Friday 25 February 2011

Administration – I love you

Confession time. I am an admin geek. Think I'm over exaggerating? Ok, you asked for it:

One of the highlights of my career thus far has been learning to make databases in Microsoft Access – to advanced level. Yes. I spent about twenty hours in training and have left a trail of databases in my wake at my various employers since then - a bit like fairy dust but in shiny, time saving database form. It even reached the level where I seriously considered creating a database for my books, CDs or (God forbid) my wardrobe, such was my intense obsession with databasing. I understand that this is almost certifiable geekiness.

I particularly love admin when an admin geek hasn't been present before me. Piles of papers, mailing lists out of order – this is like discovering gold to the admin geek. That heady sense of:

'Oooh it's all out of order...where are my sticky notes...let me list my tasks....to do lists!.....new files....a new pack of polyfiles!....yessss!'

Do you see? This is worrying behaviour.

I liken it to cleaning a really dirty piece of silver (intensely satisfying by the way). Suddenly you reveal the wonder of what is underneath and you just feel so pleased with yourself! My Granddad used to get me to clean his silver when I went to visit so I partly blame him for these strange tendencies. He positively rewarded them with chocolate and fizzy Ribena – what's a girl to do?!

This week has been intensely satisfying for my inner admin geek as I have been given the administrative reigns of the church and free reign to go admin crazy. This afternoon I am going to format new documents for my monthly reports and update my new master contacts database. Yesss! I'm really sad aren't I? :(

4 comments:

  1. I don't know how to use databases, and I definitely need to learn. Though I too realise I'm a bit of an admin geek.

    Yes, the best part of my afternoon has been organising documents, handouts, timetables, registers and name badges for the next training course I'm running.

    I sadly enjoy such elements of my job.

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  2. I also love admin, I guess that is why I have done administrative jobs! I once sorted all of Oldmachar's worship music so it was all in its own polypocket and all sorted alphabetically by first line. Someone came into the office while I was doing it, saw the look of glee on my face as I am surrounded by pits of paper and promptly decided it would be best to work elsewhere that day!!

    When Naomi was on the way I was becoming concerned she didn't have enough clothes, I got rid of my worries by making a spreadsheet outlining everything she had!!

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  3. I did the same thing with the AUCU worship music. Every piece of music was properly photocopied, extra copies made of music & chord sheets, poly pockets labelled by first line of song (title of song in brackets), the key it was in originally, and the key that it was singable by the general public in.

    The rest of the worship team thought I was little nutty.

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  4. Love it! You crazy geeks! Glad I'm not alone!!

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