Checklists are a safety issue and should always be used.
I have had a safe thirty plus years of flying and have used a checklist most of the time. The only time I would not was when flying into a bush strip at night. The only check after leaving 10,000 feet was three greens on final.
The "Checklist" is much faster than a "To Do" list, but is also easer to believe a check has been completed when in a hurry.
What about Emergencies, do you remember them all when there has been no reason to recall them from one year to the next?
A cabin fire at night, single pilot, and at 30,000 feet, is the first thing that springs to mind, Oxygen mask ON! or is it another two or three checks away? you might remember when you start coughing.
To assist in these situations there is a company that has developed a talking checklist that will access emergencies at the press of a button and be programmed in areas where they might be needed. Easy to program, it turns text into speech, easy to use as most checks can be accessed from two buttons on the control wheel, it's like having a co-pilot to assist you through all checks. Check them out at
www.airocorp.com