Paperwork and records
Turn application instructions into a checklist
Application instructions are written to be complete, which makes them hard to scan. Paste them in, and an assistant can reformat them into a checklist ordered by what to do first, with required and optional items kept apart.
A text to start with
I'm applying for a community grant and the instructions are long. The required items are a completed cover page, a project narrative of no more than five pages, a budget with line-item detail, and two letters of support. Optional attachments include work samples up to ten pages. The deadline is the last business day of the month, and submissions must be emailed by 5 p.m. Help me turn this into a checklist, with the deadline and page limits shown on each relevant item.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.What to check in the answer
Compare the checklist with the original instructions and confirm nothing was dropped or softened. Page limits and file formats are the details most often lost in a summary, so check those first. If the instructions separate what makes an application ineligible from what only lowers its score, that difference should show in the checklist. Confirm the submission method as well, especially when the instructions name a specific email address or portal.
Next step
Work through the checklist in order and check an item off only when it is finished, and a draft does not count. If part of the instructions is ambiguous, ask the issuing organization before you spend time on the wrong reading. Keep the original instructions open next to the checklist.