I used to work for a newspaper. I designed their ads. It was pretty well-run – with the appropriate writers’, designers’ and editors’ spots well staffed. But it never failed that, when the issue dropped, there were glaring typos. They weren’t just typos, they were typos in headlines and other major places.
I worked with detail oriented people. It’s not like they were sloppy. But detail-oriented people often micro-focus on the small details and miss the big picture. They were so focused on the articles and getting the facts perfectly correct, that they missed the major things.
I see this happen so much: commercials, newspaper, magazines, tv shows.
I made an internal promise when I worked at that newspaper that I wouldn’t get too focused on the small details and miss the big details. I decided I’d rather miss a small detail than miss a big detail. I decided I wouldn’t beat myself up when I missed a small detail because I knew I rocked the big details.
Creatives tend to be super detail oriented. And we tend to beat ourselves up over those little details. Are you that way? And do you frequently miss big details?
Perhaps it’s time to make a similar promise to yourself. Don’t get so bogged down with the little details. Give yourself some grace when you make little mistakes. Save your self-anger for the few big details you may miss. You’ll be much nicer to yourself and like yourself more.