ADHD + Work = leverage your traits

‘Why don’t I stick to one thing? I haven’t even thought about retirement and feel like I’ve not got started yet!’

Do you want to change your career - or wonder how you can make the most of one that you have?

Statistics for ADHD and employment are poor for all ages and profiles - but what can you do if you are currently UNDEREMPLOYED (taking a job that’s not suitable for your actual intelligence or strengths) or wanting to move to something else?

Let’s start by looking at what an ideal job might include:

Hallmarks of an ADHD positive role

• Space for creative problem solving

• Allows some emotional intensity - passion - into your role

• Brings your ‘intense’ lens into focus: deadlines and urgency can work for you

• Uses your natural ‘risk taking’ to benefit the role (that intuitive leap)

• Also has clear structure and routine that has enough flexibility for energy variation

Even though there are ‘traditional’ ADHD friendly careers that optimise interest, reward and provide a lot of positive feedback, you might not be in one right now.

A career in a fast-paced environment might not be suitable for you for lots of reasons and perhaps you can’t change at the moment and things are not fine.

There are two things to think about when you’re thinking about work:

• does the job demand things that aren’t suitable for my strengths and talents?

• does the job meet MY needs and what I want?

What are the benefits of getting the job-fit right for your needs AND your employer needs?

When we are in a job that fits us, we are less likely to burn out and quit; we will be more engaged and perform better; and we can innovate and feel fulfilled on a daily basis.

Start by identifying what you’re great at - and where that fits

Begin by making a list of what you’re great at, even if it doesn’t look like it’s useful for your job right now. Get objective and don’t rule anything out.

Scaffold for Success

Identify what you need to move forward: are there things that make you feel better physically and emotionally (friends, family, social connection, prioritising sleep, what YOUR version of self-care means). By adding these to your life every day, and making sure other people know about them too, you can have an ‘iron man’ style suit that allows you to do the inner work and take action while reducing the mental load that usually keeps you stuck.

Redesign, Re-engage, Re-orient

Maybe there are demands at your current job that are taking you close to burn-out or you’ve identified don’t play with your strengths. See if there’s a way for you to redesign those OUT of your daily life - can your job adapt around you? Or are there new skills that your job could offer training on that would allow you to manage them better - along with your new boundaries and identified strengths, it’s always good to keep learning and upskilling. Reorganising and adapting your job is a more powerful option than resigning or burning out. You should also take time to re-orient and focus on life outside of work: are you getting your DDF (daily dose of fun)? Are you getting stress out of your body with exercise or practices that make you feel good?

Big Picture Thinking

Once you’ve got things redesigned, re-engaged and you’re re-oriented so that work isn’t destabilising your life balance, take time to think about your Big Picture: have you been able to identify what you value and what you need - and how that looks in one, two, or ten years from now?

Give yourself permission to dream - and don’t let it your self-doubts get in the way right now. Once you’ve had time to get it all very clear, start stepping backwards and identifying what the gaps are from here to there. It’s important to do this just one step, one aspect at a time - and have someone with you to help. This can be a friend, family member or mentor at work - or a coach, of course.

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Warmly,

Katherine