No matter your role, it’s important to be detail-oriented. This skill allows you to complete tasks thoroughly and accurately to ensure precision in all you do. Whether you’re drafting emails to clients, reviewing sales contracts or documenting procedures for your team, attention to detail is critical. Otherwise, you risk presenting sloppy or inaccurate work and making potentially costly mistakes.

Want to improve your level of attention to detail? Read on. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we’re sharing 8 easy ways to do this from Devin Tomb, the director of editorial and brand at The Muse.

1. Get enough sleep. You can start by stepping away from your work when you’re done for the day. Then, make sure you give yourself plenty of time for rest. This will replenish you and allow you to start the next day with a full tank.

2. Practice meta awareness. This is simply staying aware of what you’re doing as you’re doing it. Ever find yourself mindlessly scrolling your phone or checking the news? Try to be more mindful about all your activities.

3. Know your “why.” Replenishing the office snack pantry will not be your legacy, Tomb says, but if you know how it affects company culture or can simply make someone’s life easier, it will give the task more purpose. When you feel a connection to something, you’re more likely to give it more attention to detail.

4. Customize your day. Are you naturally more focused in the morning, or do you feel more engaged later in the day? Research has shown that most people have two peaks for focus — one in the mid-morning and one in mid- to late-afternoon. Tomb recommends identifying your peaks of attention and blocking those times for work that requires the most attention to detail.

5. Think in threes. We think in threes naturally, Tomb says. Projects, tasks and activities have a beginning, middle and end. To boost your attention to detail, think about where you are in the process and stay in that moment.

6. Don’t jump from task to task. You’ve heard it before — multitasking can slow you down bigtime. Only work on one thing at a time. Tomb suggests intentionally doing something until it’s done or you get to a predetermined stopping point. This can be a productivity-booster and help you improve your attention to detail.

7. Slow down. Unless your work is repetitive, like boxing up promos on a supplier’s factory floor, it’s best to work slowly. When you’re doing cognitive work and not working with your hands, slowing down allows you to be more deliberate.

8. Take breaks. Just like it’s important to schedule focus times around your natural attention peaks, you should also be proactive about taking breaks. If you’re working to the point of exhaustion, you won’t be in the right mindset to focus on the details.

Even if you’re naturally detail-oriented, there may be some ways you can improve this skill. Try implementing a few of the ideas above to become more meticulous and precise in your role.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Devin Tomb is the director of editorial and brand at The Muse.