ADHD – From the Classroom to the Workplace?
Some recent experience has brought me to work closely with many children diagnosed with what we today call ADHD. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are all ‘issues’ that the child is left to manage with in the classroom. That being said, ADHD is known to cause many issues for children in the context of learning; they struggle with such things as: following directions, recalling information, organization, and simply dealing with the routines of most traditional classrooms.
Now, have you also noticed that ADHD talk seems to always end as soon as a student leaves high school? The fact of the matter is that “ADHD afflicts approximately 3% to 10% of school-aged children and an estimated 60% of those will continue to have symptoms that affect their functioning as adults.[1]” Furthermore, it should be said that if no intervention takes place early on in one’s personal development; sustained behavioral, emotional, social, vocational, and academic problems can arise in addition to any existing challenges the individual is already likely to face.
Considering the statistics, you are more than likely to come across any number of colleagues, employees and/or bosses with ADHD. In all honesty, I myself sometimes display traits that are eerily similar to those described above! We can likely all benefit from most of the strategies listed below; these are primarily aimed at combatting the symptoms related to ADHD and helping to boost work performance.
Figure out what works for you. When are you most focused throughout the day? Do you work better alone or as a team? Find out what schedule, environment, and other factors play in to your productivity and do your best to create an opportunity for success.
Work in blocks. Set parameters for yourself, and commit to a given task for a pre-established amount of time. Try to stay focused on the task at hand and celebrate small accomplishments.
Take a breather. If you’re having difficulty concentrating, take a walk or head outside for a few minutes; a change of air can help you refocus.
Exercise. Not only is it good for your health, but it has actually shown to have considerable benefits on workplace productivity and performance. Quick jog over lunch anyone?
Create a daily to-do list. Break down large tasks in to smaller morsels and work these building blocks in to your schedule.
Stay organized and develop routines. While you can’t always allow yourself to be too rigid, a certain degree of routine can help you make the most of your peak performance times and accomplish more throughout your day. As for organization; it’s pretty much self-explanatory.
There is no harm in trying out any strategy that can enable us to be better at work or at life. The above list is a simple reminder of some generally agreed upon strategies for managing performance issues in the workplace that are of similar nature; they can be expanded upon or tailored to the specific needs of the individual.
