I have ADHD, so my brain doesn’t work the way someone who doesn’t have ADHD brain would work.

8 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 23,2023 at 9:52PM UTC

   I'm having trouble following you brief post. You said your ADHD brain works differently than others. Does this mean you're struggling to complete work or lack attention to detail? Is that why your boss is micromanaging?

2. AnonymousAugust 28,2023 at 9:17PM UTC

   Not at all. I complete all of my work. I work with numbers and detail is very important.

3. AnonymousSeptember 5,2023 at 2:21PM UTC

   As someone else with ADHD, this perception is why we don’t disclose our condition. ADHD presents in different ways.

   what the poster may be talking about is hyper focus or difficulty with transitions. Sometimes, we are getting work done and having a manager check in multiple times wrecks our productivity. I would frequently stay late at work because of micromanaging check ins.

   My recommendation is to see if the manager would allow uninterrupted work blocks (I don’t know a ton about your work, but maybe this could work), to allow you to get things done.

   sometimes micromanagers also respond well to proactive check ins on to do items, or a Google doc where they can check the status of projects. A combination of work blocks and a proactive accountability/task management system could help here, maybe.

4. AnonymousAugust 25,2023 at 1:30PM UTC

   Be very careful how you approach your boss. First, try some of the things you are supposed to do to manage your symptoms, like making task lists and checking off items as you go. As you develop these lists, you might mention to your boss that this exercise helps you to focus and stay on task. If your boss micromanages, they might appreciate it if you ask them to add any items you might have left out.

   The labels are only going to hurt you in the long run. Managing focus is a better way to put it. The boss may infer what you have but cannot ask about it.

   If you focus purely on what you can't do because of your disorder, you will have difficulty managing it. You CAN do your job because you are qualified. Stay positive rather than negative. ADHD is manageable. It sometimes takes medications. Everyone with it can incorporate focus exercises into everyday tasks to help them manage. Talk to your doctor(s) and find what works for you.

5. AnonymousAugust 28,2023 at 9:15PM UTC

   I do keep lists , I do take medications. I do all the things that I need to. I get my work done, it is never an issue. They are just micromanaging.

6. EricaSeptember 6,2023 at 2:12PM UTC

   I think it really depends on your HR dept and manager. If you feel they will be supportive and understanding, it might be worth it to talk with them. I also have ADHD and throughout my career, I never felt the need to share my diagnosis with my employer until a couple years ago. I had started a new job and my manager asked me why I didn't respond faster to emails. I explained that with the tasks I performed, it was difficult for me to constantly stop what I was doing and answer every email when I received it and then refocus on what I was doing. I also explained that I checked my email every hour and kept an eye out for anything marked urgent. She agreed this was acceptable but then started micromanaging me to the point of "checking" on me every 5 minutes until I completed a task to "make sure I was staying on task". I explained to her that I did not need or ask for her help, I can stay on task and meet deadlines on my own thank you very much. She then became obnoxious with the interruptions, to the point she was making me miss my deadlines. I never asked for any accomodations, only for her to understand my work style and methods of coping with ADHD at work. Maybe instead of telling your manager you have ADHD like I did, try explaining that the micromanaging work style does not work for you. Most employees hate being micromanaged anyway so you would not have to divulge your diagnosis as the reason.

7. maria roseSeptember 4,2023 at 4:10PM UTC

   What you are saying in your brief statement is that micromanaging by others is causing you to lose focus and triggers your mind to stay in focus.

   Since you can’t control your manager’s method—it seems like you are going to have to utilize your techniques that you use to keep yourself in focus to overcome your reaction. It’s just another step of developing your focus to perform your job without frustration. You need to realize that you can’t make the world function as a predictable setting for you to function but you have to develop your techniques to function in the real world. You obviously want to be successful in your career so the sooner you accept that not everything is going to be a perfect setting and you adapt accordingly the sooner your frustration will disappear or lessen. Otherwise you’ll going to have to find a way to get a classification evaluation from medical end that will permit you to ask for accommodation at your job under the labor laws for accommodation of a disability in the workplace. —Just like you had to do with getting accommodations during your school years, to get a learning program.

   But I also get the impression that you want to be accepted as a normal person/ worker and don’t want a label of your disability to hamper your career prospects for the long term. You have to decide whether to force an employer to accommodate your needs because of your disability or adapt your technique to handle your focus without involving their being made more aware of your disability. It’s your life and you have to deal with this for the rest of your life, and putting the blame on others entirely for your frustration is not going to make you successful in your life goals.

8. AnonymousSeptember 5,2023 at 12:56PM UTC

   It is time to level with your boss and also let HR know of your ADHD diagnosis. Your boss may not be aware that they come across as micromanaging nor that you have ADHD and struggle with her style. The boss and you need to work out a mutually acceptable strategy for dealing with your ADHD. Check out this article: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/humanity-into-hr/pages/adhd-in-the-workplace.aspx

   Wishing you the best as you both work together to better your anxiety with each other.