I hold my hands up to it – I'm a total control freak.

I would rather overwhelm myself with too much stuff to do than delegate responsibility to anyone else.

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The only thing I don't have under tight control is my tendency towards controlling.

Over the years I've tried to break the habit, and mostly failed – which is unusual, as my self-control is usually flawless.

If you're not sure if you're a control freak, here are some signs to look out for.

You believe that you are always the best person for the job

I don't mean this in an egotistical way – just that you don't trust anyone else to get the job done.

You have trust issues

A fair chunk of being a control freak boils down to trust issues. In THEORY you have faith in the people around you, but in practice… well, you're just not sure.

One of the only people I will trust unreservedly to get sh*t done is my mum – because who do you think I inherited my control freak nature from in the first place?

Surprises are your personal hell

Please make it stop (Picture: Getty)

Don't get me wrong, I love coming home to a surprise tasty treat in the fridge.

But if someone wants to take me out for a treat but won't tell me where they're taking me I go into full-on stress mode.

You find it LESS stressful to be in charge

Waiting for someone else to handle something is, weirdly, significantly more stressful than putting in the time and doing it yourself.

Things that you have no control over are the source of most of your worries

The weather. The passing of time. Illness. The actions of other people.

You know, most things.

Your self-restraint is impressive

This has never happened to me. I don't know if that's a good thing or not (Picture: Getty)

I am self-controlled to the point of inflexible at times.

But when I see people struggling with impulse-control, I'm really grateful for my rigidity. I can even resist free office cake when I want to.

Spontaneity is not your thing

If it hasn't been planned weeks in advance, then I'm probably not doing it.

The idea of letting someone else plan your hen/stag do makes you feel sick

That's one tradition you'll probably throw out the window.

When you say 'I'm not fussed', you're probably lying

'Totally fine, I'm easy either way…' (Picture: Getty)

There are small decisions that I genuinely don't care about – like which red wine to have with dinner.

But when it comes to bigger decisions – like where we're having that dinner – if I say 'I'm not fussed', what I mean is 'I'm Googling restaurant reviews and will get back to you with a list of three options in the next half hour'.

You need to be careful not to extend your control obsession to other people

I'm pretty good at keeping my controlling tendencies to myself. I don't try to control anyone else's behaviour.

I recognise that the problem is mine, not theirs, and try not to inflict it on other people. If you're trying to control other people, like your partner or friends, then you need to have a serious word with yourself.

Learning how to delegate at work was a serious challenge for you

You're excellent at managing up. Managing down, however, is a whole other challenge.

Trusting someone else to do things for you is a big step

Even just letting your partner plan a date for you is a big deal, and a sign that you hold that person in enormously high esteem.

You have to really love someone to give up control for them.

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