On why I was being completely A.N.A.L.

I cannot believe that it is now 12 hours before the Conference... I stayed at the office till 7pm today and told myself, okay, this is the 120th time I'm going through that 'To do' list.... and I'm pretty sure I've got everything covered !!! Conference bag... CHECK..... Chair instructions... CHECK.... copy all presentation slides onto memory stick... CHECK.... abstract list... CHECK... delegate sign up sheet.... CHECK... name badges....CHECK... and the list goes on...

One precious lesson I learnt today is to learn to let go, trust other people and know how to delegate tasks out. For the past two days I've been using every spare time that I have to stuff leaflets, instructions, schedules, maps, pens, coffee sachets and other freebies into the Conference bag that we'll be giving out to the delegates. Now people who do not know me well, I am very very ANAL when it comes to things like that... all papers have to be in the correct order, put into the folder neatly with the folder carefully placed into the bag so as not to crumple the folder... yada yada yada... so trying to do all 64 has taken its toll on me and try as hard as I may, I was lagging behind by 3pm today and I had other things to do like printing out administration documents, putting up posters, arranging tables at the venue, emailing people.... earlier today my boss and my colleagues have kindly offered their hand but I turned them down politely, saying.. Oh I've got everything under control... (in actual fact, I don't trust other people to do this job as well as I do it *DUH*, Anal, I know... completely). And then comes the time to load everything up into the trolley ready for tomorrow, I was still stuffing the bags and I was still saying ... Oh I've got everything under control.....

By 5pm, I was still stuffing the bags and my boss finally decided that I should let my other colleague handle that task (and I begrudgingly had to turn away from that corner and carry on with other more pressing matters to tend to)... still I couldn't help myself but kept glancing over my shoulder to make sure that she was doing it right...

Then when all of that was done, it was loading time and still I said... Oh don't worry, I'll do it later.. and of course my boss won't have it... and she and another colleague started loading up the trolley and got that done in 5 minutes flat...

After I've got everything done and before I left the office at 7pm, I looked at all the contents neatly piled up in the trolley and thought to myself... thank god that's done.. otherwise I would have ended up spending the night at the office !!! Upon checking the bags, so yeahh some folders were dented a bit, some folders were sticking out of their bags a bit... so what?! At least they're done.

It is hard sometimes to let go and learn to delegate.. but it is also important to remember the word 'teamwork'. My colleague teased me and called me a 'one-man-band'. I think doing a good job is important, but letting others help you to do a good job is equally important.

I hope the Conference in the next two days will not only turn out as planned but also will be a roaring success and that by the end of it, everybody will go home feeling satisfied and more informed.

NOTE: 'Anal' is shortened from the expression 'anal retentive' which means uptight, uncompromising, compulsive and picky about doing things a certain way...