You have heard about accommodations for students with ADHD; did you know there are accommodations for adults in the workplace? Yup, there are! An adult with ADHD has to be able to advocate for themselves in the workplace and ask for these accommodations to help them be their most productive at work. Here are some examples of accommodations that can help you deal with distractions, procrastination and the need to move.
Ask your boss to allow you to address difficult tasks when you are at your most alert. Some of us are morning people; I am not a morning person, some people find their groove in the afternoon. Find the time when you feel you focus the best and tackle those projects then, you will find it easier to stay on task and feel accomplished afterward.
Do the 30/10 split in order to get the less interesting work done. People with ADHD can focus an endless amount of time on items that interest us, but have difficulty completing tasks we find boring. In the 30/ten split you focus on the task for 30 minutes and then give yourself a 10 minute movement break. Get up and refill your water bottle, use the washroom or just take a lap around the office in order to release that pent up energy. Do NOT look at your phone during break time, we all know that leads to the rabbit whole of scrolling that is hard to stop.
Ask your boss if you can have a flexible schedule: start work a bit earlier when the office is empty or start later and stay after hours when things are a bit quieter. If you know what time of day works best for you, bring that forward to your boss and ask if they are open to have the flexibility in your schedule.
These are just a few of the accommodations that can help you to be your best at work. Contact me if you would like to learn some more strategies to help you excel in the workplace.
Reference: caddac.ca/document/workplace-accommodations-and-strategies