--- title: "Don’t Overlook Your Mistakes. Keep a Mistake Diary." id: "16960" type: "post" slug: "dont-overlook-your-mistakes-keep-a-mistake-diary" published_at: "2013-04-15T17:49:10+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T20:04:09+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/15/dont-overlook-your-mistakes-keep-a-mistake-diary/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/04/15/dont-overlook-your-mistakes-keep-a-mistake-diary.md" excerpt: "Mistakes are inevitable, but they can serve a purpose. Also: Too much on your plate? Take a step back and find out how to make your routine more manageable." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "E-learning" - "Leadership" - "Mid-Level Professional" - "reflection" - "Self-improvement" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Don’t Overlook Your Mistakes. Keep a Mistake Diary. Can keeping a “mistake diary” and sharing lessons learned with your staff prevent mishaps in the future? That, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links: > I wanted to be able to reflect on them later, so I wouldn’t beat myself up during the week. It was a way to get more sleep. **Live and learn:**You’ve heard this phrase time and time again: “Learn from your mistakes.” It couldn’t ring more true. Odds are, you’re not the only one making mistakes. Elaine Wherry, cofounder of the chat site Meebo, recently gave a talk about [keeping a “mistake diary.” (opens in a new tab)](http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/03/29/the-manager-who-kept-a-six-year-diary-of-her-mistakes/) She recorded in sketchbooks everything from time-management problems to hyper-perfectionism. “I wanted to be able to reflect on them later, so I wouldn’t beat myself up during the week,” she told the *Wall Street Journal*. “It was a way to get more sleep.” **Get real:**Do you take on more tasks than you should? If you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed and strapped for time, it may be an issue of committing to too many responsibilities. “A manageable life is one leaving something in reserve. It isn’t going full speed all the time,” [writes Jeffrey Cufaude on his Idea Architects blog. (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2004/09/leave-little-in-reserve.html) “It has capacity to expand, to shift gears when a particularly desirable moment (like a new baby) occurs or when a more challenging situation (like a loved one becoming ill) demands your involvement.” Learn how to delegate if possible or, when asked to take on a new task, just say you don’t have the bandwidth. After all, you can’t be in a thousand places at once. **Community insight:**According to educational theorist Etienne Wenger, a community of practice, or COP, is a group of professionals who share and engage in their common interests and passions. Conferences are filled with COPs. In fact, they’re what make conferences such a great learning experience. Adrian Segar of Conferences That Work built a diagram [pinpointing where COPs lie in the engagement spectrum (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2013/04/conferences-as-communities-of-practice/?utm_source=feedly) . How do you interact with your community of practice? What interesting reads have you found today? Let us know in the comments below. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Anita Ferrer](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Anita Ferrer is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/anita-ferrer/) Tags: [#E-learning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/e-learning/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) [#reflection](https://associationsnow.com/tag/reflection/) [#Self-improvement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/self-improvement/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoASAE Annual Meeting 2012 Ignite Sessions – The Art of Letting GoSeptember 21, 2012](https://associationsnow.com/2012/09/21/asae-annual-meeting-2012-ignite-sessions-the-art-of-letting-go/) - [VideoThere is No Such Thing as Bad LuckAugust 29, 2013](https://associationsnow.com/2013/08/29/there-is-no-such-thing-as-bad-luck/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F04%2F15%2Fdont-overlook-your-mistakes-keep-a-mistake-diary%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !