This honour goes to the checklist. That resplendent, yet subtly sublime, doyen of execution. Checklists bring order to chaos, ensure routine tasks don’t go awry and provide the framework for the completion of any project.
As I type this, I hear people raging at their keyboards. Checklists are for project managers, accountants, actuaries and other groups who are overly obsessed with detail. I am a visionary and cannot be constrained by something as pedantic as a checklist.
Good news, you’re wrong. Checklists don’t have to be about already known, defined steps. They can be used to guide exploration and innovation as well.
If you want to learn more about the virtues of checklists, I suggest reading The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.