I keep word docs with checklist acronyms that I tailor to the type of flying I am doing at the time. More than two or three, and it is time to make a custom cockpit card. I will often make a unique checklist for an individual airplane or type of flying and print it out whenever I go to that airplane. I am leery of checklists that I know will not be really followed or followed well, which can become the exact opposite of what was intended. It has been shown in accidents that checklists were followed to the last word in some cases yet the pilots did not do the items they read aloud and crashed. So beware of dead-brain checklist reading. If you are not ready for an approach when it arrives ask for a hold or something.

As for basic IFR briefing, I use MARTHA:

Missed approach
Atis and winds
Radios and Nav Frequencies- set and verify
Time on the approach; set timer to zero
Heading inbound
Altitude for DA or mins

AOPA had a short summary of the top 10 or so on its website a couple of months ago. If I find it I will link it here.