten all the info you need from this session in this blog post, you and I have no idea what our fellow editors are going to ask or say, so I think you should come and find out! I can’t wait to learn how other editors are using checklists now, and I’m looking forward to helping the editors at the conference become Checklist Specialists.

And if you absolutely can’t attend, check out my book, Clarity by Design: Comprehensive Checklists in Medical Communication.

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