How do you avoid mistakes at work? There are many strategies you can use to revamp your workflow processes, become more detail-oriented and ensure your work is of high quality. Prof. VGT gives us a step-by-step guide you can follow to avoid making mistakes at work.
1. Optimise your environment.
Before starting your work, make sure your environment is optimal for focusing and being productive. It may be helpful to clean off your desk and remove any clutter. From here, make sure that your environment is distraction-free—consider muting all electronic notifications, using noise-canceling headphones and putting up a sign to notify your coworkers that you’re focusing so you don’t experience interruptions.
2. Get clarity about your expectations.
Being clear about your supervisor’s expectations for you can help you produce quality work. Therefore, as you approach a project or assignment, review it and ask your supervisor any clarifying questions you have. From here, you can ensure that you understand the task fully and work strategically to achieve objectives.
Review your previous assignments and identify whether a pattern exists so that you can target your efforts.
– Prof. VGT
3. Review previous work to identify patterns.
It’s important to understand what type of mistakes you typically make in your work so that you can avoid them in the future. You may commit the same mistake repeatedly, which can cause you to get stuck in a cycle. With this, review your previous assignments and identify whether a pattern exists so that you can target your efforts.
4. Focus on one task at a time.
As you work, you may feel the impulse to multitask so that you can use your time efficiently and complete all tasks as needed. It’s important to note that multitasking often results in task-switching—moving between multiple tasks and working on them in short increments—which can cause you to lose focus and make more mistakes. Therefore, instead of multitasking, try to be as detail oriented as possible and focus on one task at a time so you can avoid errors.
5. Take regular breaks.
To maintain focus and productivity in your work, it can be useful to take regularly scheduled breaks throughout the day. Breaks can help you relax your focus periodically so you can restore the energy you need to produce high-quality work. Consider taking a 10-to-25-minute break for every 50 to 90 minutes of work you do.
6. Start your work well before the deadline.
If you procrastinate your work, you may rush through your tasks at the last minute to meet a deadline. Being hasty with your work can increase your potential for making mistakes. Therefore, try to start your work well ahead of deadlines and approach tasks incrementally to ensure you can be as detail oriented as possible.
7. Use organizational tools.
It can be helpful to use various types of organizational tools when approaching your duties. You can keep a to-do list or agenda to keep track of your tasks on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. These types of tools can be especially helpful for professionals who may otherwise forget tasks or overlook details in their work.
8. Create a workflow schedule.
While determining what organizational tools can help you avoid mistakes at work, consider creating a workflow schedule that outlines your goals and daily responsibilities clearly. A schedule can help you structure your workday more realistically in terms of how much time you can dedicate to certain tasks and when you can take breaks. From here, you may be able to track your progress effectively and ensure you’re meeting expectations.
9. Slow down.
As stated above, rushing through your work can increase the potential that you make mistakes. Even when you’re on a tight deadline or feel the need to complete tasks quickly, try to slow your pace a bit. Taking a steady and deliberate approach in your work can make it easier for you to ensure your work is quality and catch errors before it’s too late.
10. Solicit feedback.
If you’re struggling with understanding the mistakes you’re making and how you can overcome them, it may be useful for you to solicit feedback about your work from your colleagues or supervisor. They may be able to offer an outside perspective about your performance and what they see as areas needing improvement. From here, you can create a strategic plan for growing professionally and avoiding mistakes in the future.
11. Double-check your work.
Regardless of what type of task you’re working on, it’s important that you double-check your work. Before you submit your work or move on to another task, commit yourself to rereading, scanning and reviewing everything. Taking the time to ensure that your work is free of errors and inaccuracies can make a significant difference in your quality of work.
