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How My ADHD Mind Navigates a Complicated Remote Job

It's an Adventure

By Ginger GillenwaterPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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My job is very complex and, as someone with ADHD, things can be even more complicated, especially since I work remotely from home. However, I have managed to secure promotions, become a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and win a major company award in 2021 because of my excellent performance.

None of that came without difficulties, however.

The following covers some of the issues I face and how I handle them.

Lack of Focus

Focusing is a constant challenge. If I have difficulty focusing on one task, I’ll juggle several tasks with the same level of urgency so I can mix it up a little and keep things moving. If I can’t mix it up, I have to remind myself to focus. The constant reminding and “snapping out of it” can be tiring, but I have become rather good at it and always remain efficient.

I also have difficulty focusing in meetings. My mind will wander until I hear my name and I have a moment of panic. Being that I work in the position I do, I can’t multi-task because my attention is needed during the call. Here are things that I have done during calls to reel in my focus:

  1. Take notes on everything everyone is saying (even this isn’t entirely foolproof)
  2. If notes aren’t absolutely necessary for a particular meeting, I lift my 10-pound dumbbells, and, for some reason, that keeps me focused on what is happening on my screen and what is being said.
  3. I play mindless games of Solitaire while I listen to the call. My recall of what occurred in the meeting is excellent when I do this.

And if I am interrupted during a task, there are times I don’t mind it so much. The “change of scenery” can be a relief.

Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus is when a “change of scenery” is met with a little frustration. There are times when I am so focused on a long task that nothing can stir me until it does. An interruption can be physically painful.

After addressing the interruption, I have to compose myself and dive right back in to maintain my high performance. This “recovery” comes in the form of me taking a moment to close my eyes and remember where I was and then remembering the steps I took to get there. That makes it a little less overwhelming when I look back up at the screen. I take it one step at a time.

Stimulation

When not in meetings and working on tasks, I need some kind of outside stimulation. This is where my Air Pods have become my best friends. I listen to my playlist and sometimes the same song over and over. If I get tired of music, I will bring up Netflix on my tablet and play a series (never movies).

I absolutely cannot work in silence.

Heck, I’m not writing this article in silence. I am writing a few sentences and then looking up at the television. I’ve been listening to what is happening in the movie while putting this together and could recall everything in the movie up until this point if you were to ask me.

Right now, I can handle a movie on the screen because writing on Medium is a bit more relaxed than what I do during my work hours.

Don’t Tell Me, Show Me

Lastly, I’m a very visual person. Show me once or twice and you never have to show me again. It’s something I’m conditioned to do (I have been a dancer and professional baton twirler for 37 years and that requires rapid recall). My psychiatrist called it my “workaround” for ensuring I knew everything I needed to know to do things well.

For instance, there are many times throughout my day that I have to say to those I am helping, “Show me the problem.” If someone sends me a lengthy email about a technical issue they are having, I will private message them and ask them to screen share the problem. Those long emails are chaotic because, most of the time, the person describing the issue doesn’t know how to communicate the issue in words. This may be a bit normal, but even some of the simplest issues can be made overly complicated without having a visual.

There Are Ways to Navigate

As you can see, there are ways to navigate. Perhaps you can relate to some of the things I’ve mentioned in this piece. Maybe you have different ways of getting through.

I’d love to hear in the comments what you do to navigate your ADHD in the workplace.

Originally posted on Medium.com (https://medium.com/@gingergillenwater/how-my-adhd-mind-navigates-a-complicated-remote-job-dd68dd6508b)

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About the Creator

Ginger Gillenwater

Her head tilted as she absorbed the glorious sight of her name on the cover. "Well," Ginger said, "I think my name is too long. I need a pen name."

In the end, alphabet soup always wins.

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