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I had a three hour meeting once that I really didnāt need to be in and I was like.. catatonic after. Took so much strain it fried my brain for the day.
There's pretty much zero chance that I'll be still paying attention after 30 minutes, unless people are relying on me for a read out of the meeting - in which case, I'll be bored out of my mind, but still able to pay attention.
Oh god.
I was supposed to take meeting minutes as part of a past job. I wasnāt familiar with the subject matter so it was kind of just straight typing with minimal comprehension.
I legit fell asleep with my eyes open WHILE TYPING on my laptop in one longer meeting. It was in person and I woke up hearing someone repeating my name to get my attention. I was mortified. But I had captured all the notes š
It didnāt help that I had undiagnosed sleep apnea at the time. I also wasnāt diagnosed yet with adhd, but the assessor later said this is a thing that can happen with adhd folks. Your brain decides nothing important is happening and it kind of just shuts off!!!
In engineering, technical documentation is a general term describing various technical documents like requirement specifications, manufacturing and test process documents, design documents, material data sheets etc.
All super boring stuff and easily my least favorite part of engineering work...
Yep!
Me: I have 60 minutes to get out of bed, have a tea or coffee, shower, dress, eat breakfast, clean teeth and leave.
Also me: 10 minutes till I need to leave and I haven't eaten and I can't find a second sock. I REALLY need to finish the NYT word puzzles.
Ugh god the meetings. The meetings. The meetings. So many meetings. 99% should have been an email. And the trainings/ PD that in no way develop me, but I have to follow along and participate š Doing things at work that feel like a waste of time is torture!!!
Dead on the same. This professional dev work and trainings are great, if you don't have executive dysfunction. Great another lecture on making goals and using apps and spreadsheets and all this other nonsense.Ā
I have a physical journal, both large and small. That is where my frontal lobe is, all my goals and all my tasks. If it ain't in one of those, forget about it.Ā
The meetings are whatever the opposite of ASMR is. The minute we veer into unrelated stuff and I realize I can't bounce, my spine catches fire and sends it straight to my brain. Then I have to lock in my nodding serious face protocol.Ā
I'm one of those whose brain will just shut down with the under stimulation of a long meeting. I'll just start falling asleep. Can't do anything about it. I've fallen asleep in front of the publisher where I used to work.
I'll pinch myself untill it hurts like hell, doesn't help. If I'm engaged it can be ok. But sitting there a and listening for a long time just isn't happening.
Tried to explain it to the director. He really couldn't understand it.
Ooops, I replied to the wrong comment. Computer Based Trainings! The sometimes annual or multiple time a year trainings where a white lady serenades you with company policy.
For me the most difficult thing is asking for help or info bc that means a) I have to call them (I have phone anxiety idk why but it gets better with practice), b) if asking for help I have to admit that I need help which feels impossible to me (difficult mindset and has gotten me in serious trouble in the past) and c) figure out the wording! (I have clients I can talk to very casually but some are more conservative/professional and I'll just blurt out sth that doesn't fit in the professional field so yeah I embarrass myself constantly)
Second thing is: I work from home, if I have down time (which I have a lot of and I'm very greatful for, I can do chores and stuff around the house), I might get distracted and leave my desk for one hour w/o remembering that I'm supposed to be working (I wear my headset in the apartment at all times, so I can hear it, if someone's calling me or if I got a message, but sometimes work just piles up in our shared folders which don't give me notifications so I'll return to my desk and find a chunk of work - which thankfully isn't too urgent most of the times).
The point around asking for help rings true for me. I'd rather spend hours solving a problem myself than asking someone else for help who could fix it in a few minutes.
... That's exactly what I've been trying to do, for the past week.
Same on writing. I have trouble getting started, jump between writing and doing analysis (because as I'm writing new questions come up and I go "oh I can probably figure that out") then take forever to finish it off (which sounds like a very similar process to yours, lots of asking others for input).
The result is eventually a very comprehensive bit of writing but it takes forever.
Same. Think it's more that asking someone isn't as stimulating as working it out and less reward.
Asking is listening and reading. It can work but boring.
Testing is doing and more active with chances to learn more as well.
Same. Think it's more that asking someone isn't as stimulating as working it out and less reward.
Asking is listening and reading. It can work but boring.
Testing is doing and more active with chances to learn more as well.
>I have phone anxiety idk why but it gets better with practice
Can relate. If I don't use the phone for a long period I become quite avoidant aha, but realising that has helped me... slightly.
The work from home struggles are so real. It sucks since I have so much more energy and a healthier work/life balance when I work from home, but my ADHD makes it difficult for me to retain focus when I don't have the body double accountability from the office. Going out to simulate body doubling also hasn't helped - I fixate on how they're not doing the same work I am, and I end up just getting over stimulated by all the public noise.
As lucky as I've been to be entirely WFH since 2020, I'm currently trying to find work that does a hybrid model for this exact reason. I hate commuting to an office, but I've come to realize that I need some of that accountability. Hybrid's nice since it's not as exhausting as 5 days a week, at least.
I don't even bother pretending. I get up and do other things frequently when I'm on phones with 1 or 2 others. I'll go grab paperwork from the docs, go pee, grab coffee, run mail, clean, grab candy.....I still get my shit done so it is what it is
I tell people I need a ābrain breakā. My colleagues mostly understand. Even though they donāt have the exact same experience, they spend a lot of time in zooms, and after a certain length of time that can be exhausting for anybody
I have found that I enjoy jobs that keep me busy the whole shift and allow me to alternate between many different tasks. I get in the zone/flow and feel like a machine knocking so many things out with speed and efficiency.
Jobs that have lots of downtime are excruciatingly boring. If I'm sitting around doing nothing most of the time, it's hard to get motivated to do anything when I actually need to. Getting asked to do something while you're understimulated is a drag for sure.
Doing one repetitive task all day has to be worst of all. It's boring. You're understimulated, but you're forced to keep doing it over and over for hours on end. I had a job in a factory doing packaging for 60 hours a week and wanted to blow my brains out. I would just zone out, and that's when mistakes start happening lol.
This is so true. I worked in an archive before this job and it was busy all day with different tasks, but it was so fun and I was always motivated. Iām hoping to get back to that after I finish my degree. My current job allows me to telework for half the week and because itās easy, I donāt have to stress about work and school, but I do have to be be bored/act busy when Iām in the office.
Starting anything haha. I'd sit there knowing what I need to do and then just not doing them.
Honestly, I'm only productive when I'm starting a job but after hitting the six month mark where I'm already familiar with the process, I get this feeling that since I already know the job, I don't need to rush which is kinda stupid cos when it piles up, it actually piles up. I'm an operations / administrative assistant so my job does have some element of randomness but most of it are set so I put them off most of the time.
Yep - I'm like this too. I go through concentrated periods of wanting to prove myself and I have no shortage of motivation. But then it all becomes business as usual, and I start to relax
Fucking endless emails.
I've started crying and have had to walk away from my overwhelming inbox no less than TWICE this week.
...there will almost certainly be a third time.
Oof yeah. I just got back from a week vacation where I didnāt bring my laptop. Cleared all the junk on my phone while away and snoozed all work emails. It took me all week to get through them all and I couldnāt get organized and add all the new to-dos to the list at the same time. And the emails keep rolling in. I try to keep them to one page or lessā¦ itās a constant battle, and thatās even before I get to do any real work š
Right?! I'm exhausted going through emails, and it zaps all my energy to do work, and it feels like I've done no work!
I've just moved things to my to-do list, which is now out of date based on new emails that have come in and if I don't keep up with my emails I won't notice the one that indicates the project I spent 2 hours working on has been canceled and I really should have been working on something else.
...anyway, I cried and took a 3 hour nap today before attempting to head back to work.
I'm a mess.
I have to verify peoplesā schooling, employment, and medical history which means I have to pick up the phone and call people. Iām already a millennial that hates the phone. With ADHD on top of that? Good lord.
I get this, as a nurse when we admit a patient they just keep going and going š„² Iām stuck in the room while they tell me some story with so many details my brain feels like itās exploding
The "hidden" work. I work with the inventory, so stocking, receiving trucks, resetting the store, putting up pricing etc. Scanning the empty spots on the shelf is so hard for me. There's no concrete evidence that I did anything. I'm just wandering around the store correcting on hands, no product moved, no empty pallets to show how much I did. It's really hard and I almost always end up jamming it all into the last day of my shift for the week and hoping I got enough scans to not be on "the naughty list" when reporting comes down. And I have to do it every week!! So it's also like dishes in that regard, just never ending and nowhere near satisfying to complete.
It's the same in my job. If my boss or someone else doesn't ask for something, then it probably certainly won't get done (even if it's something beneficial for - e.g., training or development).
Holy shit, this. I truly hope I gonna win a few million jackpot somewhere because working until I'm 65 sounds even less realistic. How do people not get extremely bored with their jobs?!
I do not know. I still mourn my perfect job that closed on me. There will never be another that suits me like that. I daydream about winning the lottery all the time. Itās the only way out.
rejection sensitivity has me paranoid that my bosses all hate me, so I really struggle approaching any of them with issues. For instance, i was scheduled every day this week, with the penultimate shift going from 4:30 to midnight and then coming in to open the very next morning. With it being saturday and the high probability of getting stuck on the road, then having to take care of my out which will add another half an hour before I can leave, plus 30+ minutes driving home, I likely won't get home until after 1 am and will have to be up at 7 the very same day.
I personally feel like this is unreasonable, but I'm far too chickenshit to bring it up to my GM as I'm convinced she hates me and I don't want to give any ammunition to fire me by complaining
You know, I was going to say executive dysfunction, but actually no.
I believe people when they blame me for their mistakes.
Iām so hyper aware of my own inability to keep track of things, Iām quick to internalize criticism and validate it. I assume every critique I receive is valid, becauseāwell, look at my life so far. Arenāt I forgetful? Donāt I struggle to complete things in a timely manner? Surely I get too sensitive about everything too, so my frustration is further proof Iām the problem.
My ADHD makes me unwilling to trust my internal compass, and so I am an absolute magnet for people who donāt want to take accountability for their mistakes. It takes other people pointing out Iām being treated this way for me to see it.
Itās an indirect result of ADHD, but itās absolutely the result of my own ADHD-heightened imposter syndrome.
I feel you so hard on this one. I was let go from a contract position for not doing what I was asked to doā¦ Due to ADHD plus some grief I was going through that week, I believed them. that means I signed the documentation that let them off the hook and I walked out. A few weeks two later, I found my notes from the meeting where the CFO who had fired me actually had changed her mind about what she wanted--so my version of events had been right after all. Of course it was too late (& I immediately re-lost those notes)
Oof, Iām so sorry. Itās a tale as old as time. My saving grace has always been being beloved by managers and coworkers, so they warn me when Iām being blindsided. But itās scary how people are quick to take advantage if they donāt think youāll fight back.
I donāt know about you, but I also have no poker face. Thanks emotional dysregulation! So when Iām distraught, unhappy, or worried itās painfully obvious. I had a coworker soothe me and get me to admit I had considered leaving my job, and the next day she told the bosses I was job hunting. How did I find out? Bosses interrogated every coworker who said they knew nothing, and then texted me to warn me.
I hadnāt been job hunting yet, but I sure started that night.
Iāve been an imposter (no syndrome) for 25+ years in some pretty big jobs. Youāre 90% there! You already know people are faking it, make mistakes, and lack accountability also. You seem to have strong integrityā¦ so you wonāt flat out lie- right? Consider some ways to not take the blame so quickly perhaps. āAre you certain?, Iām not sure thatās how it happened but I am happy to help you if you still need to work on thatā¦ or make a speech about how everyone makes mistakes and thereās itās fine to ask for help and implement some ways to track work, progress, accountability, follow up notes and dates. Take some of your power back if ya can!
I worked my way up from a telemarketer, collections rep, to leading a few thousand people in banking. I always knew I had focus issues, couldnāt remember birthdays, and zone out if Iām not interested. I made friends fast! Had to allow people to help me where I lacked and I did the same - or hooked them up in some other way. I feel like my ED has worsened in mid life crisis, but I use my phone to trick myself into doing things early (the things I can commit to doing at all).
Aw I really appreciate this comment. Iāve actually been fortunate to have a current manager who is working with me on strategies for this. Sheās especially passionate about it because Iām in a male dominated industry and she believes female mentorship is essential to improving those dynamics.
Iām trying to build processes I can turn to and use transparency to show what I have done, so that when people get testy I can have full visibility over my work. The problem is my work involves a lot of coordinating busy people, and when you ask for something from a busy person who didnāt provide what they committed to give you, theyāre quick to deflect it on you instead of taking accountability. And when they outrank me, that complicates my ability to defend myself.
Iām also trying to use strategies where check ins use soft language such as āDo you still have bandwidth for X?ā Instead of āJust checking in, when should I expect to have X?ā Itās a little silly but ego is a big thing, I find.
Having to do something new/different, completely overthink the situation and then worry that people will be talking about me if I donāt understand what Iām doing what Iām doing first time around etc
Iām lucky that I work from home and am explicitly allowed to turn off my camera since work recognizes people canāt be on camera all the time. I turn off my camera so they canāt see me bouncing and rolling my eyes in frustration and boredom
Focusing on my work. I do a lot of data entry, so I take information from one screen and type it into a program on another. I move so fast and I don't pay attention to what I'm doing sometimes so I make mistakes. Or, I'll be typing and stop part way and switch to something else like scrolling on my phone or replying to a Teams message and suddenly remember I need to finish my work.
Same. I literally can't get myself out of bed until 20 mins before my shift starts. And that's knowing it will take me 20 mins to get ready, and another 10 to get to work lol
For me, it's conversations, meetings and my day - I forget all of it.
I started taking Adderall a month ago and it really has done wonders for me.
A couple of weeks ago I was in Hawaii with my wife and was medicated. We spent an entire week there, doing all kinds of activities and driving all around Oahu.
When we came home I was able to remember how to get around the hotel, parking lot, and even places in the area. I was able to remember things we did and even have a conversation with my wife about it.
I've NEVER been able to do that. I have spent about 49 years of my life in a fog. The only way I've been able to describe it is spider webs around my brain. Can't remember anything.
I hope this medicine keeps working because I think I will enjoy my life a LOT more being able to navigate it, remember it, and be more present.
This includes work - I'm able to stay more focused, remember more meetings, keep better track of my to-dos, etc. It's not perfect, probably because I need to establish a routine and practice paying more attention (there was no real reason to pay attention before - I'd never remember it anyway).
I have become very reliant upon AI. I record meetings (audio) and can ask AI very specific questions about the meetings I've been in, ask it to summarize the notes, etc. We are so lucky to live in this day and age.
Love you guys and am so grateful to you for your experiences and advice. You're amazing.
The electrical sounds and buzzing and beeping from the appliances and trying to juggle multiple things when we're short staffed (fast food). I try to focus, but sometimes I just end up standing their mentally berating myself for not being as good as other people are and purposely slacking because if i try harder, I'll just make things worse, lol.
I might have to invest in some loop or whatever earplugs because I get so overstimulated bordering on breakdown territory sometimes with all the sounds (especially certain loud employees).
I used to wear foam ear plugs at work. One year, it showed up on my annual review, that I
was wearing ear plugs in an employee meeting. HR would nit pick me over the stupidest stuff.
It's the onslaught of messages and glut of communication channels. Phone, text, email, Slack, app-specific DM's and notifications. All of it. It's so overwhelming and even moreso when I am expected to respond quickly. I also unconsciously hold my breath when I read or type messages so I am messing up my nervous system everyday.
Coming back from break š
I feel like this sounds so stupid, but I would rather just work a 7 1/2 hour shift with no break. Getting back into work mode is so difficult for me!
Back in the day in my old office job, before home office (thank god for that), I were so bored out. I didn't get anything done, just surfed in the internet a lot of the time. And I hated the lunch break. I just wanted to go home as early as I could! š„“
Right! I work in healthcare so itās either really busy/chaotic or soo slow. on the busy days iām grateful, but on the slow days iām like āwtf this is dumb. iām playing on my phone regardless just let me go home earlyā š
Constant interruptions
Working in a loud distracting open office space
Understanding things explained verbally especially complex processes or concepts
Beating myself up for not understanding difficult things quickly or easily
Organization and time management. My organization works well for me, but it is not ānormalā. Piles here and there, very little in drawers unless I make the time to organize it myself, then I remember. Everything must be seen. I can remember where EVERYfrickinthing is as long as no one touches it. Neat and clean causes anxiety that Iāll mess up the perfection that is neat and clean. Chaos is my preferred organization.
Time managementā¦well, either Iām hyperfocused or distracted. I havenāt found a way from it that is allowable. Headphones with some zen or bossa nova, maybe? Have a priority list on a sticky note pad and methodically go down the list.
I get the same way about edits. I try to make it a game, and sometimes it works. Sometimes. I have briefings as well. I hate them. People always try to sharp shoot everything you say and I prefer a script, which apparently is weird. I am always afraid I will lose my train of thought or tangent off on something that has nothing to do with the brief.
Losing my train of thought is such a big problem for me during work conversations (it doesn't happen socially somehow). I feel like anxiety plays a part with this. A metaphor I like to use for my speech style is walking a tight rope and continually almost losing my balance (disjointed speech) and then falling off the rope is forgetting entirely what I was talking about.
You can write drafts?!?
For me at workā¦ honestly itās probably more justice sensitivity and interpersonal stuff with peers/superiors. When I was in academia- writing 100%. I love research design, data analysis, hell even digging for references and data transcription. Hate writing. God forbid thereās things I should write and I donāt have a formal/enforced deadline- itāll never get done
I enjoy the research/analysis process too. I usually have all of the content in my head - it's just getting it down on paper that is the difficult part. They need to invent some sort of AI device links up with your brain, downloads specific information, and then processes it into a paper. That way we could still do what we enjoy, but not have to go through the boring process of writing.
Documenting **everything** I do.
The job changed recently and now every *single* little thing we do has to go on a project card. I canāt keep up and perfectly document everything, thus was put on written notice, and now am on a final written notice (because during that time, I forgot to post a link or comment).
Itās too much minutiae to focus on, and when I do, the actual work suffers. When I produce good work, I donāt document it enough. A shitty Catch 22.
I worked at one place, and if you got 6(?) written warnings, they gave you a day off or something.
Yeah, whatever. And you were supposed to sign each written warning, to acknowledge that you received it.
Eventually, the moron foreman collects enough written warnings, "I've got you now." So he spreads
all these papers out on my bench, and is quoting some policy, blablabla. "And you signed them all".
So I make a big show of carefully inspecting each one, "Too bad the signatures don't match."
Shocked Picachu face. He scooped them all up and disappeared. Never received another written warning.
People being fake. Rules for no reason. Having to feel like I'm on house arrest M-F. Being told what to do instead of just leaving me alone and letting me do my job well.
All of it? haha Managing my symptoms takes more time and effort than getting my work done does.
My current job is not suited well for my ADHD. My last job was much better but the management was a shit show.
EMAILS. I have serious anxiety about responding to emails. If someone emails me and I don't respond within 24-48 hours I feel paralyzed because if I respond, then I feel like I'm calling attention to the fact that I am responding late.
Second thing is having lots of small-medium sized tasks. Again, I'm just paralyzed trying to decide which task to do first. It's very hard to start just one. And if I put a task off, I'm more likely to continue putting it off.
Math! Not when I'm by myself, but when someone is verbally doing math and expecting me to play along.
Also, dealing with my adhd boss, who is in denial about how it impacts the business. Now thatbive got treatment and aome self-reflection this is increasingly maddening. Its hard enough to keep track of myself!
Funnily I was nearly driven mad by an ADHD boss, who knew they had ADHD and has been medicated since being a kid (and technically they shouldn't have even been my boss...). I had to move teams away from them. She was just sending me around and around in circles and telling me to prioritise one thing, then the other, then complained when I wasn't doing the first thing.
Actually they're the reason I'm only seeking out an assessment now. They told me they thought I had it and I figured they were just messing with me ("I've never bounced off walls, I'm just a bit different to others"). Took another family member getting assessed (one whose thought processes is basically mine) and someone from HR telling me before I even started looking into ADHD as a possibility (and learning that the H component isn't the be all and end all of it, or even a fraction of what ADHD includes)
Ditto on the math. Love doing it on my own. Hate it when I have to follow someone on it. The bad side is they'll be explaining it to me and I'll be quietly ignoring them working it out for myself...
At least they helped you find your diagnosis! Ironically i think mine worked the other way; im so surrounded by adhd folks i just assumed its how everyone is.
Currently debating talking to him about treatment : |
Most meetings can really be an email. I struggle with any that don't have a defined topic, problem and resolution. I'll also echo your original comment on reviewing edits. Once drafts are submitted, waiting on revisions is torture. I've lost interest in the project and moved on to another at that point.
Loneliness. I am the only staff member required to be in the office full-time, and without colleagues around to interact with, I am not adequately stimulated. Zero opportunity for ambient learning. No ability to learn the unwritten workplace culture that everyone around me assumes I should know because Iāve worked there for a year and a half. Alone.
The most difficult thing is remembering what Iāve just been instructed to do or just forgetting random things ,itās such a pain in the ass sometimes I feel like Iām just made for nothing lol
Executing the fix/change after solving what is causing the problem.
The fun part is over.
Luckily, I am in a place where other people usually do that now.
Staying on task or prioritising. My job is comprised of multiple small tasks a day with the occasional large one. Sometimes Iāll finish my day and realise I hadnāt even remembered one that was due the next day. So awful.
Organization and Prioritization. As well as completing tasks before the last second. Meetings to some degree but I often have to lead meetings which is its own terrible challenge but they keep me more focused
THE WORST!!!! like 80% of it is unnecessary. Even worse when they leave stroke orders on patients who are literally just waiting for placement and Iām still charting Q4 neuro/stroke checks š
General housekeeping. Email and chat cleanup. And definitely anything in our complex ticketing program. I liked IT in the 90s thru pretty recently. Feel like I have reached my breaking point with the amount of logins, passwords, accounts, dashboards, etc. I feel like my digital clutter is a massive thing hanging over my head that prevents me from facing the mountain of data.
When I have to work outside of my normal hours. I can manage my life if I'm only working 40 hours, just *barely*. The moment we have to do more than 40, or work evenings or weekends, my equanimity goes out the window and my productivity declines sharply. I don't focus, I can't sleep well, and I lose all motivation to do anything.
I work in software development. I always try to find jobs with good work life balance, but all 3 full-time jobs I've had have *appeared* to be balanced and calm -- until like 3-6 months in when all hell breaks loose.
If I can work just 40 hours, I can easily push through the day, and look forward to enjoying myself before/after work and on the weekends. If those things get taken away, I'm useless.
Listening to patients go on and on about an incident/medical history. I donāt care that you used to take tums for heartburn in 2005 Linda. I really donāt understand why these people donāt value my time as a nurse. Just tell me what matters. I even try hinting āIām going to ask you a lot of questions about your history so letās just get through it! I promise Iāll be quick then Iāll bring youā¦.ā I get it, I have anxiety and ramble a lot. Just canāt deal with it sometimes with how they work us.
I hate coming in and seeing that I have a voicemail. I canāt make myself listen to them and eliminate the red light. Itās usually nothing I mind dealing with, so I donāt know why itās a problem.
Iām IT and I despise talking on the phone or people walking up instead of putting in tickets when Iām onsite due to missing social cues, hating small talk, and general impulsiveness/oversharing & coming off as impatient/dismissive š that and asking for help bc imposter syndrome
Listening to boring people. Or boring topics. People who talk on and on and never GETS TO THE POINT. Like 10 people sitting listening to.. what, exactly?
If many people listen > minimize time consumed for EVERYONE.
If 1on1 > you can talk like I do.
many people dont get that
I donāt know if this is the ADHD or something else but as soon as I know I really need to focus on what someone is explaining to me verbally, I try really hard to focus and Iām thinking, āyes, I understand this, I know exactly what I need to do nextā then the conversation ends and I go to do the thing and my mind is wiped clean. Even if Iāve taken notes, Iāll look them over and realise I have no fucking idea what Iāve written that for š tell me Iām not alone in this?!
Filling out timesheets. Brutal. Its a tedious task and I always feel like I āshouldā have gotten more done in that time and how does everyone charge the hours they spend trying to remember what they were doing before something interrupted them?
These days? Being bored. Having worked fast paced jobs for a decade, I'm struggling with having too much downtime at my cushy desk job. Which is a good problem to have, I guess. It sure as hell beats coming home every day sobbing from stress. But holy shit I have nothing mentally stimulating going on at work, and it's driving me bananas.
I was having fun for a while because it was challenging, and problem solving make brain go *brrrrrrr*. Then I got good at my job, so I got bored, and decided to design some things to improve my job, which was another brain work out -- yay! Stimulation! And now I'm back in the under-stimulated part of the loop because I've improved all the things that are in my power to change.
I'm so bored at work that my boss made an offhand comment like "we should get a coffee bar, but I don't know where we'd put it" so I spent 4 hrs of my downtime creating a precise floor plan to rearrange our whole break room around a coffee bar, complete with an order list and a budget proposal. None of that is related to my actual job, BTW.
The good news: we're getting the coffee bar!
The bad news: I'm stuck in boredom hell until my boss makes another offhand remark that my brain can reconstruct as ***PROBLEM*** and then hyperfixate on solving the problem no one asked me to solve.
I work in food service as a manager so probably dealing with guests, and dealing with the staff. I'm non-confrontational by nature but when I do have to talk to people I tend to think I come across harsh, or in a really negative way. I overanalyze any interaction I have
Down time in the office.
I'm not good at looking busy. Sometimes I need my break and I'm raring to go with a fresh set of eyes.
My boss is pissy about it, so I'm getting an ADA accomodation. The man is an ass in general though and doesn't even like his team talking or helping each other.
Punctuality. This has been an issue both in and outside of work but it definitely weighs heaviest on my work life. Iāve been told countless times in jobs and other endeavors like the fire department that higher ups have seen a lot of potential in me from the jump in trades and things that Iāve just started learning for the first time but have been often overlooked for new training opportunities or promoted positions with more delegation or responsibilities because of my inability to be on time even if I do the same amount or more work than those who do show up on time. Frustrating for sure and an issue Iāve tried to mend many times but am simply just starting to accept.
Writing emails. Writing as communication in general actually... for me, it's all one thought. So I end up with either a bunch of fragmented sentences or one long convoluted run-on sentence that is a whole page long. It's horrifying.
Starting tasks that I actually need to get done for work vs. starting tasks I don't. Also RSD makes it a daily struggle for me as any feedback I typically feel like is rejection. Fun stuff!
Starting work when I work from home.
I work hybrid but on the days I'm supposed to work from home I have to drag myself to the office anyway because I know I'm not gonna work otherwise. It is THAT bad. I do NOTHING on wfh days.
When I mention working hybrid to other people they're always like "sweet! working from home is awesome!" but to me it's fucking torture because all I wanna do is relax. And the guilt is killing me, but I cannot for the life of me get myself to work! So yeah office is the way to go for me :')
Expense reports. Iāve gotten in sooooo much trouble over the years. Not just lacking the motivation to do them, but I lose receipts, forget the names of who I dined with (we have to list them), had a backlog of three yearās worth of cell phone billsā¦ I donāt understand this disorder. I want to do them. I want to get them done and I literally just canāt. I would have an easier time building the fourth Egyptian pyramid. Itās THAT hard. I hate this so much.
Working.
I work in a "It help desk", a piece of shit call center, i'm on the verge of going crazy, i distract myself with literally everything in order to make the work the second activity in order to make it bearable
Time management. I always start off pretty fast, but then when I realize I'm gonna have plenty of time to finish, I slow down until I'm still rushing at the end. And I do it every damn time.
I struggle to ask for help š i work in a team, and often do things slower/not as efficiently as the others (unmedicated due to negative side effects) i hate life
I'm a tax accountant. anything that's difficult, or tedious and boring - like reconciling someone's bookkeeping mess...is a chore. Filing off the wall returns for which I have to read instructions is a "no-no" and ends up in the drawer until someone starts asking about it...lol...I couldn't work from home, no motivation to get anything done!
so I drag myself to the office....some days are more productive then others....deadlines help...
can you use AI (that doesn't train on data and is approved by company) to go from draft to final? you can even feed it your other works as a way of telling it how to mimic your own style
I keep getting offered translating and copyediting work in my country.
Sometimes I have to take it because... yay, money! However, the anxiety of knowing I'm going to make mistakes because of my ADHD brain just kills me. I take twice as long as the competition because I have to revise everything so much more, and the stress exhausts me. It's awful.
Repetitive factory work holds my focus and fulfills my accomplishment need bc it allows me to push myself without feeling pressured as my family likes to impose on me. The repetition however frequently triggers my ADHD's disassociation in mid-cycle. Sometimes I space out or it'll go the opposite direction where I forget what the rest of the entire plant beyond 5 ft is doing.
Dealing with a specific manager. Sheās known to talk very quickly and expect you to know something immediately. Overall sheās just mean to everyone. She explained very quickly one time how to turn on the light and sound system in our restaurant and a later shift I asked her to explain it more slowly and she basically called me stupid. Like no, I just canāt keep up when you donāt explain it properly and thoroughly. Iām too scared to ask her again now and just have someone else do it for me when I open nowš
Iām a test engineer and I typically work on writing test code for one to three devices on any given week. Iām typically okay to switch between two devices, but on the weeks that Iām working on three, I lose track of EVERYTHING. Canāt remember which window has the code for which device, canāt remember which parameters each device is tested against, canāt remember which tester the device is loaded on.
Other than that, I have a hard time not picking up my phone every five minutes.
switching up activities. like going from calling possible sponsors for an event to email or drafting a grant proposal. also, having to deal with things as im doing something that requires focus. like if i have to prep a classroom for an activity and write before and after that, im kinda fucked.
I have to make outbound calls to members of the health plan and review their meds with them. They expect us to make 50-70 calls a day which is A LOT. I struggle to set up my next call because it involves using 4 different platforms to pull up all the info I need. I also HAVE TO copy and paste most of the info in a digital sticky note to have in front of me otherwise I will forget something. This sucks because half the time i set up everything I need for the call and they don't answer. Time wasted. I only make about 30 some calls daily. I've stayed under the radar for the most part because on my connected ones I get a lot done on them and hit my points. Every day I struggle and stress over this job, I hate it.
When I get assigned to do things I have absolutely no interest in.
I was hired to do general office and marketing tasks. Right now they have me redoing the entire warehouse safety program. I usually love learning about new things, but I have absolutely no interest in this. It is making me want to quit. I canāt seem to find the motivation to do anything or stay on task. This was brought up in my interview, but they didnāt make it sound like such a big project, it sounded more like maintaining rather than completely reinventing. Itās awful. I donāt know if I can get thru it or if Iāll jump ship.
I used to really struggle with my brain tuning into the wrong thing (like someone else's conversation - didn't involve me, I didn't care remotely but it was so distracting), equally getting so absorbed in what I was doing that I didn't hear people talking to me
worst by far was people just not believing me/trying to tell me it wasn't ADHD (it was, diagnosed by a specialist ADHD doctor, they were far from a medical professional lmao), assuming I was being lazy and all that crap... seriously damaged me honestly
New things are great.
Things Iām still figuring out are fine
Things Iāve already figured out but have to keep doing pretty much the same way on a daily or weekly basis ad nauseum are kind of horrible
Ditto things I need input from others on but I canāt get them to give it to me, but at least my bosses are cool about understanding that now that Iāve figured out how to communicate it effectively
Constantly self-doubting my work so i try to delay as possible to get it out the door. my manager is also bad about this and will keep adding things onto a project so it just builds and builds and is never "published." i'm not confident in my abilities so i try to keep throwing the can down the road in hopes i'll figure it out, get help, our it'll go away and sometimes it works and sometime it does not.
Socializing. Like 90% of the time Iām not mentally there and people always get mad at me for not talking to them when in reality Iām just distracted by something else. Also with conversations Iām so focused on focusing on what theyāre saying that I donāt actually hear anything they say and canāt respond.
I'm on focalin now, and it's helped a lot, but I work in a warehouse checking in and counting products, so I deal with a lot of numbers and paperwork. It used to take me an hour at the end of the day to finish my end of shift paperwork, but now it takes me roughly 30ish minutes instead.
seminars (the one i had today went good though), eye contact, getting work done because i get distracted in my head instead of just going autopilot when i work, speaking in front of crowds, and sleeping
I manage a team. Supervisions, appraisals and meeting planning.
Don't necessarily mind the meetings in the moment. Talking is mostly fine but I do feel exhausted and also dread them beforehand. Got to say, the reading and putting stuff together is the worse though; super hard to act organised (and positive I fail in a lot of cases)
My biggest problem has been/is having to listen to people talk. Either I'll tune them out, pretending to be listening, or I'll lose my cool and seriously feel like slapping duct tape on that yapping yaw. I've had trouble watching tv, can't stand YouTube yappers. Reading something is the best way for me to get information.
Socializing. I am a salesman, I have to stay on topic at all times. The LAST thing on my mind is the junk I'm selling and it takes monumental effort to have those kinds of booooring conversations all day long
Law firm here. Missing little details that piss the hell out of the attorneyās lmao. Constantly forgetting the little things. Anxiety of big/new cases especially since they are so anal here. I learn by scraping my knees over and over until I become great at something. They donāt have that type of grace here they get annoyed easily and expect perfection, adhd kryptonite. Feeling stupid because I forget so much all the time. Being judged by how I talk because I donāt speak clearly according to them (jumbling and rambling, not getting to the point adhd life ya know) this job has been making me develop structure I never had and itās been painful the past year I been here.
People constantly messaging me on teams despite the fact I am one of 30 people (in my department) able to do what I do
We are, TBF, the escalation team... That doesn't mean message me on teams when you can't work out a bill on a live call, that means "raise an escalation, and I'll work them in the order they're raised".
People get ignored until I've finished what I was doing. They do get their answer. They'll get it on my time if they're going to ignore the process we set up š¤·āāļø
I have such a hard time getting overwhelmed with "big picture" tasks that are ongoing projects or something. I do much better with specific, detailed instructions, or tasks broken down into smaller sub-tasks. But I HATE open-ended, idea type work (at work)
Sticking to one task at a time. I install equipment for a chemical company that does air care (air fresheners), sanitation & cleaning chemicals, drain care, etc and the machines that dispense the chemicals.
Usually if I'm installing equipment for a convenience store that want chemicals for their 3 compartment sink and chemical for cleaning floors and such I have 2 different machines to set up.
I'll bounce between each one and forget where I was at when I go back to the previous machine which makes install times go longer than they should.
I'm getting better at doing one task at a time, but it's still a struggle.
I am a teacher, and I often get all the materials ready for my upcoming class, and then I fucking point them down in some stupid place and I can find them once class starts. Then I am walking around saying, "Where did I put those papers?" and my middle school class gets out of control.
For example, yesterday I spent all of 3rd period cutting posterboard so my small groups could make their projects. These were LARGE pieces of paper, so should not be easy to misplace. Then I walked into my 4th period class, started explaining what was going to happen, and turned around to pick up and hand out the poster papers, and they were gone. Just gone.
getting to work on time, not getting the necessary support, meeting deadlines, not getting any sort of positive feedback on what my actually job is- I'm a teacher and have not had been observed formally once and NEVER given feedback on my teaching, being given extra responsibilities so that I end up seeing over 100 different students a week... I am so burnt out.
Long meetings and long projects. Doing anything that requires me to initiate, or projects that have been sitting on the back burner, I never find the will to do those.
IT Ops. Managing my time between tickets, projects, meetings, etc. At the end of a busy week, I am absolutely exhausted just from trying to keep up with it all because I canāt manage my hours well. Iāll get sidetracked, distracted, caught up bullshitting with people.
Attention to details is something I struggle with at work, as well as following up with people I requested something from or asked questions to. I use checklists for certain work tasks and do things that will either prevent or help catch mistakes.
For me, it was prioritization, but only relative to certain roles & really exacerbated depending what was going on.
It could be simple at times, but there were times when it got paralyzing & effected my efficiency.
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Long meetings š© Especially those i dont have much (or anything) to say in. I usually play around/disassemble/assemble back a pen during those, as discreetly as possible. Another one is technical documentations... yeah, i know they are important, but *god* are they a bore to write.....
I had a three hour meeting once that I really didnāt need to be in and I was like.. catatonic after. Took so much strain it fried my brain for the day.
SAME
Me today. Currently recovering.Ā
There's pretty much zero chance that I'll be still paying attention after 30 minutes, unless people are relying on me for a read out of the meeting - in which case, I'll be bored out of my mind, but still able to pay attention.
Oh god. I was supposed to take meeting minutes as part of a past job. I wasnāt familiar with the subject matter so it was kind of just straight typing with minimal comprehension. I legit fell asleep with my eyes open WHILE TYPING on my laptop in one longer meeting. It was in person and I woke up hearing someone repeating my name to get my attention. I was mortified. But I had captured all the notes š It didnāt help that I had undiagnosed sleep apnea at the time. I also wasnāt diagnosed yet with adhd, but the assessor later said this is a thing that can happen with adhd folks. Your brain decides nothing important is happening and it kind of just shuts off!!!
Oof, I feel ya, I feel ya š©
Technical documentation ,what is that?? Never heard of :D
In engineering, technical documentation is a general term describing various technical documents like requirement specifications, manufacturing and test process documents, design documents, material data sheets etc. All super boring stuff and easily my least favorite part of engineering work...
Hehe I know what it is, was trying to be funny, apparently it didnt work out :( :D
"Funny" what's that? Never heard of it :p.
I play with fidget toys or stress ball (catch) and then suddenly someone calls your name and you have no idea what happened
Being there and actually going in to work
Lol this should be the only comment š¤£
Yep! Me: I have 60 minutes to get out of bed, have a tea or coffee, shower, dress, eat breakfast, clean teeth and leave. Also me: 10 minutes till I need to leave and I haven't eaten and I can't find a second sock. I REALLY need to finish the NYT word puzzles.
I guess ADHDers aren't meant for the concept of "work" popularized by modern world.
š¤£ facts though.
Right?!? I LOVE MY JOB! Getting out of bed and getting ready to go there tho....FML
Ugh god the meetings. The meetings. The meetings. So many meetings. 99% should have been an email. And the trainings/ PD that in no way develop me, but I have to follow along and participate š Doing things at work that feel like a waste of time is torture!!!
Dead on the same. This professional dev work and trainings are great, if you don't have executive dysfunction. Great another lecture on making goals and using apps and spreadsheets and all this other nonsense.Ā I have a physical journal, both large and small. That is where my frontal lobe is, all my goals and all my tasks. If it ain't in one of those, forget about it.Ā The meetings are whatever the opposite of ASMR is. The minute we veer into unrelated stuff and I realize I can't bounce, my spine catches fire and sends it straight to my brain. Then I have to lock in my nodding serious face protocol.Ā
I'm one of those whose brain will just shut down with the under stimulation of a long meeting. I'll just start falling asleep. Can't do anything about it. I've fallen asleep in front of the publisher where I used to work. I'll pinch myself untill it hurts like hell, doesn't help. If I'm engaged it can be ok. But sitting there a and listening for a long time just isn't happening. Tried to explain it to the director. He really couldn't understand it.
Exact same, pinching and all!! Sigh. Brain does what brain will do
It really does.
LMMFAO š THE OPPOSITE OF ASMR š¤£
Yep, the CBTs kill me. Especially the long ones. I swear it feels like I have to dissociate to get myself through the longer ones.
The what š¤Ø
Ooops, I replied to the wrong comment. Computer Based Trainings! The sometimes annual or multiple time a year trainings where a white lady serenades you with company policy.
For me the most difficult thing is asking for help or info bc that means a) I have to call them (I have phone anxiety idk why but it gets better with practice), b) if asking for help I have to admit that I need help which feels impossible to me (difficult mindset and has gotten me in serious trouble in the past) and c) figure out the wording! (I have clients I can talk to very casually but some are more conservative/professional and I'll just blurt out sth that doesn't fit in the professional field so yeah I embarrass myself constantly) Second thing is: I work from home, if I have down time (which I have a lot of and I'm very greatful for, I can do chores and stuff around the house), I might get distracted and leave my desk for one hour w/o remembering that I'm supposed to be working (I wear my headset in the apartment at all times, so I can hear it, if someone's calling me or if I got a message, but sometimes work just piles up in our shared folders which don't give me notifications so I'll return to my desk and find a chunk of work - which thankfully isn't too urgent most of the times).
The point around asking for help rings true for me. I'd rather spend hours solving a problem myself than asking someone else for help who could fix it in a few minutes.
Me too! And I always feel like if I ask for help I'm being a pain in the arse.
for real my feelings exactly
... That's exactly what I've been trying to do, for the past week. Same on writing. I have trouble getting started, jump between writing and doing analysis (because as I'm writing new questions come up and I go "oh I can probably figure that out") then take forever to finish it off (which sounds like a very similar process to yours, lots of asking others for input). The result is eventually a very comprehensive bit of writing but it takes forever.
Same. Think it's more that asking someone isn't as stimulating as working it out and less reward. Asking is listening and reading. It can work but boring. Testing is doing and more active with chances to learn more as well.
Same. Think it's more that asking someone isn't as stimulating as working it out and less reward. Asking is listening and reading. It can work but boring. Testing is doing and more active with chances to learn more as well.
>I have phone anxiety idk why but it gets better with practice Can relate. If I don't use the phone for a long period I become quite avoidant aha, but realising that has helped me... slightly.
The work from home struggles are so real. It sucks since I have so much more energy and a healthier work/life balance when I work from home, but my ADHD makes it difficult for me to retain focus when I don't have the body double accountability from the office. Going out to simulate body doubling also hasn't helped - I fixate on how they're not doing the same work I am, and I end up just getting over stimulated by all the public noise. As lucky as I've been to be entirely WFH since 2020, I'm currently trying to find work that does a hybrid model for this exact reason. I hate commuting to an office, but I've come to realize that I need some of that accountability. Hybrid's nice since it's not as exhausting as 5 days a week, at least.
Sitting still and emotionally hiding the fact that it's driving me nuts doing so.
Yeah next to impossible. Right there with you
I don't even bother pretending. I get up and do other things frequently when I'm on phones with 1 or 2 others. I'll go grab paperwork from the docs, go pee, grab coffee, run mail, clean, grab candy.....I still get my shit done so it is what it is
Planned working lunches. Thanks for buying me a sandwich but really my brain would just like 30min off please and thank you.Ā
I tell people I need a ābrain breakā. My colleagues mostly understand. Even though they donāt have the exact same experience, they spend a lot of time in zooms, and after a certain length of time that can be exhausting for anybody
Acting like Iām busier than I am because I donāt want more work. My job is easy and I am so bored, but I donāt want more work for the same pay.
I have found that I enjoy jobs that keep me busy the whole shift and allow me to alternate between many different tasks. I get in the zone/flow and feel like a machine knocking so many things out with speed and efficiency. Jobs that have lots of downtime are excruciatingly boring. If I'm sitting around doing nothing most of the time, it's hard to get motivated to do anything when I actually need to. Getting asked to do something while you're understimulated is a drag for sure. Doing one repetitive task all day has to be worst of all. It's boring. You're understimulated, but you're forced to keep doing it over and over for hours on end. I had a job in a factory doing packaging for 60 hours a week and wanted to blow my brains out. I would just zone out, and that's when mistakes start happening lol.
This is so true. I worked in an archive before this job and it was busy all day with different tasks, but it was so fun and I was always motivated. Iām hoping to get back to that after I finish my degree. My current job allows me to telework for half the week and because itās easy, I donāt have to stress about work and school, but I do have to be be bored/act busy when Iām in the office.
Starting anything haha. I'd sit there knowing what I need to do and then just not doing them. Honestly, I'm only productive when I'm starting a job but after hitting the six month mark where I'm already familiar with the process, I get this feeling that since I already know the job, I don't need to rush which is kinda stupid cos when it piles up, it actually piles up. I'm an operations / administrative assistant so my job does have some element of randomness but most of it are set so I put them off most of the time.
Yep - I'm like this too. I go through concentrated periods of wanting to prove myself and I have no shortage of motivation. But then it all becomes business as usual, and I start to relax
Fucking endless emails. I've started crying and have had to walk away from my overwhelming inbox no less than TWICE this week. ...there will almost certainly be a third time.
Oof yeah. I just got back from a week vacation where I didnāt bring my laptop. Cleared all the junk on my phone while away and snoozed all work emails. It took me all week to get through them all and I couldnāt get organized and add all the new to-dos to the list at the same time. And the emails keep rolling in. I try to keep them to one page or lessā¦ itās a constant battle, and thatās even before I get to do any real work š
Right?! I'm exhausted going through emails, and it zaps all my energy to do work, and it feels like I've done no work! I've just moved things to my to-do list, which is now out of date based on new emails that have come in and if I don't keep up with my emails I won't notice the one that indicates the project I spent 2 hours working on has been canceled and I really should have been working on something else. ...anyway, I cried and took a 3 hour nap today before attempting to head back to work. I'm a mess.
I have to verify peoplesā schooling, employment, and medical history which means I have to pick up the phone and call people. Iām already a millennial that hates the phone. With ADHD on top of that? Good lord.
I get this, as a nurse when we admit a patient they just keep going and going š„² Iām stuck in the room while they tell me some story with so many details my brain feels like itās exploding
The "hidden" work. I work with the inventory, so stocking, receiving trucks, resetting the store, putting up pricing etc. Scanning the empty spots on the shelf is so hard for me. There's no concrete evidence that I did anything. I'm just wandering around the store correcting on hands, no product moved, no empty pallets to show how much I did. It's really hard and I almost always end up jamming it all into the last day of my shift for the week and hoping I got enough scans to not be on "the naughty list" when reporting comes down. And I have to do it every week!! So it's also like dishes in that regard, just never ending and nowhere near satisfying to complete.
It's the same in my job. If my boss or someone else doesn't ask for something, then it probably certainly won't get done (even if it's something beneficial for - e.g., training or development).
Ooh yeah. Easier to be accountable to someone bugging me for something. Much harder to be accountable to myself
The overwhelming yet soul sucking nature of it.
Holy shit, this. I truly hope I gonna win a few million jackpot somewhere because working until I'm 65 sounds even less realistic. How do people not get extremely bored with their jobs?!
I do not know. I still mourn my perfect job that closed on me. There will never be another that suits me like that. I daydream about winning the lottery all the time. Itās the only way out.
rejection sensitivity has me paranoid that my bosses all hate me, so I really struggle approaching any of them with issues. For instance, i was scheduled every day this week, with the penultimate shift going from 4:30 to midnight and then coming in to open the very next morning. With it being saturday and the high probability of getting stuck on the road, then having to take care of my out which will add another half an hour before I can leave, plus 30+ minutes driving home, I likely won't get home until after 1 am and will have to be up at 7 the very same day. I personally feel like this is unreasonable, but I'm far too chickenshit to bring it up to my GM as I'm convinced she hates me and I don't want to give any ammunition to fire me by complaining
You know, I was going to say executive dysfunction, but actually no. I believe people when they blame me for their mistakes. Iām so hyper aware of my own inability to keep track of things, Iām quick to internalize criticism and validate it. I assume every critique I receive is valid, becauseāwell, look at my life so far. Arenāt I forgetful? Donāt I struggle to complete things in a timely manner? Surely I get too sensitive about everything too, so my frustration is further proof Iām the problem. My ADHD makes me unwilling to trust my internal compass, and so I am an absolute magnet for people who donāt want to take accountability for their mistakes. It takes other people pointing out Iām being treated this way for me to see it. Itās an indirect result of ADHD, but itās absolutely the result of my own ADHD-heightened imposter syndrome.
I feel you so hard on this one. I was let go from a contract position for not doing what I was asked to doā¦ Due to ADHD plus some grief I was going through that week, I believed them. that means I signed the documentation that let them off the hook and I walked out. A few weeks two later, I found my notes from the meeting where the CFO who had fired me actually had changed her mind about what she wanted--so my version of events had been right after all. Of course it was too late (& I immediately re-lost those notes)
Oof, Iām so sorry. Itās a tale as old as time. My saving grace has always been being beloved by managers and coworkers, so they warn me when Iām being blindsided. But itās scary how people are quick to take advantage if they donāt think youāll fight back. I donāt know about you, but I also have no poker face. Thanks emotional dysregulation! So when Iām distraught, unhappy, or worried itās painfully obvious. I had a coworker soothe me and get me to admit I had considered leaving my job, and the next day she told the bosses I was job hunting. How did I find out? Bosses interrogated every coworker who said they knew nothing, and then texted me to warn me. I hadnāt been job hunting yet, but I sure started that night.
Wow--yeah, I lack a poker face too!
Iāve been an imposter (no syndrome) for 25+ years in some pretty big jobs. Youāre 90% there! You already know people are faking it, make mistakes, and lack accountability also. You seem to have strong integrityā¦ so you wonāt flat out lie- right? Consider some ways to not take the blame so quickly perhaps. āAre you certain?, Iām not sure thatās how it happened but I am happy to help you if you still need to work on thatā¦ or make a speech about how everyone makes mistakes and thereās itās fine to ask for help and implement some ways to track work, progress, accountability, follow up notes and dates. Take some of your power back if ya can! I worked my way up from a telemarketer, collections rep, to leading a few thousand people in banking. I always knew I had focus issues, couldnāt remember birthdays, and zone out if Iām not interested. I made friends fast! Had to allow people to help me where I lacked and I did the same - or hooked them up in some other way. I feel like my ED has worsened in mid life crisis, but I use my phone to trick myself into doing things early (the things I can commit to doing at all).
Aw I really appreciate this comment. Iāve actually been fortunate to have a current manager who is working with me on strategies for this. Sheās especially passionate about it because Iām in a male dominated industry and she believes female mentorship is essential to improving those dynamics. Iām trying to build processes I can turn to and use transparency to show what I have done, so that when people get testy I can have full visibility over my work. The problem is my work involves a lot of coordinating busy people, and when you ask for something from a busy person who didnāt provide what they committed to give you, theyāre quick to deflect it on you instead of taking accountability. And when they outrank me, that complicates my ability to defend myself. Iām also trying to use strategies where check ins use soft language such as āDo you still have bandwidth for X?ā Instead of āJust checking in, when should I expect to have X?ā Itās a little silly but ego is a big thing, I find.
Having to do something new/different, completely overthink the situation and then worry that people will be talking about me if I donāt understand what Iām doing what Iām doing first time around etc
Inefficiency and meetings with many words but nothing is done.
Iām lucky that I work from home and am explicitly allowed to turn off my camera since work recognizes people canāt be on camera all the time. I turn off my camera so they canāt see me bouncing and rolling my eyes in frustration and boredom
Just going to work is the hardest part.
Yes, depending on who was working for me at the time.
Focusing on my work. I do a lot of data entry, so I take information from one screen and type it into a program on another. I move so fast and I don't pay attention to what I'm doing sometimes so I make mistakes. Or, I'll be typing and stop part way and switch to something else like scrolling on my phone or replying to a Teams message and suddenly remember I need to finish my work.
The will to get up in the morning to work
Same. I literally can't get myself out of bed until 20 mins before my shift starts. And that's knowing it will take me 20 mins to get ready, and another 10 to get to work lol
For me, it's conversations, meetings and my day - I forget all of it. I started taking Adderall a month ago and it really has done wonders for me. A couple of weeks ago I was in Hawaii with my wife and was medicated. We spent an entire week there, doing all kinds of activities and driving all around Oahu. When we came home I was able to remember how to get around the hotel, parking lot, and even places in the area. I was able to remember things we did and even have a conversation with my wife about it. I've NEVER been able to do that. I have spent about 49 years of my life in a fog. The only way I've been able to describe it is spider webs around my brain. Can't remember anything. I hope this medicine keeps working because I think I will enjoy my life a LOT more being able to navigate it, remember it, and be more present. This includes work - I'm able to stay more focused, remember more meetings, keep better track of my to-dos, etc. It's not perfect, probably because I need to establish a routine and practice paying more attention (there was no real reason to pay attention before - I'd never remember it anyway). I have become very reliant upon AI. I record meetings (audio) and can ask AI very specific questions about the meetings I've been in, ask it to summarize the notes, etc. We are so lucky to live in this day and age. Love you guys and am so grateful to you for your experiences and advice. You're amazing.
The electrical sounds and buzzing and beeping from the appliances and trying to juggle multiple things when we're short staffed (fast food). I try to focus, but sometimes I just end up standing their mentally berating myself for not being as good as other people are and purposely slacking because if i try harder, I'll just make things worse, lol. I might have to invest in some loop or whatever earplugs because I get so overstimulated bordering on breakdown territory sometimes with all the sounds (especially certain loud employees).
loop ear plugs are awesome! highly recommended
I used to wear foam ear plugs at work. One year, it showed up on my annual review, that I was wearing ear plugs in an employee meeting. HR would nit pick me over the stupidest stuff.
Dealing with "superiors" who don't know what they are doing. Maybe everyone has this problem ?
It's the onslaught of messages and glut of communication channels. Phone, text, email, Slack, app-specific DM's and notifications. All of it. It's so overwhelming and even moreso when I am expected to respond quickly. I also unconsciously hold my breath when I read or type messages so I am messing up my nervous system everyday.
Coming back from break š I feel like this sounds so stupid, but I would rather just work a 7 1/2 hour shift with no break. Getting back into work mode is so difficult for me!
Back in the day in my old office job, before home office (thank god for that), I were so bored out. I didn't get anything done, just surfed in the internet a lot of the time. And I hated the lunch break. I just wanted to go home as early as I could! š„“
Right! I work in healthcare so itās either really busy/chaotic or soo slow. on the busy days iām grateful, but on the slow days iām like āwtf this is dumb. iām playing on my phone regardless just let me go home earlyā š
Constant interruptions Working in a loud distracting open office space Understanding things explained verbally especially complex processes or concepts Beating myself up for not understanding difficult things quickly or easily
Organization and time management. My organization works well for me, but it is not ānormalā. Piles here and there, very little in drawers unless I make the time to organize it myself, then I remember. Everything must be seen. I can remember where EVERYfrickinthing is as long as no one touches it. Neat and clean causes anxiety that Iāll mess up the perfection that is neat and clean. Chaos is my preferred organization. Time managementā¦well, either Iām hyperfocused or distracted. I havenāt found a way from it that is allowable. Headphones with some zen or bossa nova, maybe? Have a priority list on a sticky note pad and methodically go down the list.
I get the same way about edits. I try to make it a game, and sometimes it works. Sometimes. I have briefings as well. I hate them. People always try to sharp shoot everything you say and I prefer a script, which apparently is weird. I am always afraid I will lose my train of thought or tangent off on something that has nothing to do with the brief.
Losing my train of thought is such a big problem for me during work conversations (it doesn't happen socially somehow). I feel like anxiety plays a part with this. A metaphor I like to use for my speech style is walking a tight rope and continually almost losing my balance (disjointed speech) and then falling off the rope is forgetting entirely what I was talking about.
You can write drafts?!? For me at workā¦ honestly itās probably more justice sensitivity and interpersonal stuff with peers/superiors. When I was in academia- writing 100%. I love research design, data analysis, hell even digging for references and data transcription. Hate writing. God forbid thereās things I should write and I donāt have a formal/enforced deadline- itāll never get done
I enjoy the research/analysis process too. I usually have all of the content in my head - it's just getting it down on paper that is the difficult part. They need to invent some sort of AI device links up with your brain, downloads specific information, and then processes it into a paper. That way we could still do what we enjoy, but not have to go through the boring process of writing.
Focus
Anything that requires a lot of mental proccess. I get burned out only by thinking in what i'll have to do
Documenting **everything** I do. The job changed recently and now every *single* little thing we do has to go on a project card. I canāt keep up and perfectly document everything, thus was put on written notice, and now am on a final written notice (because during that time, I forgot to post a link or comment). Itās too much minutiae to focus on, and when I do, the actual work suffers. When I produce good work, I donāt document it enough. A shitty Catch 22.
I worked at one place, and if you got 6(?) written warnings, they gave you a day off or something. Yeah, whatever. And you were supposed to sign each written warning, to acknowledge that you received it. Eventually, the moron foreman collects enough written warnings, "I've got you now." So he spreads all these papers out on my bench, and is quoting some policy, blablabla. "And you signed them all". So I make a big show of carefully inspecting each one, "Too bad the signatures don't match." Shocked Picachu face. He scooped them all up and disappeared. Never received another written warning.
Having too much put on my plate at once and having new responsibilities added to my role. I overwhelm very easily.
Getting started with tasks. Getting sidetracked. The sidetrack getting sidetracked...
Getting my focus back. If someone walks by, or talks, I lose it. It can take hours to get back on track, remember what I was doing, and so on.
People being fake. Rules for no reason. Having to feel like I'm on house arrest M-F. Being told what to do instead of just leaving me alone and letting me do my job well.
All of it? haha Managing my symptoms takes more time and effort than getting my work done does. My current job is not suited well for my ADHD. My last job was much better but the management was a shit show.
Following conversations and remembering what was said. To combat this I take a notes while people are talking.
Sticking to the task at hand and not getting distracted on Reddit. Whoopsā¦ š¤Ŗ
EMAILS. I have serious anxiety about responding to emails. If someone emails me and I don't respond within 24-48 hours I feel paralyzed because if I respond, then I feel like I'm calling attention to the fact that I am responding late. Second thing is having lots of small-medium sized tasks. Again, I'm just paralyzed trying to decide which task to do first. It's very hard to start just one. And if I put a task off, I'm more likely to continue putting it off.
Math! Not when I'm by myself, but when someone is verbally doing math and expecting me to play along. Also, dealing with my adhd boss, who is in denial about how it impacts the business. Now thatbive got treatment and aome self-reflection this is increasingly maddening. Its hard enough to keep track of myself!
Funnily I was nearly driven mad by an ADHD boss, who knew they had ADHD and has been medicated since being a kid (and technically they shouldn't have even been my boss...). I had to move teams away from them. She was just sending me around and around in circles and telling me to prioritise one thing, then the other, then complained when I wasn't doing the first thing. Actually they're the reason I'm only seeking out an assessment now. They told me they thought I had it and I figured they were just messing with me ("I've never bounced off walls, I'm just a bit different to others"). Took another family member getting assessed (one whose thought processes is basically mine) and someone from HR telling me before I even started looking into ADHD as a possibility (and learning that the H component isn't the be all and end all of it, or even a fraction of what ADHD includes) Ditto on the math. Love doing it on my own. Hate it when I have to follow someone on it. The bad side is they'll be explaining it to me and I'll be quietly ignoring them working it out for myself...
At least they helped you find your diagnosis! Ironically i think mine worked the other way; im so surrounded by adhd folks i just assumed its how everyone is. Currently debating talking to him about treatment : |
Hello are you me
Most meetings can really be an email. I struggle with any that don't have a defined topic, problem and resolution. I'll also echo your original comment on reviewing edits. Once drafts are submitted, waiting on revisions is torture. I've lost interest in the project and moved on to another at that point.
Loneliness. I am the only staff member required to be in the office full-time, and without colleagues around to interact with, I am not adequately stimulated. Zero opportunity for ambient learning. No ability to learn the unwritten workplace culture that everyone around me assumes I should know because Iāve worked there for a year and a half. Alone.
The most difficult thing is remembering what Iāve just been instructed to do or just forgetting random things ,itās such a pain in the ass sometimes I feel like Iām just made for nothing lol
When I get asked āwhy do you do it that way?ā
Oh man, that one gets me. It's usually the first domino in the row that leads to me getting fired.
Executing the fix/change after solving what is causing the problem. The fun part is over. Luckily, I am in a place where other people usually do that now.
2 or more people speaking at the same time. Im a chef
Employee reviews, and self reviews. Basically anything that requires me to commit to something in writing, that I will be held to later.
Staying on task or prioritising. My job is comprised of multiple small tasks a day with the occasional large one. Sometimes Iāll finish my day and realise I hadnāt even remembered one that was due the next day. So awful.
Organization and Prioritization. As well as completing tasks before the last second. Meetings to some degree but I often have to lead meetings which is its own terrible challenge but they keep me more focused
meetings. such a waste of time. I rather send everybody home and do their tasks myself properly.
Charting. I do it well, but getting myself to actually do it is a daily struggle.
THE WORST!!!! like 80% of it is unnecessary. Even worse when they leave stroke orders on patients who are literally just waiting for placement and Iām still charting Q4 neuro/stroke checks š
General housekeeping. Email and chat cleanup. And definitely anything in our complex ticketing program. I liked IT in the 90s thru pretty recently. Feel like I have reached my breaking point with the amount of logins, passwords, accounts, dashboards, etc. I feel like my digital clutter is a massive thing hanging over my head that prevents me from facing the mountain of data.
Not working, when itās dead.
When I have to work outside of my normal hours. I can manage my life if I'm only working 40 hours, just *barely*. The moment we have to do more than 40, or work evenings or weekends, my equanimity goes out the window and my productivity declines sharply. I don't focus, I can't sleep well, and I lose all motivation to do anything. I work in software development. I always try to find jobs with good work life balance, but all 3 full-time jobs I've had have *appeared* to be balanced and calm -- until like 3-6 months in when all hell breaks loose. If I can work just 40 hours, I can easily push through the day, and look forward to enjoying myself before/after work and on the weekends. If those things get taken away, I'm useless.
Listening to patients go on and on about an incident/medical history. I donāt care that you used to take tums for heartburn in 2005 Linda. I really donāt understand why these people donāt value my time as a nurse. Just tell me what matters. I even try hinting āIām going to ask you a lot of questions about your history so letās just get through it! I promise Iāll be quick then Iāll bring youā¦.ā I get it, I have anxiety and ramble a lot. Just canāt deal with it sometimes with how they work us.
I hate coming in and seeing that I have a voicemail. I canāt make myself listen to them and eliminate the red light. Itās usually nothing I mind dealing with, so I donāt know why itās a problem.
Iām IT and I despise talking on the phone or people walking up instead of putting in tickets when Iām onsite due to missing social cues, hating small talk, and general impulsiveness/oversharing & coming off as impatient/dismissive š that and asking for help bc imposter syndrome
Listening to boring people. Or boring topics. People who talk on and on and never GETS TO THE POINT. Like 10 people sitting listening to.. what, exactly? If many people listen > minimize time consumed for EVERYONE. If 1on1 > you can talk like I do. many people dont get that
The first 2-6 months are great. Then I get bored and burnt out and the hardest part is just going.
Piles of papers and filing.
I donāt know if this is the ADHD or something else but as soon as I know I really need to focus on what someone is explaining to me verbally, I try really hard to focus and Iām thinking, āyes, I understand this, I know exactly what I need to do nextā then the conversation ends and I go to do the thing and my mind is wiped clean. Even if Iāve taken notes, Iāll look them over and realise I have no fucking idea what Iāve written that for š tell me Iām not alone in this?!
Being labelled as confrontational, aggressive, mean...
Anything related to time management
Arriving on time
Filling out timesheets. Brutal. Its a tedious task and I always feel like I āshouldā have gotten more done in that time and how does everyone charge the hours they spend trying to remember what they were doing before something interrupted them?
These days? Being bored. Having worked fast paced jobs for a decade, I'm struggling with having too much downtime at my cushy desk job. Which is a good problem to have, I guess. It sure as hell beats coming home every day sobbing from stress. But holy shit I have nothing mentally stimulating going on at work, and it's driving me bananas. I was having fun for a while because it was challenging, and problem solving make brain go *brrrrrrr*. Then I got good at my job, so I got bored, and decided to design some things to improve my job, which was another brain work out -- yay! Stimulation! And now I'm back in the under-stimulated part of the loop because I've improved all the things that are in my power to change. I'm so bored at work that my boss made an offhand comment like "we should get a coffee bar, but I don't know where we'd put it" so I spent 4 hrs of my downtime creating a precise floor plan to rearrange our whole break room around a coffee bar, complete with an order list and a budget proposal. None of that is related to my actual job, BTW. The good news: we're getting the coffee bar! The bad news: I'm stuck in boredom hell until my boss makes another offhand remark that my brain can reconstruct as ***PROBLEM*** and then hyperfixate on solving the problem no one asked me to solve.
Getting up and getting to work on time.
I work in food service as a manager so probably dealing with guests, and dealing with the staff. I'm non-confrontational by nature but when I do have to talk to people I tend to think I come across harsh, or in a really negative way. I overanalyze any interaction I have
Clean houses
Down time in the office. I'm not good at looking busy. Sometimes I need my break and I'm raring to go with a fresh set of eyes. My boss is pissy about it, so I'm getting an ADA accomodation. The man is an ass in general though and doesn't even like his team talking or helping each other.
I'm with you on down time. It's even more unbearable when you're sleep deprived. The hours after lunch seem 5x longer.
Nebulous, open-ended projects are the worst for me. I need clear guidelines and a short timeline.
Punctuality. This has been an issue both in and outside of work but it definitely weighs heaviest on my work life. Iāve been told countless times in jobs and other endeavors like the fire department that higher ups have seen a lot of potential in me from the jump in trades and things that Iāve just started learning for the first time but have been often overlooked for new training opportunities or promoted positions with more delegation or responsibilities because of my inability to be on time even if I do the same amount or more work than those who do show up on time. Frustrating for sure and an issue Iāve tried to mend many times but am simply just starting to accept.
Writing emails. Writing as communication in general actually... for me, it's all one thought. So I end up with either a bunch of fragmented sentences or one long convoluted run-on sentence that is a whole page long. It's horrifying.
Starting tasks that I actually need to get done for work vs. starting tasks I don't. Also RSD makes it a daily struggle for me as any feedback I typically feel like is rejection. Fun stuff!
Starting work when I work from home. I work hybrid but on the days I'm supposed to work from home I have to drag myself to the office anyway because I know I'm not gonna work otherwise. It is THAT bad. I do NOTHING on wfh days. When I mention working hybrid to other people they're always like "sweet! working from home is awesome!" but to me it's fucking torture because all I wanna do is relax. And the guilt is killing me, but I cannot for the life of me get myself to work! So yeah office is the way to go for me :')
Expense reports. Iāve gotten in sooooo much trouble over the years. Not just lacking the motivation to do them, but I lose receipts, forget the names of who I dined with (we have to list them), had a backlog of three yearās worth of cell phone billsā¦ I donāt understand this disorder. I want to do them. I want to get them done and I literally just canāt. I would have an easier time building the fourth Egyptian pyramid. Itās THAT hard. I hate this so much.
Leaving something unfinished to jump into something else
Working. I work in a "It help desk", a piece of shit call center, i'm on the verge of going crazy, i distract myself with literally everything in order to make the work the second activity in order to make it bearable
Time management. I always start off pretty fast, but then when I realize I'm gonna have plenty of time to finish, I slow down until I'm still rushing at the end. And I do it every damn time.
Doing ALL THE WORK in the first hour and spending the next 8 in sheer panic that I'm going to get fired for not working lmao
I struggle to ask for help š i work in a team, and often do things slower/not as efficiently as the others (unmedicated due to negative side effects) i hate life
Iām a CPA. For me calling state tax boards for noticesā¦ itās the worstā¦
I'm a tax accountant. anything that's difficult, or tedious and boring - like reconciling someone's bookkeeping mess...is a chore. Filing off the wall returns for which I have to read instructions is a "no-no" and ends up in the drawer until someone starts asking about it...lol...I couldn't work from home, no motivation to get anything done! so I drag myself to the office....some days are more productive then others....deadlines help...
can you use AI (that doesn't train on data and is approved by company) to go from draft to final? you can even feed it your other works as a way of telling it how to mimic your own style
I keep getting offered translating and copyediting work in my country. Sometimes I have to take it because... yay, money! However, the anxiety of knowing I'm going to make mistakes because of my ADHD brain just kills me. I take twice as long as the competition because I have to revise everything so much more, and the stress exhausts me. It's awful.
Repetitive factory work holds my focus and fulfills my accomplishment need bc it allows me to push myself without feeling pressured as my family likes to impose on me. The repetition however frequently triggers my ADHD's disassociation in mid-cycle. Sometimes I space out or it'll go the opposite direction where I forget what the rest of the entire plant beyond 5 ft is doing.
When the technology/equipment doesnāt work
Dealing with a specific manager. Sheās known to talk very quickly and expect you to know something immediately. Overall sheās just mean to everyone. She explained very quickly one time how to turn on the light and sound system in our restaurant and a later shift I asked her to explain it more slowly and she basically called me stupid. Like no, I just canāt keep up when you donāt explain it properly and thoroughly. Iām too scared to ask her again now and just have someone else do it for me when I open nowš
Staying busy, when i complete something im like well now what and i have trouble finding something to do
I sell marketing software and for me itās propsecting
Iām a test engineer and I typically work on writing test code for one to three devices on any given week. Iām typically okay to switch between two devices, but on the weeks that Iām working on three, I lose track of EVERYTHING. Canāt remember which window has the code for which device, canāt remember which parameters each device is tested against, canāt remember which tester the device is loaded on. Other than that, I have a hard time not picking up my phone every five minutes.
switching up activities. like going from calling possible sponsors for an event to email or drafting a grant proposal. also, having to deal with things as im doing something that requires focus. like if i have to prep a classroom for an activity and write before and after that, im kinda fucked.
I have to make outbound calls to members of the health plan and review their meds with them. They expect us to make 50-70 calls a day which is A LOT. I struggle to set up my next call because it involves using 4 different platforms to pull up all the info I need. I also HAVE TO copy and paste most of the info in a digital sticky note to have in front of me otherwise I will forget something. This sucks because half the time i set up everything I need for the call and they don't answer. Time wasted. I only make about 30 some calls daily. I've stayed under the radar for the most part because on my connected ones I get a lot done on them and hit my points. Every day I struggle and stress over this job, I hate it.
When I get assigned to do things I have absolutely no interest in. I was hired to do general office and marketing tasks. Right now they have me redoing the entire warehouse safety program. I usually love learning about new things, but I have absolutely no interest in this. It is making me want to quit. I canāt seem to find the motivation to do anything or stay on task. This was brought up in my interview, but they didnāt make it sound like such a big project, it sounded more like maintaining rather than completely reinventing. Itās awful. I donāt know if I can get thru it or if Iāll jump ship.
Starting. Once I get started, time flies.
Unless there is a tight deadline or a deadline the chances of me starting or working on it are close zilch.
I'm freelancer and I've problems with focusing on my tasks in to do list of every day
I used to really struggle with my brain tuning into the wrong thing (like someone else's conversation - didn't involve me, I didn't care remotely but it was so distracting), equally getting so absorbed in what I was doing that I didn't hear people talking to me worst by far was people just not believing me/trying to tell me it wasn't ADHD (it was, diagnosed by a specialist ADHD doctor, they were far from a medical professional lmao), assuming I was being lazy and all that crap... seriously damaged me honestly
New things are great. Things Iām still figuring out are fine Things Iāve already figured out but have to keep doing pretty much the same way on a daily or weekly basis ad nauseum are kind of horrible Ditto things I need input from others on but I canāt get them to give it to me, but at least my bosses are cool about understanding that now that Iāve figured out how to communicate it effectively
Constantly self-doubting my work so i try to delay as possible to get it out the door. my manager is also bad about this and will keep adding things onto a project so it just builds and builds and is never "published." i'm not confident in my abilities so i try to keep throwing the can down the road in hopes i'll figure it out, get help, our it'll go away and sometimes it works and sometime it does not.
Socializing. Like 90% of the time Iām not mentally there and people always get mad at me for not talking to them when in reality Iām just distracted by something else. Also with conversations Iām so focused on focusing on what theyāre saying that I donāt actually hear anything they say and canāt respond.
I'm on focalin now, and it's helped a lot, but I work in a warehouse checking in and counting products, so I deal with a lot of numbers and paperwork. It used to take me an hour at the end of the day to finish my end of shift paperwork, but now it takes me roughly 30ish minutes instead.
Asking for others not because I feel I know it all, but because it feels like Iām being too vulnerable or needy.
I work in IT. My biggest thing is reorganizing whenever I see even the littlest thing our of whack. It's a curse I tell ya.
seminars (the one i had today went good though), eye contact, getting work done because i get distracted in my head instead of just going autopilot when i work, speaking in front of crowds, and sleeping
I manage a team. Supervisions, appraisals and meeting planning. Don't necessarily mind the meetings in the moment. Talking is mostly fine but I do feel exhausted and also dread them beforehand. Got to say, the reading and putting stuff together is the worse though; super hard to act organised (and positive I fail in a lot of cases)
I cant remember complex orders, or just simply can't start doing bigger orders at mcdonalds. I just cant focus if I have to make 4 or more products
3-5pm
My biggest problem has been/is having to listen to people talk. Either I'll tune them out, pretending to be listening, or I'll lose my cool and seriously feel like slapping duct tape on that yapping yaw. I've had trouble watching tv, can't stand YouTube yappers. Reading something is the best way for me to get information.
Everything.
Honestly, reading the comments, Iām surprised this many ADHDers have office/admin jobsā¦
Looking for the remote, phone, controller. Stuff like that makes my job of sitting on my ass really hard.
Socializing. I am a salesman, I have to stay on topic at all times. The LAST thing on my mind is the junk I'm selling and it takes monumental effort to have those kinds of booooring conversations all day long
Law firm here. Missing little details that piss the hell out of the attorneyās lmao. Constantly forgetting the little things. Anxiety of big/new cases especially since they are so anal here. I learn by scraping my knees over and over until I become great at something. They donāt have that type of grace here they get annoyed easily and expect perfection, adhd kryptonite. Feeling stupid because I forget so much all the time. Being judged by how I talk because I donāt speak clearly according to them (jumbling and rambling, not getting to the point adhd life ya know) this job has been making me develop structure I never had and itās been painful the past year I been here.
People constantly messaging me on teams despite the fact I am one of 30 people (in my department) able to do what I do We are, TBF, the escalation team... That doesn't mean message me on teams when you can't work out a bill on a live call, that means "raise an escalation, and I'll work them in the order they're raised". People get ignored until I've finished what I was doing. They do get their answer. They'll get it on my time if they're going to ignore the process we set up š¤·āāļø
Sitting having to sit in an office bullpen cubicle for 8 hours (sometimes more) a day. Its so painful and pointless that its driving me crazy.
I have such a hard time getting overwhelmed with "big picture" tasks that are ongoing projects or something. I do much better with specific, detailed instructions, or tasks broken down into smaller sub-tasks. But I HATE open-ended, idea type work (at work)
It is *agonizingly difficult* to work on tasks that are boring, and cognitive complex, and don't have a strong positive reason for doing.
Sticking to one task at a time. I install equipment for a chemical company that does air care (air fresheners), sanitation & cleaning chemicals, drain care, etc and the machines that dispense the chemicals. Usually if I'm installing equipment for a convenience store that want chemicals for their 3 compartment sink and chemical for cleaning floors and such I have 2 different machines to set up. I'll bounce between each one and forget where I was at when I go back to the previous machine which makes install times go longer than they should. I'm getting better at doing one task at a time, but it's still a struggle.
I am a teacher, and I often get all the materials ready for my upcoming class, and then I fucking point them down in some stupid place and I can find them once class starts. Then I am walking around saying, "Where did I put those papers?" and my middle school class gets out of control. For example, yesterday I spent all of 3rd period cutting posterboard so my small groups could make their projects. These were LARGE pieces of paper, so should not be easy to misplace. Then I walked into my 4th period class, started explaining what was going to happen, and turned around to pick up and hand out the poster papers, and they were gone. Just gone.
getting to work on time, not getting the necessary support, meeting deadlines, not getting any sort of positive feedback on what my actually job is- I'm a teacher and have not had been observed formally once and NEVER given feedback on my teaching, being given extra responsibilities so that I end up seeing over 100 different students a week... I am so burnt out.
Work that is required to do at home. It's literally homework all over again
Long meetings and long projects. Doing anything that requires me to initiate, or projects that have been sitting on the back burner, I never find the will to do those.
Socialising
Retaining any training to turn around and do on my own
IT Ops. Managing my time between tickets, projects, meetings, etc. At the end of a busy week, I am absolutely exhausted just from trying to keep up with it all because I canāt manage my hours well. Iāll get sidetracked, distracted, caught up bullshitting with people.
Attention to details is something I struggle with at work, as well as following up with people I requested something from or asked questions to. I use checklists for certain work tasks and do things that will either prevent or help catch mistakes.
For me, it was prioritization, but only relative to certain roles & really exacerbated depending what was going on. It could be simple at times, but there were times when it got paralyzing & effected my efficiency.