Pay Attention to Details Week (March 25-March 29, 2013)

It seems there is a commemorative day, week, and month for everything. Here are the commemorative weeks in March:

March 3-9 - National Problem Gambling Awareness Week
March 11-17 - Brain Awareness Week
March  14-20 - National Farm Safety Week


So, let's declare this week (March 25-March 29) Pay Attention to Detail Week. This week you will especially observe your actions when it comes to completing everyday tasks and look at them in a differently.
 

Try this exercise: Look at the picture on the right, try and find things (not so obvious). For example, what is the name on the garbage can, what time is it, how many laptops are in the office, etc. The idea is small details are just as important.
 
This week is the week to think "less errors" (especially those that are most common, eliminate the need to complete the same task again due to a mistake, and develop a piece of mind that the task is done and will not have a "boomerang effect" and come back to you because you missed a step or made an error.

 Remember, when paying attention to detail:
1. Ask questions/clarify/confirm - Not only does this improve assertiveness skills, you will get all the information you need and won't have to come back two or three times.

2. Get out of the "robotic" routine - when we get in "robotic mode" we miss details because of the frequency of the task. Snap out of it and pay attention to the process, it may need changing.  "What was yesterday, may not be today." 

3. "Know Thyself" - train the eye to look for specific errors that tend to be your Achilles' heel. My Achilles' heel is dates. I know that today is Monday, March 25, but not paying attention, Monday, March 25 could turn into Monday, March 24 on correspondence.

Here are some examples of details you can add special attention to this week: