ADHD self-management at work (tech)
November 29, 2021 1:09 AM Subscribe
I work in tech and I'm currently stuck working for a "flat organization". This is... not great for my ADHD as I am expected to manage myself and I am terrible at that! If I want to be completely honest frequently I just want someone to tell me what to do or at least have a manager I have weekly 1:1s with.
I'm looking for a new job right now, but I'm seeing a trend that a much greater amount of self-management is expected pretty much everywhere these days than it used to so I won't solve this entirely just by finding a better place to work at. Does anyone have any tips, good resources on this?
I'm looking for a new job right now, but I'm seeing a trend that a much greater amount of self-management is expected pretty much everywhere these days than it used to so I won't solve this entirely just by finding a better place to work at. Does anyone have any tips, good resources on this?
I've found that the Job Accommodation Network site has oodles of ideas for things that an employer/team can do to help people do their jobs -- indexed by disability, job-related function, limitation, etc. -- and many of those ideas are also things you can start on by yourself if you aren't comfortable asking for help from your colleagues or supervisor. Check out the ADHD listing. Also see the "How to Disclose a Disability and Request Accommodations in the Workplace" section on the "For individuals" page, which is more applicable in the US but may give you ideas on how to proceed if you're not in the US.
posted by brainwane at 7:27 AM on November 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by brainwane at 7:27 AM on November 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
In my experience in tech when they say "being self-directed" that means that you understand your place in the assembly line and you don't need someone to tell you what you need to do to get something out of your station and onto the next station. That kind of thing you can simplify for yourself with a checklist. I have been working on my standard checklist lately & it helps me a lot. So like for me in UX, I can rattle off the things I need to do for each request from the product team so I can provide specs so engineering can start building. That's the kind of thing your boss will expect to not help with as much as your seniority grows.
However the thing you must ask for help with is prioritization of requests which even in a flat organization is probably coming from someone other than you. They have to provide this & it's ok for you to keep up the drum beat if they're not giving it. This is the kind of thing that people really need regular weekly meetings for & it's the one type of meeting that can't be an email.
Even if you are expected to provide your own prioritization you still need enough input from the other teams which you should also schedule weekly.
posted by bleep at 9:47 AM on November 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
However the thing you must ask for help with is prioritization of requests which even in a flat organization is probably coming from someone other than you. They have to provide this & it's ok for you to keep up the drum beat if they're not giving it. This is the kind of thing that people really need regular weekly meetings for & it's the one type of meeting that can't be an email.
Even if you are expected to provide your own prioritization you still need enough input from the other teams which you should also schedule weekly.
posted by bleep at 9:47 AM on November 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
I am in this boat and it sucks - not in tech but with competing demands from clients and various senior people. I have a couple thoughts, most of which I don't reliably do, so grain of salt:
1. Schedule time to meet with your self as your own manager. I.e. pencil in a block of time where you prepare a list of everything and report back to yourself on how it's going. Do not allow yourself to skip this. Schedule your week ahead with what you're going to work on and when, then check in at your next meeting about how it went. Then, where anything doesn't have an obvious priority:
2. Ask everyone else about the priorities issues. Ask peers how they deal with prioritization - may be that the processes for this are not written down, or that there are informal norms about who you are supposed to talk to about what, or whose tasks are the most important. If you receive a task from a person, ask detailed questions about what the priorities of that task are.
3. To the extent possible, know the limits of what you can handle and assert boundaries in saying no to work you don't have time for, or accepting work on the basis that you will not be able to do it for a certain amount of time (if you're like me, 4-5 times longer than you think it will be). Actively fight against the tendency to try to be helpful and pitch in and look out for yourself to the extent it does not affect your job or future prospects.
4. Use giant visible markers of organization to keep track of the above - for me, walls of post-it notes.
Best of luck out there.
posted by lookoutbelow at 6:09 PM on November 29, 2021 [7 favorites]
1. Schedule time to meet with your self as your own manager. I.e. pencil in a block of time where you prepare a list of everything and report back to yourself on how it's going. Do not allow yourself to skip this. Schedule your week ahead with what you're going to work on and when, then check in at your next meeting about how it went. Then, where anything doesn't have an obvious priority:
2. Ask everyone else about the priorities issues. Ask peers how they deal with prioritization - may be that the processes for this are not written down, or that there are informal norms about who you are supposed to talk to about what, or whose tasks are the most important. If you receive a task from a person, ask detailed questions about what the priorities of that task are.
3. To the extent possible, know the limits of what you can handle and assert boundaries in saying no to work you don't have time for, or accepting work on the basis that you will not be able to do it for a certain amount of time (if you're like me, 4-5 times longer than you think it will be). Actively fight against the tendency to try to be helpful and pitch in and look out for yourself to the extent it does not affect your job or future prospects.
4. Use giant visible markers of organization to keep track of the above - for me, walls of post-it notes.
Best of luck out there.
posted by lookoutbelow at 6:09 PM on November 29, 2021 [7 favorites]
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More formally, could you work out something with your line manager, if they could spare a weekly hour with you as checking-in? If not, at least a month's worth of to-dos and expectations, and work out with a friend to be your accountability buddy.
In the app/software side, I suppose you can start using project management tools? Anything with kanban-style boards as well as reminders and recurring task features might be something useful for you. (i'm using a combination of evernote and google assistant, plus a good old physical notebook, with planner inserts -- my mitigation steps that work best involves a lot of at-a-glance visual memory aids as well as 'throw in everything in a pile and I'll sort through it every other day.').
posted by cendawanita at 1:34 AM on November 29, 2021 [4 favorites]