A few days ago, I had a great conversation with my old next door neighbor. He is a guy I connect with when it comes to business and brainstorming ideas. He is ADD like me and has always been happy and excited about his life and about his work. I want to share a few of the tips I learned from Marco that might benefit some of us who tend toward career distractions.
Marco knew early on that he loved sales. He manages tee shirt accounts through a company that caters to “big box” retail stores as well as mom and pops. When the economy took a nose dive, he used his outside the box, creativity and “I need to keep working or doing something so I don’t get bored,” ADD skills to help bring in a good income for his family, although they have had to make some changes. He also owns (and his wife operates) another company in our town that is reasonably profitable.
You can see just by the description of Marco’s life that he has multiple streams of income which require a wide variety of skill sets and activities that keep him busy. True to ADD form, his work day is never linear. For example, he makes lists of what needs to be done, and instead of going down the list, skips around so he’s doing the tasks he enjoys the most first, and hopefully getting to the least enjoyable tasks later on. He is very much aware of his nature, and although he has not been formally diagnosed, he embraces his idiosyncrasies and exclaims to his wife, “If I weren’t like this, our life would be boring.” She agrees. This is key. She is very organized and absolutely thrives on the details. Marco, on the other hand loves to throw out the task at hand as if it were as simple to accomplish as a smile. Although this has been a source of some irritation for her as well as mild arguments, she willingly helps him to manage it all in both businesses!
I have often thought those of us with ADD should be born with a personal assistant to take care of the details…but I digress. Not bad if you can find that in your life partner or maybe just hire someone.
Marco explained he uses a timer every day. He understands he can spend more time on tasks that are not profitable just because they are fun, and less time on those that require a bit more focus. The timer helps keep him on track and also allows him to get up and take a breather so he can return refreshed and ready to tackle another task. Notice I didn’t say “the next task.” Try as we might, this is almost impossible for those of us with the distraction factor wired into our brains. Even now I am tempted to switch activities and am amazed I’m still writing this article without getting another cup of tea.
One of the key factors in Marco’s success is he LOVES and THRIVES on the variety in his work – “I never do the same thing every day. It is always new and fresh.” He enjoys traveling to new places. When he comes back to his home office, he is ready to throw orders out to his wife to take care of the details.
Marco’s office is something to behold. He has a desk piled with papers (disorganization is something that is part of our make-up – the key is knowing where to find everything). But the most surprising and key element of his office are the two drum sets in either corner. One is so he can get up and break the day up with a completely new activity that is somewhat physical. The other is for when his son comes home from school and they can take a break and play together.
It was so fun to get caught up with Marco, and so enlightening to finally understand our connection. He wholeheartedly labels himself as ADD, although he’s never had a true diagnosis. However, he embraces his finely tuned brain and uses it to his benefit to live an amazing life.
Tips to Embrace Your Career ADD:
- Love what you do by working in a field that allows you to switch activities often and offers enough variety in your work to keep you from getting bored.
- Define and design your workspace so that you maximize your day (cubicles don’t general work well for folks with career ADD).
- Consider work that allows for independence and does not require a great deal of organization, or…
- Hire or marry someone who can help you manage the details, or bribe someone with chocolate chip cookies.
- Use a timer so each of your tasks are given the attention they need, allowing for min-breaks throughout the day.
- Don’t expect yourself to follow the tasks you list for the day in a linear fashion – it’s okay to skip around.
- Embrace your gifts – you tend to think bigger and more outside the box than most – you are ten steps ahead of everyone so let them catch up and be patient when they don’t get it right away.
Most of all, HAVE FUN! And, when you need help defining work you can feel passionate about, call a professional career counselor who understands your idiosyncrasies and get started today.
Shell Mendelson, founder of NB Careers, specializes in guiding individuals with Career ADD and Career Paralysis to define an authentic career direction. Click here » to download a FREE “Six Minute Quick Goal Setting” exercise and take the first step on your job search journey.
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About Shell Mendelson
Thank you so much for this article! I am just now starting to realize that it’s ok to design my career around my ADD. For awhile I thought there was something seriously wrong with me.
I am currently seeking a career counselor so that I can create a list of suitable jobs. Shell – How do you feel about ADD’ers in Corporate America? I find it very difficult to be independent and structure my day as needed. Do you think people with Career ADD are better suited for entrepreneurship?
I believe that ADDers can manage well in Corporate America if they have the ability to communicate their specific needs to the employer (i.e. need for office or space with less distractions, ability to communicate needs to administration staff, switch tasks that are challenging and ask for projects that are fun and interesting to you…just a few). However, it takes some inner work and really knowing and understanding how you work best. But it absolutely can work. It also depends on the corporate structure and/or overall environment. Does this make sense?
For the most part, ADDers make amazing entrepreneurs. KidzArt, the company I founded, would not have been created without my ADD. We are the movers and shakers of the world. There are alot of variables, however, when it comes to entrepreneurship that you will want to consider. You may want to set up a Mini-Career session with me at http://www.passiontocareer.com to get a taste of what career counseling can offer you. To you success!
I love your tip to set a timer. I am trying to do that more now and notice that I always get so much more done when I know I have a time limit! I am also trying to always get up from my desk and leave at lunch. It is pretty hard because there is always so much work to do but I find that I am a much better worker in the afternoon when I take a break! Thanks again for these tips!
You are very welcome. This one thing has helped me immensely. Here’s to taking more breaks and switching things up to keep it interesting! Shell