Starting the new job

[Anonymous]

So I’m starting the new job today and as usual, I feel a little adrift. I do not anticipate having my first meeting until later this afternoon and until then I need to figure out how to “stay busy” with the task of acquainting myself with the new product.

I plan to tackle that in short bursts so I don’t get too bored or frustrated.

I’m concerned about being overwhelmed by the barrage of requests, emails, paperwork, etc. that will distract me from what I feel I should be doing. My boss wants me on Windows Live Messenger which I find very distracting and I really don’t want to do it if I can.

I’d like to talk about my concerns with my new boss but I don’t know how to ask or what to ask for and I’m REALLY afraid that once he figures out I’m ADHD, he’ll not think I’m the same person he hired.

So yeah, I’m a little stressed.

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[shutterbug55]

What do you do for this company?

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[Curlymoe115]

Just tell you boss that you find messenger very distracting and a huge time waster. Just ask him if there are alternatives that you can try so that you aren’t tied to anything listening for the chime. Then for the first few days initially check email to see if there are any instructions that are imperative and then set a time in your mind when you want to check it again. Ask your boss what he feels are the most important things that you need to complete immediately then once this is completed you can start to slowly get everything out of the way. A good boss knows that it is the first day and even with experience every workplace is different and you are looking to him for leadership and you want to make sure that you are covering all your bases.

Later when you are feeling a little more comfortable you can approach the boss and tell him what you feel is appropriate about your personal situation.

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[Curlymoe115]

Also Delete Delete Delete. Archive anything that is vital and you need for later but everything else should be deleted out of your email. Unless it is a personal account most work environments have a limit to what you can have on your computer and you really don’t have the time to continually check through hundreds of emails for that important one with the contact numbers. I know this one from personal experience.

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[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice, Curlymoe. I’ll give it a try.

Shutterbug, I’m in a unique position where I get to work at home, writing computer software. I feel confident about being able to perform those duties, less so about all of the ambiguous other stuff so necessary for keeping a company running smoothly. At the moment, I feel overwhelmed at what is most likely a molehill of little annoyances. These have little to do with my ability to perform, but I feel that if I risk ignoring them, I’ll appear to be lazy, disorganized or (gasp!) not a team player. So I’m a bit anxious.

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[Curlymoe115]

Software engineers tend to be highly focused individuals who are swept away by their passions and forget to eat, sleep, shower or anything else when they are in the zone. So tell him that when you are concentrating you block out the world and that if it is really important to call because you won’t hear anything else. This is a good job for a hyperfocusser because you really are encouraged to go with it. Know lots of programmers and they all get carried away from the world when they are working on applications. Find out if your new boss is concerned about a certain number of meetings, when and where these are going to take place. The other problem with working at home is the personal distractions that you need to avoid. Also when you get into the project and you telecommute it is tempting to get up in the middle of the night to just do one more thing. So you are also going to have to try and stay “out of the office” except during work times or you are going to burn out and get bored really fast. I’m a hacker so I had a really hard time with the organization of material. Sit down, throw code at it and execute to see if it worked, but I know the proper way to do it was to write it out first, check your work and then sit down and code. My way was just more immediate. And that is why I am not a programmer. So if you are making a living doing this you must be good so therefore you should cut yourself some slack and just work through the problems.

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