The before-submit checklist
This is the last check, every time — even on a form that felt easy. It takes a few minutes and it's the difference between a form that's yours and one that isn't.
Point at every name, date, number, and claim
About 8 min
- Put a finger on every name, date, number, and claim on the form.
- Find each one on your fact list or your own records. Can't point to it? Delete it.
- Check for leftover
[brackets]or stand-ins — none should remain in the real form. - Check for leftover
**,#, or chat phrases like "Here's your answer:" — delete any that snuck in.
☑ "3 summers" — my list ✓ · ☑ "2023 and 2024" — my list ✓ · ☐ "certified volunteer" — not on my list → deleted
☑ No brackets · ☑ No stars · ☑ I clicked Submit
Confirmation #: written on the fridge sheet · Follow up: Oct 22
You click Submit
About 2 min
Not the chat. Not a helper on your behalf, unless you asked them to. You click the button.
Save proof, write a follow-up date
About 5 min
- Write down the confirmation number, or take a screenshot (CB-08) into a folder you can find (CB-07).
- Write a follow-up date on paper — a calendar or the same sheet you started with in FA-01.
Your checklist will look different from the worked example. That's normal. Check it has the same parts: every line pointed at, anything unpointed deleted, and proof saved.
Try this
Read the whole form once more, out loud, before you click Submit. If a sentence doesn't sound like something you'd say or know, that's the one to check again.
You should end with: a form with nothing left unpointed, a click you made yourself, and a confirmation number or screenshot saved somewhere you'll find it.
Don't let the chat submit anything, ever — some sites will offer to "connect your account" or fill the form for you. Say no and close that offer.
Success check
- Every line points to my records — nothing unpointed remains
- I submitted it myself
- Proof is saved, and a follow-up date is written down
Weekly proof — Forms and Applications
One low-stakes form or one job application submitted by you this week. Every line points to your records, a copy or confirmation is saved, and nothing on the stops list went through the chat.
Stop line
If you can't point to something and can't get it deleted from the form's flow (a required field you didn't earn), stop and call the number on the form or a person before submitting.
Brake line: Website timed out before you clicked Submit → your checked answers are safe in Notes. Start again from the form, not from the chat.
That's the whole point of Academy: one real thing, done by you. Book a free consult any time you want a second pair of eyes before the next one.