Checklist templates

Reusable checklists you can attach to any task. Perfect for the repeated multi-step work that's too small for a project but too multi-step for a single task.

Use cases

• Pack for trip — 12 items you always forget
• Weekly meeting prep — agenda, pull numbers, check deck
• New hire onboarding — laptop, access, intro meetings
• Deploy checklist — test, commit, deploy, monitor
• Podcast recording — mic check, record local copy, back up

If you find yourself mentally replaying the same 5-10 steps when a particular type of task comes up — that's a template.

Creating templates

Settings → Checklist Templates. Click Add template, give it a name, then add the items in order. Each item is just a short line of text.

Templates are copied when applied (not linked), so editing the template later doesn't touch tasks that already used it. Intentional — you want past checklists to stay exactly as they were when you ran them.

Applying a template to a task

In the Task Detail pane, press ,k (comma + k) to open the Checklist picker. Choose a template, and its items appear as a sub-checklist inside the task.

Each item is a checkbox. Tick them off as you go. They don't affect the task's completion state — you can have 3 of 10 items checked and still mark the task done, or vice versa.

Saving changes back to the template

If you edit a checklist inside a task (reorder items, add new ones), MLW can ask whether you want to save those changes back to the source template. Great for evolving your templates over time based on how you actually run them.

Tips

• Start with your 3 most-repeated workflows. Don't try to template everything at once.
• Order matters. Put items in the order you'd actually do them. The checklist becomes your muscle memory.
• Keep items crisp. "Pack chargers" beats "Make sure to remember all the chargers for everything." Templates should glance-read, not require parsing.
• Delete templates you stop using. Dead templates clutter the picker and slow you down.

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