I finally finished the handout manuscript for my lecture at the pathology conference.
It was one of those tasks that had been weighing on me more than I realized.
I somehow managed to complete the handout for my upcoming lecture at the pathology conference.
The day before yesterday, after writing and revising it, I sent the manuscript—despite it being a day off—to a longtime expert colleague to ask for a careful review. By yesterday morning, it was already back, marked up with comments.
There had been one part that bothered me slightly, and he pointed it out precisely. That alone was immensely helpful.
The revised version was uploaded to the conference website without incident, and I could finally breathe a little.
This year, I told myself I would try not to do things I don’t want to do.
But that resolution hasn’t gone very far.
I should probably just say no when asked, but I can’t seem to do that.
People ask me to handle things because they assume I can manage them, and I accept, thinking it will somehow work out.
In the long run, that can lead to stagnation in the field.
And yet, there often isn’t anyone else who clearly fits the role.
Still, I have just over three years left in what you might call my active professional life.
Whether I like it or not, I need to start passing things on. And to be honest, I’m getting tired.
So the question remains: who should take the baton?
That is a discussion I’ll have to face again today.
