ADD tips at work?

[WishfulSpirit]

Hi everyone

I suffer from ADD (properly diagnosed in first grade) and it causes me problems at work. The hyperactivity is pretty much over (being over 30 with a busy life tires me out enough) but our system is really complicated and fiddly, and I end up making careless mistakes, some of which cause problems for our guests. Plus, like any hotel, the front desk area gets chaotic and noisy.

If I get stressed, my ADD gets 10x worse than it usually is.

I have a daily checklist with a detailed list of "click this button, then that button, then this button" for each task. I keep sticky notes in front of me if I can't do a task right then and there (a technique everyone uses), and that REALLY helps with remembering to do things.

Does anyone have any other tips to deal with it at work? My doc won't give me my ADD meds right now but the anti-depressant helps with focus a bit.

[catcul]

I've been properly diagnosed twice. What I have found that if I get distracted, I take mental breaks for about 5 seconds at a time. Also, I will listen to music as well. Of course, if you are dealing with the public, say no to headphones and loud, potentially offensive music.

If I try to fight being distracted, I find it gets worse. The best way I can describe it is, "If you try not to think of an elephant, you think of only an elephant. However, if you let yourself think of an elephant, you'll think of something else soon enough." I'm not going to say that will work for you, but it works for me.

[mjr]

I only suspect I have ADD.

One thing I do is write down stuff if I think I'm going to forget it. Being in IT, as a software developer, writing things down helps.

I've also started implementing a little bit of the Kanban method into my daily life.

[smileyeagle1021]

Other than writing things down, what I've found helps with my ADD (properly diagnosed in elementary school) and trying to follow a set routine (which is kind of obvious), I've found that counter intuitively having an intentional distraction helps. I always have music playing (either on a small clock radio if no one else is here or on headphones if there are other people here) that I need to make a slight mental effort to ignore, which sounds like it would hinder me, but at the same time, since I'm already blocking stuff out, it helps make it so that I don't even notice new things to distract me.