In most areas, it is natural to make mistakes and are accepted so long as the cost of failure is reasonable. In the design phase, the creator goes through a series of prototypes each improving on the previous one till he gets the design right.
However, there are other areas where even a minor error may prove disastrous. Think of a surgeon at an operating table doing surgery, or a pilot flying an aircraft etc., There are innumerable examples of professions where there is no room for error.
In such situations how do you cope and reduce the chances of a potential mistake and at the same time reduce the anxiety about the work you do?
Anxiety
Anxiety is another term for overthinking. Overthinking is not problem solving as it paralyses us and prevents us from thinking about solutions. People often worry about one type of mistake and ignore others as the fear narrows their attention. Action is the only antidote for anxiety.
Work that requires a high degree of accuracy usually attracts conscientious people who are diligent and good at getting things right. Telling such people to be more careful is likely to make them more nervous. here is what you can do to reduce the anxiety.
Differentiate between big and small mistakes.
If you spend time thinking about all the mistakes you might make, it would distract you from errors that you should pay attention to. You should learn to prioritise and consider issues that you easily remember as well as those that are overlooked. Also, there are other risks known as “unknown unknowns” that are simply beyond anyone’s control and need to be mitigated once they occur. When you are naturally cautious you can train yourself to look for and mitigate critical risks.
Adopt risk-mitigating systems and habits.
Create systems that do not depend on absolute perfection. Basic strategies like checklists, help reduce mistakes but are grossly underused.
Other precautions to be taken could include redundant sensors and alarms, like in critical medical systems, that help detect errors and provide alerts.
Create a culture that rewards people for asking and reinforcing uncommon views. Take special care to encourage people who point out something you do not know and encourage them to continue to do so.
Get support to address your weakness.
You may have identified your weaknesses and found it difficult to rectify or overcome them. Get external support in addressing these weaknesses so that you do not have to address them yourself.
Highlight your strengths.
Use your strengths to mitigate your weaknesses. Consider how your strengths can be used to help solve your weaknesses.
Address self-sabotaging behaviours.
When we are anxious, we often sabotage in ways that prevent the error from happening. If you fear something and keep thinking about it, there are more chances that your fears will come true. Get creative about overcoming this tendency and discuss it with your circle of friends or even mentors to overcome this tendency.
Collaborate with others working on similar issues.
Most of us think about mistakes that happen at the personal or team levels. However, to get better solutions, get involved in larger activities to reduce mistakes. You may also seek opportunities to teach, and train others about how the work can be done minimising the mistakes.
Take simple action to mitigate the risks.
We mostly focus on major threats but you can always adopt simple strategies to reduce other errors so that you are not distracted from the major threats. Address minor potential errors so that they free up your focus to think about larger issues.
Where perfection is expected it is easy to become scared of making a mistake. however, there are ways of reducing anxiety and reducing the risk of potential mistakes.
Managing Anxiety When There’s No Room for Error
by Alice Boyes
June 27, 2023
R2G 