ADHD
in the Workplace: Yes, You Can Be Successful with
Adult ADHD
Up
to 50 percent of the time, children with ADHD grow
into adults with attention difficulties. Just like
the ADHD child often has concerns in school, the ADHD
adult has concerns in the workplace. For example,
adults with attention deficit disorder may be easily
distracted from managing time, organizing, prioritizing,
getting started on tasks, and finishing tasks. More
specifically, if you’re an adult with ADHD,
you may recognize the following scenarios:
-
Getting so absorbed in a task that you lose track
of time and possibly miss a deadline (also known
as hyperfocus)
-
Becoming bogged down in details because you can’t
sort out what’s relevant
-
Not being able to plan out your day
Having
attention difficulties means you might need to do
things differently than others, but it does not have
to limit your success in the workplace. There are
some brilliant inventors, scientists, artists, writers,
and more who are thought to have had ADD/ADHD, but
it didn’t stop them from achieving their dreams.
Here are some tips known to help ADHD adults in the
workplace:
-
Exercise before you go to work. It clears the mind
and helps you to focus.
-
Go through your in-basket and e-mail during certain
times of the day so that you’re not distracted
every time a new piece of information arrives to
your desk.
-
Give yourself a certain amount of time to complete
work and stick to your schedule. Use alarms and
timers to keep you on task.
-
Write down 10 priorities or less at the beginning
of the day. Do not divert from your list unless
it’s an emergency.
-
Take notes during all meetings. It forces you to
focus and keeps your mind from wandering.
-
Keep a notepad to write down requests you receive
throughout the day and information you need to remember.
Post-it notes and dry erase boards are also good
for writing down reminders.
-
Let your coworkers know that you’re easily
distracted and you prefer to work in a quiet environment.
Use earphones if it helps keep the distractions
at bay.
-
Face your desk away from a high-traffic area.
-
Do not overbook yourself; under-commit instead.
Schedule extra time for tasks in case things take
longer than expected.
-
Be careful with ADHD impulsivity. Refrain from interrupting
conversations, blurting things out, or agreeing
to do things that you have no time for. Behavior
therapy for ADHD may help you to refrain from
impulsive conduct.
-
Complete boring tasks at a time you have lots of
energy, instead of waiting until you are too tired.
-
Plan to be early wherever you go, and resist the
urge to do “one more thing” before you
leave.
-
Review your progress with your supervisor at regular
intervals, and don’t be afraid to ask for
help.
By
being honest with yourself about your ADHD tendencies
and confronting those tendencies head-on, there’s
no reason why you can’t be as successful as
anyone else. Assess yourself, manage yourself, and
emphasize your strengths so that your talent is able
to shine in the workplace.
|