Adults with ADD: Do You Waste Time at Work?

My clients often tell me that they waste too much time at work.

There seems to be a common belief among ADDers that they spend too much time screwing around, while everyone else focuses intently and works productively all day long. I've always asserted that this simply isn't true! Everyone slacks off at work sometimes--ADD or not. And now I have proof to back up my claims!

My good friend Paul Copcutt sent me a link to a survey conducted by Salary.com and AOL that reports "Americans waste more than 2 hours a day" at work.

Here are some of the survey highlights:

• Personal Internet use was cited by 44.7% of respondents as their primary time-wasting activity at work.
• Socializing with co-workers was the second most popular form of wasting time at work (23.4% of respondents).
• Conducting personal business, "spacing out," [<-- SPACING OUT! See, non-ADDers do it, too!] running errands, and making personal phone calls were other popular time-wasting activities in the workplace.
• Employers actually expect the average employee to waste about an hour per day, in addition to the worker's lunch hour. [They EXPECT it!]
• Men and women waste about the same amount of time per day (approximately 2.1 hours). This, despite the fact that most HR managers surveyed suspected that women waste more time at work than men. [<-- Sexist bastards.]
• The older you are, the less time you waste at work.

So if you ever thought it was just you, you'll be happy to find out that you're wrong!

Now, if you're an adult with ADD and you still think that you waste too much time at work, here are a few tips for managing your time and attention during the workday:

1. Allow yourself a half hour or so to ease into your day. Have a cup of coffee, chat with a coworker, read your email or RSS feeds. Your day will be much less stressful and harried if you allow yourself a transition period. 
2. Take a REAL lunch break! Step away from your desk and recharge your battery.
3. Work with your natural energy flow. Don't try to work on heavy projects when you're not at your best. DO try to clear your schedule so that you can be productive during those times of day when you are most alert, energized, and focused.

Now get back to work, slacker! [Kidding.]

 

Comments

[Bonita]

Great article! Thanks for the uplift! I am homemaker now, and it still applies to me and my job! Your added comments were PERFECT!!!

Thanks too for the great work you do!