Adult Attention Deficit Disorder

Are you (or someone you care about) experiencing distractibility, short attention span, disorganization, lack of awareness of time, impatience, or constant daydreaming? If so, you may actually have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Often, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is not diagnosed in childhood, as ADD doesn’t include the hyperactivity that makes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) so easily recognizable in the elementary classroom. The symptoms are more subtle, and may be written off as laziness or simply being scatterbrained.

If you suspect that you may have ADD, EMPAC can refer you to a professional who can help make the diagnosis. Please remember that diagnosis is not a condemnation; in actuality, getting that definitive answer is your first step towards overcoming the syndrome. For adults, getting education about ADD is the most powerful treatment for it! The more you learn about what it is, and how to work around it and through it, the better you’re going to feel about yourself and your work.

Try some of the following techniques to wrestle your ADD under control and take charge of your life and your career:

• Create structure in your work life. Carry a note pad everywhere with you at work. Start each day by writing the date on that pad. Everything you write after that date records your activities throughout the day. Use this notebook to make your To Do lists. Record telephone messages here, and make notations regarding when you returned those calls. Make notes to yourself throughout the day. But keep it all in that one notebook! Loose sheets of paper are your enemy! When you’ve filled one notebook, store it and start another.
• Color Coding. Many people with ADD are visually oriented, so take advantage of this strength. Carry highlighter pens with you. Color code your files so you know at a glance where that file gets stored (all red files in one drawer…)
  
• You may find that background noise is either very distracting to you, or, conversely, actually helps you concentrate. If noise is distracting, change your environment to eliminate noise, such as closing your door, using "white noise" machines, wearing ear plugs. If background noise helps you focus, keep music on, wear headphones if your music is distracting to others.
• Break down large tasks into smaller ones. Attach deadlines to each small part.
  
• Prioritize your tasks by what is the most pressing, not by which is the most stimulating! Remember those highlighter pens? Have a different color for the most urgent. Tackle those urgent ones first. Everytime.
• If you can focus best by doing two things at once, do it! Doodle during meetings, knit while watching a boring training film.