Note 1: Attention to detail

“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.”

― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

“Excuse me, I think you sent the wrong emails. Please revise it.”

“Why did you put Mr. instead of Ms.? I have told you many times to put Mr. in this letter.”

“Please don’t repeat it, okay? Because this kind of typo could be fatal to our report.”

All expressions above are everyday things that often happen to me while at work. I don’t remember when was the last time I did my job perfectly without any mistake. Despite trying hard to re-check it several times, I will always leave several spots, ready to be revised by my co-workers or supervisors. If you ask me how does it feel, it feels terrible and humiliating.

For me, attention to detail is the hardest yet the most overlooked skill by people like me. I was raised as a person that encourages innovation and determination to achieve the objective. Most of the time, I focus on the strategy and idea. Hence, I will look into the significant parts in a helicopter view. From reading and writing books to managing projects, I can grasp the big messages quickly and understand the essence of why and how they work. I am a strategic thinker, which probably explains why I have always been a leader since I was a kid.

However, growing as a strategic thinker who often focuses on the significant parts could also become the downfall of my success. The reason? If people want to kickstart their career as a professional, they have to start from the bottom. Meaning, they have to follow the lead and become a perfect executioner instead of being a strategic thinker. Hence, make sure everything is done correctly without a mistake is an essential skill for a starter.

Unfortunately, I still have little capacity to be an excellent detail-oriented person. Frequently, I misspelled sentences, or I made a typo in my writing. If I was a university student, the lecture might not make a big deal about it. But in the professional world, it is vital for their work. Making sure that no mistakes are happening in works would give the impression to the clients or the customers that they can take big things if they can handle little things.

For those who excel at this skill, I would say it is a privilege to have it. That means these people must be highly consistent with all of their works since the beginning and are perfectionist types of people. However, it is never too late to improve as attention to detail skill is something that we can continuously improve.

Attention to detail: What is it and how to improve?

Chicago State University describes attention to detail as thoroughness in accomplishing a task through concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small. Moreover, a person who has the skill will monitor and check work or information and plan and organize time and resources effectively.

The keyword to notice about this skill is thoroughness, which is synonymous with accuracy and precision. The ability to consistently stay focused with high accuracy or precision is the most critical work to define a person as detail-oriented. Conversely, to be detail-oriented, they must be aware of the situation they are doing without any distraction and capable of producing the same amount of quality till the end.

If we think about it, everyone can improve their attention to detail skills. People have to put away all kinds of distractions while at work. Some research suggested that people should not perform multi-tasking activities, as it will significantly erode their focus. Another study also indicated that people could also change their environment while working on a particular task. According to experts, changing the setting will significantly improve people’s memory, and concentration as their brains adapt and understand the functions differently.

Perhaps, the essential part of being a detail-oriented person lies in the name: focusing on little things. Often, people overlook and underestimate the tiny little details that might not impact their work instantly but significantly affect their habits in the long term. Being ignorant of these small details would give the impression to the brain that it is okay to make mistakes. However, this kind of tolerant attitude will expand the minor error into a more significant mistake as our brain has permission that mistake is permissible in the first place.

Be a detailed-oriented person. It’s worth it.

Being a detailed-oriented person is vital to almost everything. Seeking a job, building a business, studying a course, or even doing chores can significantly impact the result.

Detail-oriented skill is one of the most sought skills by employers everywhere. It makes perfect sense as workers who have this skill will help the companies reduce mistakes and become more productive and efficient. For the entrepreneur, paying attention to little details can create a difference to other competitors, which gives extra satisfaction to the customers or clients to their services or product. For students, paying attention to detail means they can evade unknown mistakes that might hamper their development or knowledge in comprehending things.

Detail orientation might seem complicated and require much energy, especially for impatient people like me who only focus on a bigger perspective. However, it is a small thing that makes up a great thing. Likewise, it is a small thing that can ruin everything.