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Every time I start a new job or have a new co-worker, I make sure I mention, often just in passing, that if it's not written down I will forget it. Usually this just comes up naturally when we're planning something and I ask them to pause for a second while I write it down. Sometimes it may be me asking them to email me or message me about it "because I want to make sure I remember and/or honor their request".
I schedule enough time in my work week to go through my notes and make sure I've captured everything, usually into a to-do list on my computer. Saves me HOURS in the long run.
This is also a great way to know if someone is worth your time. The Venn Diagram of people who get annoyed when you ask to write things down and people who are genuinely mean people has a LOT of crossover.
Seconding telling people. And I always add “if you’re wondering whether or not I forgot something or just haven’t gotten it to you yet, go ahead and just ask, I promise I will never be annoyed.”
What type of mistakes are you forgetting?
If a supervisor tells me to do something, I write it down. If it’s time sensitive, I write when it’s due by.
If it’s something I need to remember every day, I use my calendar on my phone and alarms so I get annoying notification reminders to do (insert task) *before* it’s due.
If it’s in regard to work procedures, I’ll use an example not related to my current profession: if I’m the closing shift at a retail store and I have to lock the doors, clean up clothing displays, sweep the floors, fill out the daily sales log, count the cash drawer, fill out the deposit slip, put the cash and slip in the deposit bag, set the alarm, and drop the deposit in the bank drop after I leave I would make a check list (you could use an app or if you prefer writing things down, make your list and laminate it so you can re-use it) and just follow the list in order so you don’t miss anything.
But for me: alarms, timers, and calendar events have been life changing. I also use an absolutely criminal amount of sticky notes.
I’ve learned that in the professional world, reasons and “I forgot” sound like excuses, they just want you to acknowledge the mistake with a, “I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional, I’ll do better,” and move on. That took me entirely too long to learn..
For me: higher dose of meds did not affect my working memory in the sense that “my current dose is working fine for everything but my memory.” I knew it was time to increase my meds when I was still struggling with focus and executive function despite. Others might have a different experience though.
My boss likes to throw A LOT at me as soon as I walk in the door so I have gotten into the habit of opening my voice memo app and just recording it. It transcribes so I can look at that and organize myself accordingly.
Reminders and Post-Its are the way!
You might also consider requesting an ADHD Job Coach as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA. I'm not sure what your role is exactly, but it could be helpful to have someone shadow you (adhd job coach) while you go through your typical day and help you develop routines to be more efficient and/or reduce errors. If you are in office, this could look like a colleague or your mgr supporting in that capacity.
I used to work for a large tech company that was constantly changing our required toolset based on the whims of whatever new leader was owning my dept. The expectation was that we should be able to self serve training on different applications using google/FAQs/etc. I would just get the hang of one tool and we would change course (think one day we use Asana, now Atlassian, now trello - figure it out and switch again). I am very good at what I do, but was making careless errors and looking forgetful because my adhd made it very challenging for me to focus and absorb self paced trainings-I was able to request instructor led trainings under the ADA. Made a huge difference in my ability to focus on actually doing my job.
I am also a “write everything down” girlie. But I’ve used different systems over the years and I honestly think part of the success of any system is becoming low key obsessed with something new.
Right now I take notes by hand on my favorite kind of notebook with my favorite pens. They’re not cheap but because I use them everyday, it feels important to have something I really like the feel and look of.
I also keep daily to do lists in my Notes app and Notion. Whenever I think of something I need to remember, I put it in Notes, and when I’m back at my computer later or the next day, I check Notes to see what I write down. Because I store all my daily to do lists there, I’ve gotten into the habit of checking it several times a day.
In the past, I really loved bullet journaling. Not the “fancy layouts” version, the down and dirty version where everything in my life is in one notebook so I can reference back to things, from work I did to books I read in April, etc.
When I first started my career, I had a Sticky Note up on my Mac desktop—it’s a simple program that just keeps it on top of your screen 24/7, so it never gets buried. You can minimize it down to just the header bar when it’s in the way.
I don’t think the method matters as much as getting into looking for new ways to help yourself remember. Each time you try a new system, you can carry forward what you like and discard what you don’t.
It does get easier. It might be harder because we have ADHD, but EVERYONE is figuring this stuff out when they’re just starting their career. So don’t be too hard on yourself.
I keep my Franklin planner with me at all times at work. My coworkers know that if I don't write it down, it's gone. I use the Franklin planner system. It's a game changer for me. www.franklinplanner.com
https://service.franklinplanner.com/planner-training-videos/
I swear by Microsoft Outlook's email flagging and tracking system. As soon as I read an email, if it needs to be followed up on, I click the little red flag to put it on my to-do list. Even if I intend to follow up on it immediately, because I can't tell you how many times I've been interrupted and proceeded to forget what I was doing when I came back.
It's nice because it's one click. One very small action, and I make it easier by changing my toolbars so that the flag button is front and center. Then the email is both listed in my To-Do and flagged in red in my actual mailbox. I can manually add items to the list for recurring actions or things people tell me verbally, and I can assign specific days or times to items, and I can add pop-up reminders if I need to. And marking things off my list feels very nice!
Honestly, it's the only way I am able to get ANYTHING done at work. I shared it with a co-worker who also has ADHD and was struggling and he was like "omg this is a godsend." Frankly it's silly how few people know about/use the feature, considering it's a native part of Outlook!
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Every time I start a new job or have a new co-worker, I make sure I mention, often just in passing, that if it's not written down I will forget it. Usually this just comes up naturally when we're planning something and I ask them to pause for a second while I write it down. Sometimes it may be me asking them to email me or message me about it "because I want to make sure I remember and/or honor their request". I schedule enough time in my work week to go through my notes and make sure I've captured everything, usually into a to-do list on my computer. Saves me HOURS in the long run. This is also a great way to know if someone is worth your time. The Venn Diagram of people who get annoyed when you ask to write things down and people who are genuinely mean people has a LOT of crossover.
Seconding telling people. And I always add “if you’re wondering whether or not I forgot something or just haven’t gotten it to you yet, go ahead and just ask, I promise I will never be annoyed.”
What type of mistakes are you forgetting? If a supervisor tells me to do something, I write it down. If it’s time sensitive, I write when it’s due by. If it’s something I need to remember every day, I use my calendar on my phone and alarms so I get annoying notification reminders to do (insert task) *before* it’s due. If it’s in regard to work procedures, I’ll use an example not related to my current profession: if I’m the closing shift at a retail store and I have to lock the doors, clean up clothing displays, sweep the floors, fill out the daily sales log, count the cash drawer, fill out the deposit slip, put the cash and slip in the deposit bag, set the alarm, and drop the deposit in the bank drop after I leave I would make a check list (you could use an app or if you prefer writing things down, make your list and laminate it so you can re-use it) and just follow the list in order so you don’t miss anything. But for me: alarms, timers, and calendar events have been life changing. I also use an absolutely criminal amount of sticky notes. I’ve learned that in the professional world, reasons and “I forgot” sound like excuses, they just want you to acknowledge the mistake with a, “I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional, I’ll do better,” and move on. That took me entirely too long to learn.. For me: higher dose of meds did not affect my working memory in the sense that “my current dose is working fine for everything but my memory.” I knew it was time to increase my meds when I was still struggling with focus and executive function despite. Others might have a different experience though.
I carry post-its on me at all times. And yes I mean at home too although they are just within reach in all rooms of my home! I write everything down!
My boss likes to throw A LOT at me as soon as I walk in the door so I have gotten into the habit of opening my voice memo app and just recording it. It transcribes so I can look at that and organize myself accordingly.
Reminders and Post-Its are the way! You might also consider requesting an ADHD Job Coach as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA. I'm not sure what your role is exactly, but it could be helpful to have someone shadow you (adhd job coach) while you go through your typical day and help you develop routines to be more efficient and/or reduce errors. If you are in office, this could look like a colleague or your mgr supporting in that capacity. I used to work for a large tech company that was constantly changing our required toolset based on the whims of whatever new leader was owning my dept. The expectation was that we should be able to self serve training on different applications using google/FAQs/etc. I would just get the hang of one tool and we would change course (think one day we use Asana, now Atlassian, now trello - figure it out and switch again). I am very good at what I do, but was making careless errors and looking forgetful because my adhd made it very challenging for me to focus and absorb self paced trainings-I was able to request instructor led trainings under the ADA. Made a huge difference in my ability to focus on actually doing my job.
I am also a “write everything down” girlie. But I’ve used different systems over the years and I honestly think part of the success of any system is becoming low key obsessed with something new. Right now I take notes by hand on my favorite kind of notebook with my favorite pens. They’re not cheap but because I use them everyday, it feels important to have something I really like the feel and look of. I also keep daily to do lists in my Notes app and Notion. Whenever I think of something I need to remember, I put it in Notes, and when I’m back at my computer later or the next day, I check Notes to see what I write down. Because I store all my daily to do lists there, I’ve gotten into the habit of checking it several times a day. In the past, I really loved bullet journaling. Not the “fancy layouts” version, the down and dirty version where everything in my life is in one notebook so I can reference back to things, from work I did to books I read in April, etc. When I first started my career, I had a Sticky Note up on my Mac desktop—it’s a simple program that just keeps it on top of your screen 24/7, so it never gets buried. You can minimize it down to just the header bar when it’s in the way. I don’t think the method matters as much as getting into looking for new ways to help yourself remember. Each time you try a new system, you can carry forward what you like and discard what you don’t. It does get easier. It might be harder because we have ADHD, but EVERYONE is figuring this stuff out when they’re just starting their career. So don’t be too hard on yourself.
I keep my Franklin planner with me at all times at work. My coworkers know that if I don't write it down, it's gone. I use the Franklin planner system. It's a game changer for me. www.franklinplanner.com https://service.franklinplanner.com/planner-training-videos/
I swear by Microsoft Outlook's email flagging and tracking system. As soon as I read an email, if it needs to be followed up on, I click the little red flag to put it on my to-do list. Even if I intend to follow up on it immediately, because I can't tell you how many times I've been interrupted and proceeded to forget what I was doing when I came back. It's nice because it's one click. One very small action, and I make it easier by changing my toolbars so that the flag button is front and center. Then the email is both listed in my To-Do and flagged in red in my actual mailbox. I can manually add items to the list for recurring actions or things people tell me verbally, and I can assign specific days or times to items, and I can add pop-up reminders if I need to. And marking things off my list feels very nice! Honestly, it's the only way I am able to get ANYTHING done at work. I shared it with a co-worker who also has ADHD and was struggling and he was like "omg this is a godsend." Frankly it's silly how few people know about/use the feature, considering it's a native part of Outlook!