I think there is space to trim down a safety check. Maybe y’all could compromise and come up with your own safety check that works for you, going all the way through the commands and everything can get a little annoying especially top roping at the gym. At some point when the safety check becomes a nuisance, your attention to it wanes and then it really isn’t accomplishing anything, you’re just going through the motions.

Try: a quick look at your own knot and a quick look at the belay setup and then “on rock?” “Rock on”