Attention to Detail or Big Picture?

[catherine]

One of my grandsons, age 4, visited us a couple of weeks ago. One thing I have noticed about him is his eagle eyes. He can identify an ant crawling in the grass. He will alert me to the tiniest spider in the tiniest corner. And then he came into my room to sleep on my bed. I had made sure my bedroom was spotless in advance of their coming, but there were a couple of pills on the comforter. Honestly microscopic black pills on a white comforter. He said, "Get rid of the crappy stuff. I hate crappy stuff." If DH were anything like him, our marriage wouldn't have lasted a week. I tend to selectively ignore little details but am good at seeing the overall view--the Big Picture. I'm pretty good at synthesizing information for that reason, but I'm horrible at addressing crumbs on the floor.

So, are you a Big Picture person or an Attention to Detail person? How has that affected your life and your relationships?

[Klunick]

I am a detail person and husband is a big picture person so we work well together. If my grandkid ever spoke to me like that, I'd tell him to leave the room because of his "crappy" attitude and I don't like crappy stuff either.

[iris lilies]

But that’s kids, that ability to see close up the tiny world in front of them. We outgrow that as we embrace a bigger world and have to process all the tiny things in it to get a big picture.


I guess I’m more of a big picture person than a detail person. When it comes to floral design, I always have faults with the mechanics. I’m in such a hurry to get the Design finished, to create the vision, but I’m less concerned about the details going into it.

[Yppej]

I am a detail person, and my DS extremely so. The majoring in minors can be annoying. I am sure people here haven't appreciated when they get on my case and I respond by pointing out their grammatical or spelling errors. It does annoy me to no end when people (especially a couple who claim to be teachers) can't write in standard English. These errors are different from speech to text scrambling what you say, for which I don't hold the speaker responsible, I blame the technology.

[iris lilies]

I am a detail person, and my DS extremely so. The majoring in minors can be annoying. I am sure people here haven't appreciated when they get on my case and I respond by pointing out their grammatical or spelling errors. It does annoy me to no end when people (especially a couple who claim to be teachers) can't write in standard English. These errors are different from speech to text scrambling what you say, for which I don't hold the speaker responsible, I blame the technology.

The speaker needs to proof their posts.

It’s the same level of sloppiness. Just saying. As someone who knows of what she speaks.

[Yppej]

The speaker needs to proof their posts.

It’s the same level of sloppiness. Just saying. As someone who knows of what she speaks.

I see one as sloppiness and one as lack of knowledge. If you don't claim to be knowledgeable, no big deal. But if you say you are a teacher I hold you to a higher standard.

[herbgeek]

But if you say you are a teacher I hold you to a higher standard.

So teachers are not allowed to make typos on a casual, neighborhood-style forum, unrelated to their paid profession? They have to be perfect in all cases, in all circumstances in order to pass your muster?

[razz]

I can see both the big picture and detail as well. I will plan a flowerbed shape and size as an example. Then research the conditions that will impact it - light, slope, moisture, winds in different seasons and then the variety of plants and infrastructure that would thrive. I am doing this with one triangular bed that is a swale. I placed flagstones, some plants and some mixed size rocks and wood mulch.
With the heavy recent rains, the wood mulch washed away from one end to the other. Plants are happy so Plan B is removal of the wood mulch and arranging rocks as mulch instead with hired help.

I switch from big picture to detail as a pattern in my life, I think. What do I wish/want, how can it be done, what will I need, when and can I do it or have someone else do it?

Having said that, in my sewing efforts, detail drives me nuts so I stick to easy projects like placemats with few details. Knitting is so much easier.

As for typos online, I am grateful for others sharing their views as I learn so much and enjoy their contributions. I recognize that just as I forgive myself for not being perfect, so will I ignore, without any judgement, others' typos for being less than perfect hoping they will forgive mine.

[herbgeek]

In response to Catherine's post, I'm more of a big picture person and a sloppy executioner at times. I'm so in my head that I don't pay attention to what I'm doing.

As far as the comforter with pills, that would be a sensory issue for me. I'm particularly aware when something touches my skin. So clothing labels, crumbs in the bed, sticky hands all annoy me to no end.

[Yppej]

So teachers are not allowed to make typos on a casual, neighborhood-style forum, unrelated to their paid profession? They have to be perfect in all cases, in all circumstances in order to pass your muster?

A typo is something like teh instead of the.

Picking an entirely incorrect word that does not make sense grammatically is another matter.

When a waiter spelled coronavirus incorrectly it didn't bother me, but if I were at his restaurant and he spilled soup all over me I would judge him incompetent. I do expect if someone claims to be in a certain profession they should have a level of knowledge and competence in it.