Re: The 1-hour until quitting time everything's gotta be done now rush

[Patte Rosebank]

NOBODY appreciates getting ambushed with last-minute changes. When you have ADHD, you almost physically feel those interruptions. Plus, when you have ADHD, you’re so eager to please others, that you have a really hard time turning down requests.

This is one case when you should discuss the matter with your supervisor. You have a cognitive dysfunction, which requires adjustments to your working methods.

One such adjustment is requesting that you not be “surprised” with last-minute changes. Experience shows that, in many cases, people were aware of the changes well in advance, but didn’t share this information (or delegate the work) until much later. Often, it’s because they got so busy doing their work, that they forgot!

Of course, getting hit with multiple changes throughout the day is very jarring for the ADD brain as well. This requires a bit of a system.

I remember a blog or forum posting from Rick, in which he wrote that he and his wife have a system involving post-it notes. When he’s working, and she has something to ask or tell him, she writes it on a post-it note, *silently* leaves the note on his desk, and *silently* walks away. When he takes a break, he deals with the note.

That way, he’s aware there’s a note, but he can deal with it when he takes a break, instead of having to derail his train of thought to deal with it immediately. Of course, he noted that if it were something serious, like the house being on fire, he expects her to tell him immediately, without the post-it note!

A similar system would probably work for you in this situation. You’d need to discuss it with your supervisor, and, together, you’d ask your co-workers to comply. It’s not that you’re being deliberately difficult. You just have a disability, and it requires a bit of accommodation.

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