How to Get to Work On Time – ADHD Tips
For those with ADD/ADHD this is an ongoing challenge that can make or break the day – especially when it comes to timeliness.
We try to avoid those disapproving stares, but it’s hard to avoid the comments and open hostility. We know that other people think we don’t appreciate the value of their time. Apart from the inconvenience, it can even cost us our job. They may not appreciate that we stay behind after work to make up and get extra things done because we actually care about our work and love what we do.
Sure, we do have our allies who love us and know that we are conscientious. But we live with so much guilt, don’t we?
Imagine how good it will feel when you are at work and ready to go on time or even slightly before.
How relaxed and unstressed would you be to start the day? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?! It took me a long time to learn this and even though I’m still not perfect I am a whole lot better. Here are some suggestions.
Five useful tools for getting work on time
- Get your meds in order.
How are you with your medication? We know this is the single best thing for most of us in helping to manage our ADHD. You don’t have any or not yet diagnosed with ADD/ADHD? Get on to it straight away. This can be the single most effective tool for managing it.
Perhaps your current meds need adjusting, so make an appointment as soon as you can to check it out. The prescription you start on usually needs adjusting until it’s just right for you. It may need fine tuning again as time goes by. If you aren’t using any meds then you may find that you have to work harder to manage your ADHD.
- Work backwards from actually arriving at your destination.
What do you need to do first?
How long does it take to get there? Include parking and walking from car/bus to your final destination. If you are consistently 10 minutes late then you know to leave 10 minutes earlier, and adjust your whole routine accordingly. Aiming to arrive 10 minutes early instead of right on time helps to overcome unexpected delays. It takes a certain level of discipline to be consistently late by the same amount of time, so what’s going on there? Are you avoiding something?
- Have everything you need to get out the door ready and waiting.
Deciding that you need to iron a shirt, or worse, everything is in the wash, can really put you out and behind schedule. Gather all the clothes you will being wearing the next day on the night before. Remember to include seasonal protective clothing, such as hat, umbrella, jacket, gloves.
- Have a launchpad for bag, keys, phone and whatever other paraphernalia you need.
Some people have a table or shelf just inside the door where everything goes. A hook or basket for keys and phone can be really useful, especially if it’s near a charging point for your phone.
- Anticipate distractions and plan to prevent them.
Say no to last minute distractions like “I’ll just do X before I go”.
The Key Takeaway for Folks with ADD/ADHD for Getting to Work on Time
Those are my five best tools for preventing tardiness. The key thing to know is you’ll need to find, try, implement and adjust your own tools.
If you’re struggling with day-to-day living and want help overcoming ADD/ADHD challenges, then reach out to me here for a free 30-minute CONTROL YOUR ADD Session.
