Feedback, please ...

[SasyMomaCat]

I've got 4 bosses - I'm sharing my diagnosis with them in the hopes of fostering some understanding. What I'm posting below is the text of some stuff I've created for them. Could you please give me your thoughts and feedback? Any suggestions for additions or clarifications? Thanks!

[SasyMomaCat]

This scale is a continuum of conditions ranging from the worst levels to the best. Each level gives a brief description of the defining characteristics of that level. Days may be categorized by one stage of the continuum continuously or by bouncing between stages, sometimes skipping levels altogether.
1. Completely Overwhelmed – unable to function; cannot complete tasks without simple direct commands and immediate need for completion; cannot focus; cannot stay on-task; cannot remember what I was doing two minutes ago; thought processes are frozen (think of a computer freezing up because too many processes are running in the background).
2. Mostly Overwhelmed – extremely difficult to function; thought processes moving very slow; distractible; can get motivated to complete simple tasks (photocopying, sorting mail) that do not require much thought but find it very difficult to complete more complex or detailed tasks without a need for immediate completion; restless; unable to stay in one place for long periods.
3. Somewhat Overwhelmed – difficult to function, but more doable; thought processes somewhat slow; distractible; capable of sporadic completion of small focused tasks that don’t take long to complete; very restless; unable to stay on one task or in one place for extended periods of time.
4. Stressed and Fidgety – (usually occurs when coming out of 1, 2 or 3) mildly difficult to function because of worry about what has fallen behind or what may have been forgotten recently; very distractible; capable of moderate size focused tasks interspersed with periods of distraction; better able to get back on-task if something is requested; extremely restless; unable to stay still except when hyper-focused on task in front of me.
5. Wired/Spastic – lots and lots of nervous energy; mind races from one thing to another to another to another; complete loss of focus; extremely restless; extremely distractible; inappropriate outbursts (vocally or physically); memory is better, but cannot hang on to the thought long enough to do anything with it; can focus to think up new ideas or processes, write expressively and create whatever is needed; cannot focus to follow ideas through to completion; cannot focus to complete mundane or repetitive tasks, even when absolutely required. (The big upside to this stage is that it produces some great ideas.)
6. Wired but Motivated – lots of nervous energy; mind races, but can be brought into focus with a concerted effort; can feel as though mind is in a “fog”; restless; easily distracted; memory is improved and I have presence of mind to make notes to myself to remind me later when my mind jumps to something else; still have trouble following through all the way to completion, but can get further in the process; with concerted effort can focus to complete mundane tasks if immediately needed, but will more likely put it off until focus is better if it is not immediately necessary; efforts are made to give the appearance of efficiency and organization.
7. Keyed up and Motivated – nervous energy; somewhat scatterbrained, but racing thoughts are minimal; focus is more regulated, but clear focus still requires a concerted effort; more tasks are followed through to completion as a result of steadier focus, but several still get put off until focus is clearer; efforts are made to actually be efficient and organized, but are sporadic and vary in actual effectiveness.
8. Keyed up, Motivated and Organized – nervous energy is channeled into getting everything in order, getting everything organized in an effort to organize thought processes as mind starts settling down and being less scattered; still somewhat scatterbrained, but not as bad; focus is somewhat clearer and continues to be more steady and regulated, but could still use a good bit of clarifying; efforts to be more efficient and organized pay off big dividends as to-do lists are kept up with and procedures are followed, allowing more completion of tasks; any backlog of work from other stages is dealt with.
9. Keyed up, Motivated, Organized and Focused – nervous energy is present but does not interfere with the day (just gets irritating); thought processes are consistently logical, orderly and focused; distractibility is present, but minimal; capable of staying on-task and following through to completion. (Most of the time, this is about as “normal” as I get – and it can last for days or be gone by afternoon.)
10. Calm, Motivated, Organized and Focused – no nervous energy is present; thought processes are consistently logical, orderly and focused; not easily distracted; capable of staying on-task and following through to completion. (This is very, very, very rare. Even when I look calm on the outside, there is usually an undercurrent of nervous energy. When this does occur, it does not last for an entire day.)

[SasyMomaCat]

Long periods of inactivity, menial work or very low workload tend to trigger stages 5, 6 and 7.

A new challenge or sudden infusion of excessive work (like a new deal coming together or several deals working at the same time) tends to trigger stages 8 & 9, regardless of what stage I might be in at the time. All other thoughts are set aside as I focus on the new challenge. As things are set in order with the new challenge and time frees up, old tasks that have been put off start getting attention and completion. This is why I seem to be most productive when I am busiest. New challenges tend to jump-start my brain.

Extended periods of excessive workload (i.e., when a deal fails to close and drags on beyond 45 days such as Monroeville) or extended periods in stages 5, 6 or 7 tend to trigger a drop to stage 3 which can quickly devolve to stage 2 and then stage 1. At that point, I usually move up and down the continuum between stages 1 and 4 until either someone helps alleviate the workload or I unexpectedly snap into stage 5, which can start moving me back up the continuum gradually until I hit stage 8 or 9 again. However, when I arrive at stages 7, 8 or 9 through this process, it does not last as long as it would if it were triggered by a new challenge and can, after a week or so, quickly devolve back to stage 1.

[SasyMomaCat]

Routines help at any stage, as they tend to put a person on “autopilot,” so to speak. However, routines require consistency in need. It is impossible to establish a lasting routine if the tasks completed in the routine are not present at all times, regardless of workload (or lack thereof).

Time management tools such as “to-do lists,” reminders and written procedures can assist in staying on task during stages 6 through 10. However, in stages 1 through 5, it is literally impossible to maintain these and therefore they become ineffective.

Deadlines work at all stages except stage 1. Self-imposed deadlines work well for stages 7 through 10 but do not work at all for stages 1 through 6. Deadlines set by others work for stages 2 – 10.

Accountability works well for stages 2 through 7 and is unnecessary for stages 8 – 10. This can simply be asking for a copy of something that needed to be done or asking to be copied on it when it is done.

Outside assistance (i.e., temporary assistant) can bump me out of stage 1 back up to stages 7 – 9. This works for two reasons: supervising the temporary assistant gives me a new challenge and having the extra help alleviates the sense of being overwhelmed. Outside assistance that lasts too much beyond the workload, however, can result in my being stuck bouncing up and down between stages 5 and 7 but rarely rising above stage 7.

Projects that require brainstorming, problem-solving or creative thought can help at any stage and are especially effective at helping move me out of stage 5.

Excessively large tasks that can be tackled with hyper-focus, that give visible results as progress is made and that can be completed without dragging out over a great deal of time are very effective at challenging and motivating me to get organized and focused.

Busywork does not help at all. To jumpstart my mind, the work at hand must have a purpose that contributes to something more than keeping me busy.

[AnneM]

HI !! ... Whew!! ... I think this is all good information but I am not sure that I would give my employers QUITE so much information ... I think that as much as you are giving your employers a full picture here showing the very different scenarios you might/will experience you will ALSO get a wide range of reactions from people ... so I guess my advice is "Proceed with caution" ... !

Giving myself an "employers hat" just for a moment and whilst reading this ... it would worry me!! .. Points 1-5 in particular are negative and in fact feel MORE negative than they should when written down on paper!! ...

I do understand though that you want to "put it on the table!" ... and HOPEFULLY gain some understanding ... but if you have four bosses I would hazard a guess that you will get understanding from half of them ... but the other half would be wary .... (based entirely on this information) ...

I don't know!! But I do admit I am not comfortable with this !! ...

[SasyMomaCat]

Thanks, Anne, for yor reply. I have already talked to one to whom I think I should give all of the information. There is also one other for whom I think the total picture would be a useful and helpful tool and fill in a lot of blanks.

I've been pretty much stuck in stage 1 for the past two or three months. Now that I'm on meds, it seems that I'm more consistently operating between stages 6 and 10 (as a matter of fact, I hit a stage 10 yesterday for the first time in 4 years of working here.) I have longevity in my favor and, also, they have all seen me operate at the various levels. You can only hide stage 1 for so long and it has caused many problems for me recently, particularly with the two bosses that I plan to give the info to. Fortunately, they are both very understanding and take a real team approach to what we do.

The other two, well, now that you mention it, I'm not sure that it would be all that helpful or useful to give them. Also, I know for sure I don't want to give this information to HR - it would be a huge strike against me and I'm not too sure that they would consider this an ADA issue (although they should).

Thanks for saving me from unnecessary embarrassment and perhaps a huge mistake!

smc

[AnneM]

This sounds positive to me ... you can already tell WHO you should give the "whole picture" to and who you should only give little or even no information to !!

& I agree that HR 'SHOULD' take the right approach ... but in my experience of HR departments in the companys I have worked for I just don't realistically think they would!! ... any of them!!

GOOD LUCK .... I really hope this works for the TWO employers whom you have already recognised as being understanding !! Please please let us know how it goes !!

[tridlette]

I admit, first of all, that I have ADHD also, and therefore barely skimmed the above posts.

BUT...

Having worked as a manager... I know that productivity levels vary according to many factors... upcoming holidays, to the weather, to the color of clothes a co-worker has on.

SO... my advice is of course to proceed cautiously.

My manager hat saw the negatives at the top of the list and said, "Why would I want someone like this working for me?"

Is there a way you can highlight the positives first? Can you acknowledge the negatives in a way that doesn't scare off the potential future promotions or raises?

Telling management can go several different ways, and not many of them are good. But if you have the longevity at the job already, your direct supervisor already knows even if they have never been told or ever even heard about adhd. He/she will read and say, "yes, this is all very true". But that won't necessarily give you any more acceptance for who you are as an employee.

If you read thoroughly through the adult section on this forum, you will see a wide varieties of responses from managers. If you know them, and you feel that what you are offering is mutually beneficial, then go with it.

But if it isn't going to be beneficial to you, then you may want to withhold some of the truth for a while, so that you can adjust to your own changes without the added pressure of feeling like you are being graded into one of the above numbers.

If you are truly a #10 now, then there may be no need to explain the sudden increase in productivity at all!