I'm in the same boat. I try to realize when I'm getting in a rush because I know that's is when the mistake will happen. If possible walk away from the project even for five minutes, then re-read before sending. I don't do it often but I get really ticked at myself when I forget to put the attachment in an email. That draft folder needs to get more use from me!

If it is something really important...I don't care if it is an email or any other document, I type and print it and have someone proof it. That catches 95% of the mistakes and makes sure that what I have written makes sense.

racefan

Attention to detail is part of being a good, reliable and efficient admin. But is this criticism about accuracy or detail - they are not precisely the same thing.

If you work in a fast-paced environment and have a number of streams to your workload, the potential for things to go wrong, and in a spectacular way, is there. The only way you can overcome this is to PAY ATTENTION. It all depends, to a certain degree, on your working environment. How many distractions are there? Does your boss continually badger you? Do you have continual interruptions? Do you chatter to your colleagues? Once that bit is sorted out, then you can eliminate mistakes by giving adequate time to accomplish each task efficiently and in a timely fashion, proof-reading letters etc before sending them out. Then there is the element of planning, particularly if you are undertaking projects. Writing things down is key here. It may slow you down a bit at first, but as you become more proficient at this, then you will speed up.

And, as an aside, Spin: if your boss ever gives you this criticism again, I would also ask what precisely is meant by "attention to detail". It's quite a vague thing to say. And I wonder why one would wait until appraisal time to bring this up - I would discuss that sort of thing immediately with my assistant.

Good luck with your job, and let us know how you get on.

Best wishes,

Raindance

Attention to details is key. However, I would ask your boss to elaborate or explain if there is a particular area you are consistently not paying enough attention to. My boss is very adament about my details skills. However, I know this is a trait he values in an assistant, and I try very hard to pay attention to the details. He and I have discussed this. He understands everyone is human and mistakes can occur. However, I told him "I'll be the first one to fix it, first one to learn from it and the first one to move on". I have a tendancy to "beat myself up" over errors. He knows this and does not dwell on mistakes, just expects them to be fixed when they occur.

My entire life small attention to detail has always been a major issue for me, until I discovered DMG; a natural supplement that you can buy from a health shop. It is particulary popular amongst those suffering with ADD. I buy mine from 'now' products.

There is saying "the devil is in the details".

What if you set up a teleconference and you omit the dial in number, or transpose the numbers? What if you arrange travel for your boss and send him to the wrong city or the wrong address for a meeting? What if his flight is scheduled to depart at 5PM and you schedule a car to pick him up and take him to the airport (an hour away from the meeting site), at 3:30 PM, he gets stuck in traffic at arrives at the airport in time to miss his flight? What if you have a group of meeting attendees from other countries arriving and you schedule airport pickup on Tuesday and arrive on Monday? There are so many details in a day, I try to plan ahead and double check everything. However, no one is perfect. If a mistake occurs, fix it, learn from it and do not let it happen again.