Managing Adult ADHD in the Workplace

Some adults with ADHD are high functioning at work, while others may struggle with managing their symptoms. Listed below are some common challenges an adult may experience while at work, and how to successfully manage them

Challenge: Distractibility

It may be helpful to wear headphones to help minimize external sounds and consider closing your office door to avoid distractions. Limiting social media in order to stay on task, and utilizing to-do lists to help fight off tendencies to daydream, in order to stay focused.

Challenge: Time management skills

Adults with ADHD may have a more difficult time keeping track of the time a task may take to complete. Breaking larger projects into smaller pieces, with separate deadlines, may help alleviate the overwhelming feelings when facing a large project. It is also beneficial to utilize alarms or notifications on the phone to help manage time.

Challenge: Impulsivity

Adults may struggle with impulsivity, irritability and anger outbursts when frustrated. Working with an ADHD coach, utilizing self talk and affirmations, practicing mindfulness, and using healthy coping skills may help adults identify their triggers and express their emotions in appropriate ways.

Challenge: Procrastination

Many adults with ADHD want to tackle the easy tasks first. Who really wants to take on a challenging project? Putting things off leads to more anxiety and fear. Breaking projects into smaller pieces and utilizing co-workers to help set deadlines to deter procrastination is helpful.

Challenge: Organizational skills

Lack of organization at work makes completing tasks and projects efficiently and successfully near impossible. Creating a filing system organized by category may help streamline the process, and make finding important documents easier. Regularly taking inventory of old papers and purging what is not needed is helpful to stay organized.