If you are in an environment where you have a boss that is overly controlling, it can be very stressful. There is nothing worse than not being able to take two steps without someone asking you what you are doing, or where those numbers are. It gets even worse when you have given the boss everything that the boss wants, and it still isn't good enough. Good luck making any mistakes around these people, because you are going to pay for it for awhile.
The best thing you can do if you are working for an overly controlling boss is to simply realize that you are going to be in for a long day, and there is going to be a lot of oversight. There is nothing wrong with a hands-on manager of course, and there is not a whole lot you can really do about it. You just have to be prepared. The best thing to do is to tell the manager ahead of time what you are going to be doing.
I find that when my manager knows what I am doing ahead of time, that manager is less likely to keep tabs on me. Most of the overly controlling managers simply have a problem with not knowing what is going on, or what the real plan is for the day. If you can keep them informed of what you are doing ahead of time, they are more likely to just calm down, and relax.
This means that you have to be a little more organized yourself, and you have to know what you need to get done before it happens. This can be hard because we all know what it means to be at work. The day is never as we plan it, and so you need to be in constant contact with the boss. There are going to be hard times during the day then because the boss is never going to be happy if things change.
Not everyone can work for the overly controlling boss, but if you are a neat freak yourself, or always striving to know what is going on before it happens, you might have met your perfect boss. If you are one of those people who follows the letter of the law at all times, and never breaks a rule, or does anything that might be considered wrong, you are in luck, you will get along great with the boss.
However, for most of us it will be a challenge to deal with that kind of a boss. The key is to just relax, and realize that this style happens from time to time. It generally is because the boss is just insecure, or afraid that his leadership is flawed somehow. The best thing is to stay ahead of that kind of boss, and just learn to deal with the annoying person meddling all day.