The most common cause of avoidable errors isn't incompetence but speed. When we rush, we skip steps, skim rather than read, and rely on memory rather than checking. The irony is that racing through work to meet a deadline often creates more time pressure because mistakes have to be found and fixed later.

Slowing down doesn’t mean working inefficiently, it means giving tasks the attention they require. Before starting anything, take a moment to understand what you're doing and why; before submitting anything, take pause. Use a habitual moment of deliberate review to catch any errors.

If you're prone to speeding up under pressure, try setting a personal rule: never send or submit anything in the same moment you finish it. Even a two-minute gap between completing and checking gives your brain a chance to reset.

The human brain isn't designed to multitask, despite what many of us believe about ourselves. What we call multitasking is actually rapid task-switching and every switch costs cognitive resources. When you're constantly pulled between tasks such as answering messages while processing figures or half-listening to a conversation while reviewing a document, your attention is divided and gaps will appear.

Create conditions for focused work for yourself, with the most important probably being putting your phone on ‘do not disturb’ or moving it to another room for a defined period — you’ll be amazed at how much you get done. Close browser tabs that aren't relevant to the task at hand and let colleagues know if you need uninterrupted time. If you work in an open-plan environment, noise-cancelling headphones can act as a physical signal to others and a mental cue to yourself that you're in concentration mode.

You can also try batching similar tasks. Rather than switching between detailed work and communication throughout the day, try grouping them into a focused hour on reconciliations then a period for emails.