WCollins:
I agree that checking switches are in the right position is a good way to start. However, I don't agree that checklists should be restricted to multi-crew types, whether fixed or rotary.
When I get in my little eggbeater / gravity defier, I have committed to memory what I need to do up to the point where I need to start the thing up. So I follow the flow round the cockpit, left to right, rear to front, up the console, and THEN I dig out the checklist and run through it to ensure I've not missed something.
When it comes to shutdown, I get to the point where I'm running to cool down, then out comes the checklist and I run through it to make sure I've missed nothing vital.
Emergency procedures are committed to memory - that is sensible, I think !
In the days when jumpseat visits were allowed, I saw plenty of crews doing all the things the checklist said well before the point the checklist was actually pulled out - at that stage all that was needed was to run through the items on the list and confirm they were set accordingly.