I got this from http://add.about.com/library/blsurvivingwork.htm
Surviving ADHD in The Workplace


ADHD can bring many wonderful qualities to a job. Men have reported that the high energy level, creative thinking and problem solving as well as the ability to hyper-focus on a task can bring much success to their careers. The ability to think conceptually, view the entire situation and find solutions to problems that are highly advanced and ingenious can bring much satisfaction. One man writes, “My ideas are laughed at initially but time proves them most benefical.” (David’s Perspective, The Many Faces of ADD)

There are, however, several ADD traits that make the workplace a difficult and trying place. Forgetfulness, inattention to detail, poor listening and communication skills, hyperactivity, and short attention spans are some of those traits.

It is a hard decision to ask for accommodations to meet individual needs. Men are supposed to be able to handle the stress and pressure of a job. Asking for accommodations can make men feel weak and frightened that they will be viewed as not being able to live up to expectations. Bosses may feel that asking for accommodations is like asking for special treatment and may feel that it will disrupt the flow of the department, causing resentment on the part of workers that are not given accommodations. Unfortunately, many may still feel that ADHD is an excuse for poor work performance. Many men, therefore, have chosen not to disclose their ADHD to their employer, choosing instead to find ways to manage the characteristics and traits of ADHD that might cause problems at work.

Whether you choose to ask for accommodations or to handle situations on your own, there are some behavior management systems that might provide some relief.

Inattention and Memory
Use a timer/watch with alarms and set it to vibrate or beep at certain intervals during the day. The vibration/beep should remind you to get back on task and remain focused.

If you work with a computer on your desk, you can use your computer to set reminders.

Use your email and send yourself a message on deadlines, things to do and projects to be completed.

Use a “32 file system.” Set up manilla folders, one for each day of the month and one for anything past this month. File your work under the day that you need to work on it, with reminders in upcoming days for deadlines. If your work is mostly on the computer or does not involve paperwork, write a note as to what needs to be completed and place in the correct date. Anything not needed to be completed this month, write a date on the top corner of the paper and file it in “later.” At the beginning of each month, refile the “later” papers into the correct dates. Each morning, you should have a file containing the work that needs to be completed that day. Anything for tomorrow is off your desk and remains unseen.

Use a PDA. This device, as with all management systems, is only as good as you want it to be. You will need to discipline yourself to use the PDA and input the data you need to keep you organized.

Use a coach or a buddy system to have someone remind you of important dates, deadlines or other work to be completed. You can communicate via phone, in person or by email.

Ask your supervisor/manager to meet briefly with you each Monday morning to review the projects and expectations for the week.

If you work in a situation where there are numerous interruptions, keep a stack of index cards or “sticky notes” on your desk. When interrupted, immediately write down what you were doing. Once the interruption is over, you will know exactly what you were working on and can more easily get back to it.

Hyperactivity

Set your schedule to allow for time to stretch, walk around and otherwise use up some of the excess energy. Pace your time so that “sitting” work is divided into chunks, rather than long stretches.

Use your lunch hour to exercise. Take a walk around the building.

Ask about completing some of your work at home so that you change your environment, decreasing your restlessness.

If you attend meetings and can’t seem to sit still and concentrate, keep a pad with you and constantly take notes on what is being said.

Restructure your workday to complete boring and mundane tasks first.

Impulsiveness

Taking on extra work because you impulsively agreed to do it can be devastating. Talk with your supervisor or manager and let them know that you may sometimes take on more than you are able to complete. At the moment it may sound great, but later, you realize that you have over-extended yourself. Let your manager know that you would like time to think about additional projects before giving a commitment.

Keep your day structured to avoid impulsively moving from task to task.

Blurting out comments and answers can sometimes happen because you fear that you will forget what you wanted to say if you wait only a few minutes. Keep a small notebook with you at all times and when someone is talking, write a short note to yourself as to what you want to contribute to the conversation or discussion. When they have finished talking, you will be able to add your comments, without having interrupted or spoken without thinking first.

If anyone has any other suggestions or even other problems could you share them with us?
One problem I have at work is the distraction my co-workers do, the laughing, giggling, flinging of rubber bands, playing weird sounds on their computers (Such as beaker from Muppets), talking loud on their cell phones.

Voice recorder for what you want to contribute to the conversation (I have one on my new cellphone).

Put on your headphones with the Mozart or Vivaldi on them to block out the office noise.

I'm a little brain dead and don't have any other suggestions right now.

Oh, one more.

If you're in a field or city that is at all competitive, get your support system in place - hire your organizer - do whatever you have to do - but DO NOT reveal to anyone you work with or for that you're dealing with AD/HD. It's a screener, plain and simple. It's not the way the world should be but it's the way the world is.

when I've had part time office jobs, I too find music helpful. :)

At my last two jobs I've gotten really nervous when I work. When anything goes wrong I freaked. Now I'm trying to find another job and hopefully things will work out.

-Raven

I agree - Music helps me ALOT (although, I have to stay away from slow music - it'll put me to sleep ;)

I have inattentive ADD - but, luckily, with my job, I'm VERY busy - so I find that if I move on to something else for a little while, I don't have as much trouble going back to a previous project. Sometimes, I do have to force myself to do things tho *bleah*

Hello All,

I have the biggest problem figuring out what my priorities are at work. I work in an environment that constantly throws new issues at me all day and I have to re-prioritize depending on which ones are "hot". This makes it really hard for me to start my day. I sit here, staring at my screen with my mind racing about what I should start working on. But I stress out because I don't feel sure of my decision and my mind starts wandering to the other issues.

Any suggestions on how to not let all the thoughts in my head stress me out so much? I get to the point where I'm in the middle of researching something and my mind says "Oh, what about this issue!!!" and I move onto the next issue. I end up not getting much done at all and I beat myself up.

I'm trying to retrain my brain and get some structure, but the thoughts are powerful and consuming.
This is tough. Glad I'm not alone.

Thanks,
Paul

Plast,

Your post could have been mine.
That is exactly the environment and flow that I am in.

I am stressing right now, because I have yet to get to something done that I know should be on the top of the list that I should have had done 2 days ago. :dizzy:

Tomorrow, I am going into my office and shuting the door behind me. Let's see if that works.

Finding the priority when give multitasks is a biggy for me too. I had to go to my head engineer and say "Which is the order I should do things" If you own your own company this must be madding!

Prioritizing is one thing that coaching does help with. At work, it should be possible to borrow someone's ear for a few minutes to sort things out. It might sound unusual but it could even be a mutual exchange. I've done that at work all the time calling people over to help with a design problem, though I'll admit it's not so common for more mundane organizational details it should definitely help if you can find someone to help. Offer to help them with something. Forced collaboration (teamwork) at work kills me but when it's voluntary, it's excellent.

And it could be my post too. I'm scaring myself with some of the neglect on the work front. I keep telling myself that all is stable in most other areas of concern and is certainly an improvement over a few months ago but all is not perfect that's for sure.

It seems as if any time there is something with any pressure attached I can't get on my game.

I've made more headway in the past couple of weeks than in several months previously. Mostly though patience I think and maybe some preparation. I just try not to give the phone calls and the nagging voice in the back of my head much energy.

I am trying to remain positive and make an effort to think about good things like all the other things in my life that were a mess previously that aren't now. This week I have tried to focus on the fact that I am making head way even at work and that if I can maintain the slow improvements the work will get done and all will be well.

It is scary though. I've decimated my business over the last year. My credibility is forever compromised. My life goals have changed as a result but I'm still quite frightend by the lack of attention to what I think should be high priority items.

I'm leaning but my expectations are high and my patience is low.
Life is short. Play hard.
Ian.

me too with the priorities.
If all the tasks at work were glasses of water that needed to be filled with a teaspoon, my personal, ADD-ish style would be to fill them each a little bit, and then continue, filling the more urgent ones with an extra spoonful. Tasks new to the line-up would then be completed later, unless given extra spoonsful of attention.
It actually works pretty well, except for the constant anxiety.
But my boss sees this work style as being alternately scattered and obsessive--which it is. But she gets angry at me for working the way I do, which makes the anxiety level rise until I can't do anything, and, worst of all, lose my momentum, forgetting where I was on the tasks.
I'm taking meds now, but they have a similar-but-different effect. My method has been shattered by the meds, and is not working.
I can't easily find a new job, as I am an aging single parent and do not want to uproot my youngest child right now.

This week was a good one on the work front. I got really weak from lack of sleep, painful mouth after being beat up by a dentist and relationship realignments. Now that seems to have all resolved and I've just got the spring allergy hit to haul around with me.

Just a note on multitasking. I used to think it was the cats meow but have since learnt that it does not work as well as I once thought.

Here is a link I found that begins to explain why.
http://shorterlink.org/189

I've begun to try and assign short blocks of time to tasks so I know I don't have to be doing the same thing for what seems like forever. I also make sure I get up and do something for short periods if I do get into doing a longer task.

Even getting up and stretching can extend my ability to stay on task. A walk to get a glass of water is even better. It seems to be a skill I'm capable of learning though which is encouraging.
Cheers! Ian.

Dear Plast:

I don't really have a suggestion for you because I am in a similar situation. What I have done is to ask each person who requests a task to give me a drop-dead due date. While I try to avoid suggesting that I will not be able to meet the deadline, I sometimes negotiate a new deadline. Some of the responsibility for meeting deadlines is not just yours.

Got to go, thunderstorm just started, Good Luck, Ann

oh goodness, this was so much help to read!

I'm having so much trouble with work lately and no one in my office seems to understand that I am not irresponsible -- my brain just works a little differently!

I just got this email from my supervisor this morning, so I'm freaking out a bit:

"I will inform you that Ann-Marie and myself are concerned that you are slipping back into behaviors that we had talked about last year. It's all little stuff like coming in late, pto admin, losing keys, etc. but it does affect business. We may have to talk if it continues. As we've discussed before, following simple admin procedures are important. I'd also remind you that we had discussed communicating more with myself and the rest of the staff verbally instead of always im'ing and emailing. You seem to be back to the nonverbal communication. Your work is excellent but this other stuff definitely affects productivity and everybody else. I just wanted to give you a heads up now so that we avoid any future "reprimands"(for lack of a better word).

If you need to talk about anything or take time off to straighten stuff out, let me know. thanks"

:eyebrow::rolleyes:

ouch.

I am so glad I have these boards for resources... and to know I am really not the only one out there with a head full of chaos!

I hope that you are still with the same job and working for Ann-Marie. The reason I am able to say this is that she is really trying to help you know where you stand and what you need to do. (Of course for ADD people we often seem to know WHAT to do, it's the how.)

Anyway, By telling you exactly what she'd like to see changed - ie: that your'e communicating through email rather than in person, and being non-verbal she is telling you where you stand. So you know. Personally, it is sometimes easier for me to send an email b/c it makes sure that I have my thoughts lined up so they make sense instead of jumping around a lot. I also don't tend think as fast on my feet with my supervisor as I'd like. (I have so much respect and admiration for him that it is difficult for me to talk to him b/c I feel like he would view me as lacking or unworthy. In truth he has put up with a tremendous amount from me and I haven't given as much back.)

So, perhaps explaining to Ann-Marie that you find it easier on some things to communicate via email b/c it allows you to present information in a clear, concise, and organized manner. Perhaps she would be able to provide you with strategies for communicating with her verbally.

email from supervisor

Wow. I can understand that it hurt to receive it, but I want to borrow that e-mail, b/c I think she hit a constructive tone. I have a hard enough time managing my own issues, and I suspect that someone I now have to manage has untreated ADD. She has many of the same issues the e-mail addresses.

Prioritizing is one thing that coaching does help with. At work, it should be possible to borrow someone's ear for a few minutes to sort things out. It might sound unusual but it could even be a mutual exchange. I've done that at work all the time calling people over to help with a design problem, though I'll admit it's not so common for more mundane organizational details it should definitely help if you can find someone to help. Offer to help them with something. Forced collaboration (teamwork) at work kills me but when it's voluntary, it's excellent.
"Forced collaboration (teamwork) at work kills me but when it's voluntary, it's excellent."

Ask more about why this is? This is how i works all the time. We know what our priorities are but we don't consider them to be any less a priority than another one. We simply have our own WAY of doing it. This WAY will work just fine and allow us to excell at what we do. But the mundane tasks get in the way. That in itself to me personally is a mundane issue!

Music - it drowns out the noices that the savage beast [office worker] makes. IHAVE to have some music playing just to block out the noice. After I'm able to focus on what I'm doing, I can take off the head phones and it didn't matter what was happening around me. The building could be on fire and I wouldn't notice it.
I can't listen to a full album, everything is randomized. For example, two songs ago, it was an old jug band song [old, '29 and many consider it to be the foundation of what we know of the blues/rock/,,, today.], last song was Creed, and now it is Gracie Fields -'49. Good, BlindSide coming up next.


http://www.turbofish.com/music.txt

I started a new job about 3 months ago and just came up on the end of my probationary period and had a conference with my boss about how I am doing. Well, she told me that she was extending my probationary period for 30 days so that she and her assistant could work with me on a few things that have been lacking in my job performance. She explained that they could'nt give me the attention that they wished to because they have been so busy. She knows about my add and also some issues I have with anxiety disorder. She also said that she thought I was a very good worker and was worth her time and attention. I'm worried however about this extention because I think when you are in the probationary period you can be let go for no reason. I feel like I am walking on eggshells and am under the microscope in there now. I'm scared to death of losing my job. I try so hard and it never seems to be good enough. I am on SSDI for depression and anxiety which I will be getting off of soon (my decision) because I want to be a functional and contributing member of society. Can anyone out there offer any advice, council, or reassurance that can help me get through the next 30 days? Thanks in advance.

This is the first school I have worked in with very little technology-adapting is taking a long time-I really depend on it and am at a very high stress level trying to adapt to the extra work-and the increase in mistakes and time to fix them.

Don't want to use ADD as an excuse-plus, some of it is school-wide and impossible to change. Just need a shoulder to lean on. And a place to rant, rave, and cuss. I would rather be teaching.

Becky

Some things that help me:
1. Stay away from the computer at least some of the time. It is best for me to start without the computer. I can prioritize, plan, and start better that way.
2. Take breaks for water. Use those break times to do tasks other than "computer things".
3. Ground myself in all ways.
4. Write down exactly why I stopped working on one thing, and then (when it's a "problem" I don't have the answer to) make it a point to ask someone or get help on it.
5. If I communicate better by thinking it all through and writing it all down first, I do. This is especially important for phone calls and meeting strangers.
6. Relax more. Though it seems so illogical, the more I relax, the better I do. And the better others like me, and I like myself--at least sometimes!

If anyone has any other suggestions or even other problems could you share them with us?
One problem I have at work is the distraction my co-workers do, the laughing, giggling, flinging of rubber bands, playing weird sounds on their computers (Such as beaker from Muppets), talking loud on their cell phones.
Wow thats amazing thats my biggest problem at work is distraction. Particulary when this one guy laughs I start laughing to me he has a funny laugh. Then there is the times when someone is explaining somthing to me and I start to lose track of what is being said. This is becuase there are so many distractions. MY boss has already told me that I have an issue when it comes to paying attention, I seem to always ask the same question more then three times that has been anwsered the day before. Funny thing is my boss has ADD too lol. But he lost his hyperness and he is much better then I am at listening and handling pressure.

my sidekick 3 cell was helpfull till they figured out i had internet on it:mad:

Ive been asigned a different pace for work today.......uh just when i get my own stuff done,im very anxious as in nervy today,my whole day will be out of wack.

oh the powers to be can be so cruel:p

Good luck with the new assignment! Don't I know how cruel the powers-that-be can be acceptance! :)

This was all before I even knew I had ADD. I had done OK in the place where I left to go to uni because they left me alone to do a job & didn't hassle me. Then the workload in that job go too much & I started to protest & tried to get help. So they decided they were going to "cycle" people through the job (ie dump me from it & put me into a lower level, general job) and my coping mechanisms at that time failed me, sending me back to hospital with major depression.

When I returned with a new attitude, nothing was ever good enough, at first we were allowed to listen to music on the computer (which really helped me) but I was constantly told by the supervisor to "turn it down" when it was not on loudly in the first place. Nobody else complained,by the way.

Fast forward to just over 2 years after returning to my work, I was put on a final written warning for things like "talking too loudly on the phone", "butting into conversations" etc. When they gave me the final written warning the supervisor actually said "This is not about your performance, it is about other things - but then did not go into these "other things" - they just gave me the letter with the final warning write-up. Since then, I realised these things were part of my ADD.

At that point I realised that I was never going to be able to save myself there & applied for uni, got my place back & I have not looked back. It just shows that there is a lot of ignorance in the workplace about any sort of mental health issues.

I hope that you are still with the same job and working for Ann-Marie. The reason I am able to say this is that she is really trying to help you know where you stand and what you need to do. (Of course for ADD people we often seem to know WHAT to do, it's the how.)

Anyway, By telling you exactly what she'd like to see changed - ie: that your'e communicating through email rather than in person, and being non-verbal she is telling you where you stand. So you know. Personally, it is sometimes easier for me to send an email b/c it makes sure that I have my thoughts lined up so they make sense instead of jumping around a lot. I also don't tend think as fast on my feet with my supervisor as I'd like. (I have so much respect and admiration for him that it is difficult for me to talk to him b/c I feel like he would view me as lacking or unworthy. In truth he has put up with a tremendous amount from me and I haven't given as much back.)

So, perhaps explaining to Ann-Marie that you find it easier on some things to communicate via email b/c it allows you to present information in a clear, concise, and organized manner. Perhaps she would be able to provide you with strategies for communicating with her verbally.

That is a wonderful email. I can appreciate Ann-Marie's candor and constructive criticism. Wow. Respect level has gone up, up, up for certain mgrs.

Hello All,

I have the biggest problem figuring out what my priorities are at work. I work in an environment that constantly throws new issues at me all day and I have to re-prioritize depending on which ones are "hot". This makes it really hard for me to start my day. I sit here, staring at my screen with my mind racing about what I should start working on. But I stress out because I don't feel sure of my decision and my mind starts wandering to the other issues.

Any suggestions on how to not let all the thoughts in my head stress me out so much? I get to the point where I'm in the middle of researching something and my mind says "Oh, what about this issue!!!" and I move onto the next issue. I end up not getting much done at all and I beat myself up.

I'm trying to retrain my brain and get some structure, but the thoughts are powerful and consuming.
This is tough. Glad I'm not alone.

Thanks,
Paul

You are definately not alone! You articulated very well what I go through almost on a daily basis! I get to work 1 to 2 hours before my co-workers so I can get a jump on the day, but it never works out that way, I try to catch up on something that I have been puting off, and things keep popping up anyway! Maybe I shouldn't check my email first thing in the morning. It is so frustrating. I want to show my boss I'm on top of things (especially since I just got a promotion), but then he'll ask me if I had gotten around to something I had completely forgot about! My task list in outlook keeps getting longer instead of shorter, because I forget to check it and keep adding stuff. Help!!!

I have a problem with following up on things. If I send someone an email to do something I forget about following up on it b/c I assume they are going to do it. I work in the insurance industry and so I am constantly requesting information or changes etc. Once I send the request I forget about it until they get back to me. Does anyone have a good system for following up?

ADHD can bring many wonderful qualities to a job. Men have reported that the high energy level, creative thinking and problem solving as well as the ability to hyper-focus on a task can bring much success to their careers. The ability to think conceptually, view the entire situation and find solutions to problems that are highly advanced and ingenious can bring much satisfaction. One man writes, “My ideas are laughed at initially but time proves them most benefical.” (David’s Perspective, The Many Faces of ADD)

one of those kind of qualities i bring to the table is i volunteer like a mad man. Boss says i have a job here for someone to do...... i tell him or her and am usually the first to say give it to me ill do it. Get alot of crappy jobs at first but once the boss knows you dont mind volunteering you will get the good jobs. Thats always been the case in my experience, that way i dont need to be paranoid all the time thinking im not doing my job lol.

Wow--this is so great to read because I deal with all of these issues on a daily basis!! Also, i think it is so interesting how many people with ADD also deal with anxiety and depression. There is so much pressure to perform and produce in a particular way that it is very stressful to people who are more creative and abstract! Unfortunately, all the aspects of a "good" worker are contrary to the aspects of ADD. I am looking for a job and EVERY post says "self-starter", "organized", "punctual", "good follow-through", "work independently", etc. I keep thinking, where is the job posting that says, "sharp, creative worker wanted. Temporary bursts of enthusiasm, flexible sense of time, lack of focus or intense focus, distractability, need for collaboration and feedback, and direct, blunt communication a plus." Ha ha!! That's the job for me!!

I immigrated here from the Philippines almost 2 decades ago and went through depression and anxiety almost that length of time. I was diagnosed with ADD about four years ago and now in my second medication. Medication is not a cure all as you still have to work, get along with people and meet deadlines. I was fired in some jobs and barely survive the others.

I currently took a week off from work to deal with my emotional problems and overwhelming stress. I got the feeling that I will be leaving this job soon. I came to this job after quitting another job within the same company. This is my 4th year with this organization and maybe that length of time is enough and it's time to seek out other opportunities.

I've just finished my master's last May and boy, that was stressful. ADD, work and school at the same time almost cost me my sanity. There were quite a few times that I feel like going to the psych ward. I'm now faced with the reality of finding another job and historically, I always had problems finding a job that best fits me. I guess I'm not alone with this dilemma. I read in other forums that some are at the point of giving up and that's really sad. I was in that predicament quite a few times in my life.

I'm going to a CHADD meeting in two weeks and hopefully that will provide me some answers to some of my questions regarding ADD. I'm 38 years old and I feel that I've been caught between a rock and a hard place too many times during my adult life. My wife stood by me all of the 10 years we've been together. I am fortunate to have a loving and understanding wife. My lack of success in life is something that pains me a lot and feel bad for my wife. She always re-direct me and let me count my blessings. She's right.

I enjoyed the postings and it is a great source of inspiration.

Reading these posts brought tears to my eyes! I can so relate, and being brand new to this board, and having not really shared that much with other ADDers, I had NO IDEA how NOT ALONE I am! I'm going to go back and click THANKS on all of these! I feel like a weight is being lifted. THANK YOU!

That link didn't work for me, but I found this at the same website.

http://add.about.com/od/adhdinadults/a/Worktips.htm

Thanx to all for such useful hints and information, it is too late for me as I am yet again unemployed however I will have to use them in my next job. I am determined to beat the on and of and on and of and on and of employment merry-go-round .... wish me luck.

I am returning to this board after not looking at it for awhile. Does anyone here have issues with Non Verbal Learning Disability? If so what are your issues I was tested recently and found out that I have a 20 pt gap between my verbal score and performance score and that is with taking 20mg of adderall xr 20. The gap narrowed from what it was 8 years ago when I was taking only 5 mg of ritalin and before Sensory Integration therapy Without adderall my eyes will not focus at all and neither will I. My biggest issues or concerns for me is my motor skills which are horrible. I am 50 and my fine motor skills are really weak. (I can type and use computer software. ) My hand eye coordination is also extremely weak. I had done sensory integration therapy for about two years and stopped it in 2002. I recently started using something that I had gotten from my occupational therapist and it helps in that it keeps me from verbalizing everything that I do especially stuff that involves using motor skills, and makes me less conscious of the delay with my hand and eye, it might shorten the delay. The verbalizing the stuff that is automatic for other people distracts me from being able to really think about the mental aspect of the work. My tester did not believe me until she watched me work (which was before I went back to doing what I did during OT (which I hated but it makes life easier)

If anyone is out there with NVLD what kind of work are you doing? How did you discuss the fact that you are so much slower than you would seem to be? If I say nothing I might get in a situation where the output required is more than I can handle. Bosses always love me when I have temped and they have neither met me before my start date or seen my resume. Obviously the job is easier. Those positions wind up being either permanent positions or really long term temp assignments. It's been awhile since my last temp job. (the people loved me but their location closed about two months after the temps left, and because we were being phased out the work load was much lower than the norm so I could handle it or stay later since I didn't have to clock in with a regular time clock, I didn't pay myself for the extra time I worked due to my slowness and desire to be productive). I am trying to figure out what to do for full time work. I work part-time in a department store, and even there I am noticeably slower than most of the other people. Using what I learned in SI helps me to not talk to myself on the register and lets me do things quicker and not get rattled by the stuff that isn't routine like a return without tickets or something that might have been stolen. It also helps me in the tax program in that I can deal with something that is not familiar to me and work through it without freaking out.

By education I am an accountant, I worked tax season at H and R Block as a preparer. The people in my office knew me from working the year before in a clerical capacity and helped me with stuff that was more difficult and I helped them with some of the more routine stuff that was more clerical in nature.

I'm taking tax courses now to get ready for next season. I can get good scores on the certification quizzes which are open book, (although the wording can be tricky) but I'm always one of the last to finish the classroom exercises. People do notice these kind of things. It's like something doesn't add up.