My Biggest Work Mistake Was...

ADDitude gave the prompt, "My biggest mistake on the job was..." Readers share their (sometimes humorous!) responses below:

"Overpromising! When someone has a request, I now say, 'Let me get back to you,' and then take a few minutes to consider my availability for the task." -Cathy, Texas

"Putting myself in charge of bookkeeping. Ugh!" -Daniel, Connecticut

"Using inappropriate words and hand gestures with my subordinates. I think we are fooling around, but some people take everything seriously. I can’t seem to get the social cues right." -Sheri, Florida

"Mistakenly mailing one client’s document to another, and vice versa. I work for a financial-services firm, and the mis-mailed documents contained lots of personal information. What’s worse is that I didn’t know it happened until unhappy Client A called my boss. That was not a good day for me." -Emily, North Carolina

"Not getting back to clients in a timely manner. I own a small business and I am my own boss, so when I lose a client, it affects my income. I don’t get paid!" -Eve, Pennsylvania

"Telling my parishioners -- I’m a pastor -- that I have ADD." -Jack, Iowa

Forgetting to register a new employee for his health benefits -- I wasn’t taking ADHD meds at the time. Luckily, I caught it before the benefits would go into effect." -Kelly, North Carolina

"Selling beautiful leather gloves for $5.99, when they really cost $55.99. No wonder one customer kept coming back to buy so many more pairs. What a deal!" -J., Ontario

"Getting too involved in a less-important project -- and blowing off what really needed to get done." -Melissa, Colorado

"Analysis paralysis. It takes me forever to plan a project. I obsess over details, when all that is required is a quick rough analysis." -Kevin, New Hampshire

"Multitasking without organizing. Many times I get involved in so many things that I lose track of where I am with each thing." -Tammy, Indiana

"Sending an inappropriate e-mail to my supervisor on more than one occasion. It cost me my job. Since then, I’ve been extra careful about re-reading e-mails before sending them." -Anonymous

"It's so bad I am afraid to admit it to anyone. LOL." -Kay, North Carolina

"Setting the bar too high for myself, which led to my being overwhelmed and paralyzed. My new mantra is 'Strive for excellence, not perfection.'" -Katherine, New York

"Not asking for help when I needed it." -Kay, Ontario

"Missing a typo on the cover of a magazine that was mailed to 22,000 subscribers. Ouch!" -An ADDitude Reader