I have ADD I'm NOT LAZY!

Anyone else with ADD?ADHD get the brush off when you try to explain to someone that you have this? I do ALL THE TIME!

I tried to explain it to my boss today (which I now regret) and he looked at me like "Yeah, whatever lazy chick". I have a job in which I need to be highly organized and focus on several tasks so you can see why I have such a problem. Well you know what I'm dealing with if you have it. I start one task and in the middle of it I remember that I have to do something else equally important. So I drop whatever I'm doing and go do the new task so I "don't forget to do it later" and then I never get back to my original task.

Well it all makes perfect sense to me the way that I explained it but I can tell that he doesn't believe me. He probably thinks I'm just goofing off all day and that's why I can't get anything done!

I'm so frustrated! I did just start taking Adderall but my doc. wants me to take it slow so she only gave me 10mgs to start. Now Im only on like 25mg. (15mg time release 10mg regular) I was taking 40 when I was 7yrs old!

I kind of notice a difference but I get I just need to wait until my brain adjusts.

OK done ranting! For now anyway!

A word of advice.  Regardless of whether or not you have this "condition":

Don't EVER tell your boss that.  It will ALWAYS sound like an excuse.

Yeah I knew it as soon as it left my mouth!

I also have that horrible ADD symptom where I sometimes just can't stop myself from saying what I'm thinking!

Original Post by redraven9:

Yeah I knew it as soon as it left my mouth!

I also have that horrible ADD symptom where I sometimes just can't stop myself from saying what I'm thinking!

 Well, frankly, you're gonna have to learn to deal with it.  It's part of working. 

At work I always have four or five or ten jobs on the go at once.  It drives some co-workers crazy that I go back and forth, it doesn't bother me.  I always get everthing finished before I leave.

And I also say whatever comes to my mind.  The people at work think that I am a comedian because I always say stuff that is off the wall and I can make almost anyone laugh at what I say.

Original Post by spoiled_candy:

At work I always have four or five or ten jobs on the go at once.  It drives some co-workers crazy that I go back and forth, it doesn't bother me.  I always get everthing finished before I leave.

And I also say whatever comes to my mind.  The people at work think that I am a comedian because I always say stuff that is off the wall and I can make almost anyone laugh at what I say.

 This is different than telling your boss that the reason that work doesn't get done is b/c your "ADHD" because well you' said yourself you're getting the job done.  :D

Make a list.  Write down the status of the task that you're dropping before you switch to the other task.  You're stuck with the ADD, but you can find coping mechanisms to help you deal with it.  Or a calendar that syncs with your cell phone and have it send you reminder texts...google calendar and airset both do this and are free.

Something like:

Have to do now

do today

do this week

do this month

do this year

This is different than telling your boss that the reason that work doesn't get done is b/c your "ADHD" because well you' said yourself you're getting the job done.  :D

I have known my boss for eight years now, he knows my quirks a he has stood up for me on occasion and he got me out of my last store and brought me to his (my current store).  I would have gotten fired by last boss because she did not like the way that I worked.
I have had other bosses that didn't like the way that I do things.  They tried to get me to do one task at a time.  I can't handle it and it drives me crazy to finish one task at a time.
I am just very lucky right now that my current boss just lets me get my job done the way that I want to do it. 

I can switch between 2 or 3 simulatanous tasks easily. I do it at work all the time, and at home.

By Mike (my son's father) drives me crazy. Its like he has the attention span of a squirell with one too many expressos.

He'll start one task, than walk buy and see the dishes, so he'll take them out of the sink to fill it, but then realize hey the doors on the buffet need work so he'll remove them to work on, but just leave them there for 3 weeks, until I put them back in, then go to the bed room and start sorting drawers before he goes back to work on something else. some tasks do get finished (key word is eventually), but others just sit..

Absolutely makes me crazy. I am one that believes when ever possible do not start something until you are ready to actually do it. If I am going to sort clothes I don't dump them out today, and get back to them a week later.

Of course I drive him crazy keeping 3 pots stirring at once (methaphorically speaking) and getting them all done.

One of the hallmarks of AD(H)D is task jumping that leads to a physical pile-up or mess (in the patient's workspace and at home).

Interestingly, the mess has the double-edged element of somewhat soothing the patient but also creating increased levels of attention deficit.

While your medication is being adjusted, I suggest you read Scattered Minds by Dr. Gabor Mate. It can offer you some insights for further tricks and techniques as well as some interesting underlying thoughts on the origins of AD(H)D.

While you have tried to speak with your boss on the topic, leave it alone from this point as managers are rarely trained in interacting with workers with psychological conditions. It won't actually harm you to have flagged your condition with your boss as it will protect you from discrimination and wrongful dismissal should it come to that.

What I recommend is if you have a trusted colleague or a personal friend who could help you (on your own time after work) to organize your work space likely on a fairly regular basis, this will help you create a bit more calm and focus to manage your tasks during the day.

AD(H)D patients usually need someone to help with the clean-up process because it can create a fair amount of anxiety and often gets left undone because of this and because it seems an insurmountable task.

From there, as another poster has already pointed out, lists are and will be your best friend. Force yourself to make a list every morning when you come into work and slap it up where you see it the whole day. Make it no more than five major tasks that you know are critical. Yes, there will be many more sub-tasks and interruption tasks, but every time you glance at the list it can bring you back on task.

Best of luck!

maybe you should of got a job better suited for your condition...?

I'm not trying to insult you, but I'm sure you knew ahead of time what the job required. Just saying, you need to know your limits. Don't attempt things that your body can't handle all at once... that's how alcohol poisoning happens.

Saying "well I have ADHD" will ALWAYS sound like an excuse, especially if used often. My boyfriend likes to use that excuse when he's bored during a movie or something and wants to fool around.. yeah nice try. I know his games.

Perhaps you should actually talk to your boss about your condition, most jobs are interested in medical history especially if it will effect performance. You wouldn't trust a person with a sleeping disorder to drive a semi would you? And risk them falling asleep at the wheel on the freeway? I sure hope not.

Maybe this job isn't for you, or maybe you just need to learn how to organize yourself better (take notes, carry a journal/notepad, plan things ahead of time, etc) let your boss know that you can only do so much at once, and maybe they'll spare you some of the work load.

I'm a waitress at a sports bar, and I doubt my manager would of hired me if I was missing an arm. You can't serve food with no arm... 

OP-I am amazed that so many people are unsympathetic. I applaud your effort to work a job. Some individuals with ADD have a really hard time just holding a job. As for telling your boss, you did the right thing--your were honest. You shouldn't feel guilty for having a medical issue. This is why the ADA was created.

The Kindest of Regards.

I know this is a little different but Im having the exact same problem with my professors. One thing about my adhd is I cant work under deadlines. I physically cant. I will sit down and the time flys. Ill try and start a task I know I need to start on and Ill just redo the first paragraph 8 times or recreate a new outline 8 times (in the case of a paper). This is all explicitly documented. Im not sure how Im going to get a job with this problem, but very few people actually understand how it can even be a problem to deal with let alone a HUGE problem.  Its hard because sometimes its a valid reason but if you at any point say it, its suddenly an "excuse" especially by people who have never lived with the condition or someone who has the condition. I find it ludicrous that people assume Im idiotic just because I cant memorize specific facts and my test scores/gpa is lowered. No one would tell someone with a broken leg that they are using their leg as an excuse to not go up 4 flights of stairs. Its even more frustrating when people do use it as an excuse or claims to have the problem but never really does. Its created a situation now where because everyone has add, obviously no one has it. When you have a legitimate problem people will still lump you in with the crowd.  Sorry for such the long rant, its just been one of the most frustrating things of my entire life, especially since I cant take meds (allergic) and just "fix" the problem.

OP, I have ADD and know exactly how hard it is!

I am one big disorganised mess in real life. I am still doing my degree as I have had two years off to travel and have switched universities twice and degrees a number of times. Each paper completed is a battle won. I myself wonder how I will hold down a full-time job, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I was on 40mg Ritalin daily which did wonders for me, although I have to stop taking it temporarily as I am pregnant and would rather not have a Ritalin-addicted baby!

My suggestion is to check out your local bookshops (or Amazon.com) for books on managing ADD. There are some great resources on how to manage and organise your life with this condition. Like another poster suggested, lists are one of the keys to keeping everything under control.

im all distracted by this post and so will be late to work.

but.  one of the things that helps me the most is giving myself a specific time to do a task.  so i get 15 minutes when i get into work (or at the end of the day the day before) and I make a list, alloting say 15 minutes at 9:30 to call client x, 30 minutes at 10:00 am to do discovery for client w, etc.  That way, I have something tangible to keep me on task, I can see what else I am going to get done, and when I get distracted by the thought of something else that needs to get done I can write it down on my list or replace something on the list with that task-- and complete the one that I am on.

Try it. 

ADD, ADHD are both very real conditions, they complicate your life because you don't handle things in the same way as most people do.

You sign up for school, instructors have a set method for dealing with students and expect you to conform to their methodology.  Part of this is the learning process, part of this is managing classes of 30-300+ students who all have their personal issues.  So a system is put in place by the instructor to handle most students.  For most students this is an inconvenience not an impossibility.  If it is an impossibility, there are services in place at most schools (probably due to the ADA) which can facilitate or mediate a solution, in some cases granting extra time for assignments or tests, in other cases providing for private tutoring, depending on the student's documented needs.  The student has to seek out and apply and qualify for these services.  It doesn't make you lazy, but if you can't manage to connect with the student services then perhaps your problem makes you unsuited to a typical academic environment.  This doesn't mean that you can't learn or that you are lazy or dumb.

At work, you are hired to perform a job or task or series of tasks, when you took the job, you were telling them that you were capable of performing these duties, so what's changed?  Has the nature of the job changed from what you were hired to do?  Could you do your job to the satisfaction of your boss if they would let you do it your own way?  If you cannot perform these tasks, what is your boss supposed to do?  There are electronic means of keeping yourself on task (digital calendar, cell phone, etc), so why not use those?  It does take some setup and requires continual upkeep to note what's been done and what hasn't been done, but it's one method for dealing with your problem.  It will probably require you to check your list several times a day so that you can keep on track.  If that doesn't work, keep trying other methods until you find one that does work, a lot of very smart people have worked out a number of solutions for task management and project planning.  If you just need some leeway until your medication kicks I'd certainly tell my boss or if you need fewer tasks or reminders to stay on task until your medication gets adjusted I would expect them to make an accomodation for that.