Ofcourse checklists are important and anyone who says otherwise is a fool!
People are complaining about the efficiency of a checklist, putting your head down and not looking for traffic. If you know how to scan properly then that shouldn't be a factor!
And for those really smart people who 'remember' their checklist. What about when things get a little tougher, or your under stress, or your flying a faster aircraft?? Will you remember everything then?
The smartest way to carry out procedures in the cockpit is to go through and do your 'flows. This was a new concept for me until recently but it works pretty well.
A flow is simply the memorised items the you use to configure the aircraft for the desired state of flight you are in. After you have done your flows, you use the checklist as a backup. This eliminates any chance of a mistake if done properly.
it's not difficult
and it is worth a little bit of extra effort. dont you think?