Attention to Detail Matters

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It has come to my attention recently that details absolutely make a difference. They matter when it comes to things like spelling names correctly. An example that happened to Hubby and I, is our license plates. Our last name is spelled with an EI and mine plates were registered with our last name spelled correctly, so I had to renew them by February 15th. Hubby’s registration was spelled incorrectly with IE reversed and so his plates weren’t due to be renewed until February 28th each year. Not sure how it happened to begin with but it did. It also matters when people take the time to spell your names correctly. It shows a little more respect for you and that the person doing the spelling actually care enough to make sure to get it right. I will admit, even after being married for over 33 years, I still have to spell my last name in my head every time I write or sign my name.

When creating file names it is important because you may one day have to search for that file, or someone else may need to and it would be easier to find if it was spelled the way it should be.

When matching one thing to another, like I found myself doing at work recently, it really makes you understand how important the little details are. I usually try to head mistakes off at the pass by copy and pasting as much as I can, especially where formatting or spelling really matter. A co-worker has the job of scanning and saving files into the proper location. Then I come in and pull up the file by searching for it and must compare the scanned version to the electronic version. Often the scanned version is filled out by hand and does not match what someone typed in to the computer in the official electronic version of the application. Before one says it cannot be found, one must really try to find the file by spelling the name correctly. One should not have to guess how the person saving the file might have spelled it incorrectly or where they may have left an extra space in the file name. I can’t tell you how much longer my job in this system takes when the entry in the spread sheet doesn’t match the online file or the actual name of the scanned file. Perhaps you somehow habitually leave the l out of the word “family” making it “famiy”. Or maybe for some reason your brain spells the word charity by first spelling the word “chair” then adding the “ty” because you know those are the other two letters needed to finish the word. It looks like this, chairty. You might read right over it and never even hesitate, because it has all the right letters just not quite in the right order. I am trying to re-train my brain to spell charity instead of chairty.

Proper caps shows you care. You are most likely not the poet e.e. cummings, so all lower case should be off limits. In the early years of using the internet and email we were told that typing anything in all CAPS is the equivalent to yelling. Using Proper case just plain tells your co-workers that you care about your job and keeping it, or in the case of a temp employee that you care enough to do the job right and hope to actually be hired on permanently.

Saving files where others can find them is another place where details matter. If you are supposed to be saving files such as supporting documents in a particular location on a shared drive with a particular naming convention, it is really a good idea to show the person that asked this little thing of you that you respect their authority and know how to follow instructions by actually doing what they have asked.

If you write emails for work or school, consider the importance of reviewing your correspondence from different points of view. When we speak to people face to face, or even on the phone we have tone of voice and inflection to help us interpret what is being said. Emails and texts can cause problems because what you say might be interpreted differently depending on the experiences you bring with you. If possible, reread the email out loud to yourself so you can hear how it sounds and find any words you left out accidentally. You also might want to read it again to yourself, not necessarily out loud, as though you are the intended recipient, to see how what you said might be interpreted.

All these examples are just to tell you that details DO matter and they can cause others to judge you in an unflattering light. So, be careful and pay attention to the details because, as Mom always said, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right. She also said if you don’t have time to do it right the first time, you sure don’t have time to do it over. Avoid do overs, and remember that attention to details matters.

Tell us in the comments an example of when details mattered.

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