You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: The Classic Self-Help Book for Adults With Attention Deficit Disorder (26 page)

Get Inside the Inner Circle:
If you have trouble figuring out the
informal network, develop a relationship with someone who seems to know what’s going on. Gradually draw her out to learn how the company operates. Take it easy, though. Usually
the employees “in the know” are old-timers who have earned their status and play their roles to the hilt. If you try to make an instant friendship or start grilling someone over lunch, you may find her unwilling to divulge
her knowledge. You’ll need to earn her respect to enter the inner circle.

Follow the Unwritten Rules:
If written policy dictates that memos should be sent to Mr. S and Ms. T, don’t fail to send one to Mr. R if the unwritten rules call for it. Make a list of these informal procedures. Use your checklist to be sure you’re following proper formal and informal procedures. Better still, you may want
to carry a small calendar or notebook where you keep these confidential materials, especially if employees at your work site don’t lock their desks.

Technology and Communication

Since we’ve already talked about the dynamics of communication in various relationships, we won’t repeat ourselves. Review the information about communication skills and continually practice and rehearse. Our discussion
and suggestions here will cover the dimensions of communication that are somewhat unique to work settings.

Communication is the transmission of messages from one person or group to another. We’ve focused on communication as spoken words and body language, but in the workplace it is frequently in the form of written expression. Businesses have always relied on written documentation and record
keeping. Now there’s a high-tech twist—the price sheet is faxed, the ad is scanned, the memo is e-mailed and the report is networked! This is another good news/bad news situation for ADDers.

For the Good News:
High-tech equipment, particularly the computer, may be the best thing that’s ever happened to an ADDer. It won’t put gas in your car before your business trip but it can remind you to do
it! It will check the spelling and grammar of your letters and send the contents, already formatted, to the printer. You don’t even have to wait impatiently at
the door for the mail carrier. In a flash, your computer or fax machine can send inquiries and receive responses.

For the Bad News:
Have you heard the joke about the employee who got his tie caught in the fax machine and ended up in New York?
Three things may have happened when you read this little tidbit:

Each of these responses illustrates the disadvantages of modern technology. E-mail, networking, scanning and faxing may still evoke a fear response, never mind that these technologies have been around for a while. This isn’t a reflection of your IQ! It’s mind-boggling how rapidly new methods for transmitting information have developed.

While this book isn’t a training manual for high-tech
equipment, it wouldn’t be complete without a discussion about technology’s impact on communication. Even if you approach a TV remote control with fear and trepidation, you might have to use a fax machine and telephone that have more buttons than the front of your shirt!

Office Equipment and Cheat Sheets:
Many people have trouble using mechanical or technical equipment. This isn’t exclusively
a problem for folks with ADD. But some of the ADD differences do compound the problem.

You’ve seen how increasing complexity has an impact on your performance. This is true whether you’re doing math problems, interacting with large groups of people or figuring out how to use a complicated telephone system.

Related to this is an impaired memory. How many times have you approached the duplicating
machine to hand-feed a two-sided document and couldn’t remember how to do it? Ten tries later, with the wastebasket overflowing with pages reversed and printed upside down, you finally get it right! Not only have you wasted an entire package of paper, you’ve also wasted valuable time.

It’s a good idea to make a cheat sheet for yourself. Make a list or chart of the procedures and tape it to the
top of the duplicating machine. If you share the machine with others, you may need to keep your set of directions in your desk drawer. Do the same thing for the fax machine, computer, telephone, etcetera. You might find that this memory bypass system ultimately helps you
to memorize the procedure because you use multisensory learning as an anchor. You
see
the directions as you
perform
them.

Written Expression—Memos, Letters and Reports:
A computer can perform incredible feats if you are
computer comfortable
. You may find it very helpful in your job. It can relieve you of the tedium of details and become your personal secretary. Even if you use spell checkers and word processing programs, however, you might continue to have problems with written expression.

If the writing requirements
of your job are primarily internal memos and business letters, consider buying an easy-to-use software package of templates. Templates are prepared generic letters for everything from order confirmations to congratulations for a colleague’s job promotion. With the software, you choose a template that matches your need, change the names and dates and presto—you have a polished business document.

If your responsibilities include writing reports and other more complex documents, you can still use various templates as your framework, but you will need to do the actual writing yourself. Remedial writing classes may help you work on shaky writing skills. Consider working with a tutor, or check out continuing education classes at your local university.

Remember to use some of the bypass strategies
we talked about in previous chapters. If you have a secretary, dictate your letters. Otherwise try using a tape recorder to “write” your first drafts. Your ideas may flow more easily if you talk first and write later. Show your work to a sympathetic colleague for a critique before you send it out.

Don’t forget to use bartering as a tool to bypass your weak writing skills. For example, you can
collaborate with a coworker who writes clearly but has problems generating original ideas. Together you may be able to write reports that outshine anything either of you could produce alone.

Work-Related Stress and ADD

An ADDer’s boss may compliment her on the quality of her work but express concern about the quality of her relationships with coworkers. Superiors and subordinates alike might
complain that working with her is difficult. They are probably commenting on her general irritability and moodiness, which are, of course, symptomatic of her disorder.

These symptoms typically get worse as demands from the environment increase. Their severity can be minimized by managing stress levels in the work environment. The general strategies taught in stress-management programs are useful,
but there are others more specific for the unique problems of ADDers.

Noise, Doors and Telephones:
First, try to figure out the source of your stress. If the source is everything about your job, you might be in the wrong vocation! Our guess is that noise probably contributes a great deal to your stress. Intrusions of noise can be very distracting and irritating.

If you have an office with a
door you can shut for periods of time, take advantage of it! There are important reasons for keeping your door open. An opened door sends the message that you are available as an active participant in the work environment. But you have to balance the need to maintain work relationships with your need for quiet to handle the details of your job.

Explain to your coworkers that you can’t concentrate
on detailed work when there is excessive noise. Then close your door. You don’t have to tell them about your ADD. Many people are bothered by noise and will understand your need to work without interruption. Just make it clear that this is
your
problem. You haven’t closed your door because you don’t like your coworkers!

You will win brownie points if you’re available only during certain hours
but are calm and welcoming when your door is open.
Even if this means taking some of your work home, it may be worth it if you can minimize your stress during work hours.

The same principle applies to the telephone. Your work quality and telephone manners might improve if you schedule a designated time for handling telephone calls. You’ll accomplish much more without the constant interruptions.
Before your scheduled telephone time, you’ll have time to gather everything you’ll need to handle the calls in a friendly and efficient manner.

You may be thinking “These ideas sound great, but I don’t have any control over my schedule,” or “I don’t even have my own office.” If you work in an open area where you can’t close the door, is it possible for you to wear headphones when you need to
concentrate? You could listen to music as you work or a tape of white noise if music is distracting.

Your boss might be more amenable to suggestions if you offer them as ways to improve your efficiency. Document your increased productivity to convince her that these strategies really work. Again, you don’t have to share your diagnosis unless you’re confident she’ll act on your disclosure in a
positive way.

If you feel that you have no control over your schedule, are you absolutely sure that’s the case? A number of corporations have experimented with designated hours for employee phone calls. They have found that the decrease in interruptions throughout the day improves productivity. Approach your boss about this. Ask if your office or group could experiment with designated phone hours
or even designated quiet time for work that requires heavy concentration.

Talk with coworkers to find out if noise and interruptions bother them. Chances are they probably also have trouble with excessive distractions. Enlist their support. You may be able to make changes in your workplace that will make the environment.
more user-friendly for everyone. It may be surprising to you, but these
strategies are taught in time-management courses. You may elicit support for these changes under the guise of wanting to manage your time more effectively.

If you try everything and still can’t control the noise and interruptions, think seriously about looking for a new job or even a different line of work. The stress level from a highly distracting environment can be a threat to your mental
health. Are you failing, or is your work failing you?

Miscellaneous Strategies

For ease of reading we’ve tried to group the management strategies into categories. The ones that follow don’t really fit anywhere else, so we’ve included them together in this section.

Take Your Medicine:
This probably goes without saying, but if you need to take medicine to manage your symptoms, make sure you take
it during your work hours. Your ability to handle details and interruptions will improve. Moreover, the condition of your fingernails and the anxiety of your office mate will probably also improve! As an ADD adult, you may not be in perpetual motion anymore but may have mastered the art of foot tapping, finger drumming and knuckle cracking. This constant fidgeting can be extremely annoying to
other people. These behaviors are definitely not conducive to improving interpersonal work relationships.

Manage Your Symptoms:
Actively work on your problematic ADD behaviors to decrease them or make them less noticeable. Try substituting a behavior that is less distracting to other people. Can you move your hands or swing your leg under the desk so that no one sees you doing it? Tapping your
fingers against each other is quieter than kicking your desk or drumming your fingers on the desktop. Can you gnaw on the top of your pencil so you look as if you are deeply engrossed in your work?