Question about handling a mess-up at work I can't stop thinking about

I missed a major deadline for a client presentation last Thursday because I double-booked my afternoon and didn't catch it until it was too late. Has anyone else had to own up to a big mistake and later regretted how they handled the follow-up conversation?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.rose1d ago

Hang on, you double-booked? Like you scheduled two things at the exact same time and just didn't notice until the very last minute? I'd be sick to my stomach if I found out that way... that's such a hard knot to untie once the other person is already waiting.

linda_murphy1d ago

People do this all the time and I think it says something about how we treat our time now. We stuff our calendars so full of commitments we lose track of basic things like what day it is. It is not just a scheduling mistake, it is a sign that we are trying to do too much and not paying attention. The person waiting gets the message that they are not a priority, even if that was never the intention. Our phones and apps are supposed to help us, but we let them run our lives until a simple mix up turns into a real hurt. That is the bigger pattern I see. We need to slow down and actually look at what we agree to.