How ADD Impacts Life in Tech and What We Learnt from Each Other
Published Apr 13 2020 10:20 AM 3,723 Views

Humans of IT is thrilled to launch an Accessibility-focused content series, where we highlight a number of inspiring stories from Microsoft MVPs, employees and community members to share how accessible technology has helped them succeed and feel empowered in the workplace. The series will cover topics such as living and working with neurodiversity, how to leverage accessible tech tools and solutions in the workplace to boost productivity and more.  

 

Today, we kick off the series with @laurie pottmeyer, a Microsoft employee and Community Lead for Microsoft Teams, who will share her personal story living and working with an ADHD diagnosis, and how the Microsoft Ignite 2019 Humans of IT Unconference session resulted in many helpful tips and tricks for individuals to effectively use technology to help manage ADHD + ADD. Laurie and her co-facilitators MVPs @Loryan Strant  and @Christina Wheeler have compiled a list below from their session which they hope will help you or someone you know living with ADHD/ADD.  

 

--

 

It's like my brain is spaghetti.  I can't focus.  I don't know where to start.  I'm so overwhelmed.  I can't keep track of anything.  People distract me from getting things done. There are many things that people with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or ADHD experience, and symptoms are felt to a different degree depending on the individual. For some, it's impossible to get through the day without an overwhelming sense of confusion and distractions preventing them from doing anything.  For others, awareness and easy tips and tricks help make things work. For the sake of this article, I will use the term ADD without the 'H' aka hyperactivity.

 

I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult and though I thought I knew what it was, I realized I made assumptions. I knew ADD or ADHD as the kid in grade school that goofed off and was always in trouble.  I knew ADD or ADHD to be the kid that needed extra help because they weren't able to stay on task and get things done. I knew ADD or ADHD to be something kids had - and then grew out of (or so I thought!). I didn't realize it is a very real thing some of us lived with, but didn't even know until we finally got a proper diagnosis. When left untreated, we create coping mechanisms to get us through the things we have to do in life.

 

I've always suffered from what I thought was anxiety that caused me to be distracted and kept me from getting simple tasks started (or completed) in both my personal and professional life. I always thought I was scattered and laughed off the constant misplacing of keys and other personal belongings.  I blamed my inability to get as much work done as others on an open office environment, and I thought because I liked to shop there were constant clicks on the hundreds of emails coming my way each day when I should be working which made my days very long to keep up with work. After my diagnosis a few years ago, I learnt that my anxiety was not unlike anyone else in the world that thought about 'life'.  Some of the anxiety I experienced was due to behaviors caused by ADD which, in turn, made me anxious. The most encouraging thing I learnt was how many others were in the same boat as me, and that there were many things I could do to help myself be more organized and productive. As I started to talk with others in my professional life about my diagnosis, I was enlightened by the tips and tricks others had to share. This was the first step to learning why I am the way I am, and gave me new knowledge and tools to change my 'disability' into a superpower.

 

I was absolutely honored to co-lead a Humans of IT Unconference session at Microsoft Ignite 2019 with @Loryan Strant and @Christina Wheeler; two MVPs I work closely with on their stellar community contributions to Microsoft Teams. The three of us have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and each of us have varying levels of different symptoms.  When we talked about doing a session at Microsoft Ignite, we wanted to raise awareness of ADD for those who might work or live with those who have it, and to share tips and tricks we have learnt along our own journey with others. Our session filled up within days of open registration and the room was packed. It was inspiring to see so many attendees who were similarly forthcoming and being vulnerable about their own conditions/diagnosis. 

 

Christina, Loryan, and Laurie leading the Ignite 2019 un-conference sessionChristina, Loryan, and Laurie leading the Ignite 2019 un-conference session

 

Everyone in the room had something to add to the conversation since the Unconference session is designed to be somewhat of an interactive workshop; sharing within small groups and summarizing our findings as a group at the end. Participants agreed that though ADD can be a major hindrance to our personal and professional lives, there are times when ADD can be a blessing as a form of superpower, too.  During the session, we worked to learn tools and coping mechanisms each of us use to help manage our daily life.

 

On behalf of the 40 of us in the room that day in Orlando - we hope these tips and tricks will help you. We welcome you to share your own tips and tricks in the comments section.

 

Tools:

  1. Outlook
    1. Empty Your Inbox: Create a robust file system by project or topic and file emails away so the only emails at the end of the day are those that need a reply. If certain emails have a task associated with them, consider moving that specific task to To-Do and then delete or file the email.
    2. Create Reminders: Some of us will dismiss a reminder when it first comes up and when that happens, we might as well have never got the reminder.  Setting multiple reminders to is like having a snooze button on your alarm clock.  Consider creating multiple reminders, for the most important tasks or meetings on your calendar.
    3. Schedule Work Blocks:  Consider blocking your calendar for important projects you need time for during the day. When you block your calendar, you can choose to make the block busy, tentative, or open.  Be thoughtful about your time and if you don't want someone booking a meeting for a specific hour you have set to work, block it as 'busy'.  If you have some flexibility in your schedule, you might consider keeping that block 'free' or 'tentative' so others can schedule you during that time. If you accept a meeting during that original block, remember the reason you blocked the time for yourself and move it to another time so you don't forget the work you thought was important in the first place.

*We shared an idea with the Outlook team to have a work block be a type of meeting that actually moved to another free time in your day when someone schedules a meeting during your original block and kept it solid if your day was otherwise blocked.  (If this is interesting to you, vote it up!)

  1. OneNote
    1. Document as you go with sticky notes built in:  Some of us love sticky notes but if you use them, keep them in OneNote so they are all documented and not cluttering your desktop. 
    2. Keep a section of your notebook for highlights: This will help if you have reviews or need to publish newsletters with the work you have done.  Doing these things as you go as opposed to tracking down emails later will save you time and keep you from additional distractions as you sift through email.
  2. Microsoft Teams
    1. Set-up Custom Notifications: Having the ability to choose what information you're notified about is useful for those of us who are easily distracted by 'bright shiny objects' like pop-ups and keep us looking at the things most important to our work when we're trying to focus. 
    2. Use Activity Filters: There's a lot going on in Teams.  Looking at my 'Activity' log filtered by messages people have tagged me on, I can prioritize my triage each morning and focus on the messages that have specific asks of me, like chat.

 

Working environment:

  1. Remote Work: If you are able to work remote/from home, this can cut down on distractions. Of course, there are 'different' distractions to be aware of so make sure you're setting yourself up by removing those distractions the best you can.  In my case, my 'office' is nowhere near my kitchen or laundry - I can't 'see' my chores. Schedule workers to come early in the morning or late in the day and post a sign for no solicitors if this is an issue.
  2. Request a diversified floor plan: Most of us are working from home currently, but many will be back in the office again at some point. There are things you can request to help make your office work environment less distracting like creating a "quiet area" where conversations and phone calls do not take place. Phone rooms can be utilized for meetings and phone calls. 
  3. Noise-cancelling headsets: There are some fabulous devices out there and so many of them are noise cancelling if music isn't your jam. Some people even throw on a headset to look busy so they won't be bothered by others.
  4. Status light: There are a few options for lights that tell others when you are available versus on a call or busy such as the Plenom Busy Light. These lights allow you to set your status based on your calendar / call schedule or manually for people in a physical room. When the light is red - you're not to be bothered.  When it's green, you're available.  These are especially helpful when working at home with small children or other family members who might not know if you are in a meeting or not.

 

Working with others best:

  1. Meetings:
    1. Designate a note-taker to document the meeting and associated action items so you can pay attention during the meeting and keep engaged if you are unable to do both. Many teams choose to have a rotating note taker for team meetings and other regularly scheduled calls so each person gets their chance to capture meeting notes.
    2. Keep an agenda and stick to it.  Provide it to meeting participants prior to meetings so people are prepared for the discussion and the meeting doesn't go off-track. This can be done with simple meetings like stopping by someone's desk for a quick question.
  2. Checklists: Having a specific list of tasks and sticking to that will keep you working on things you deem the most important. Bonus points if you prioritize the list.
  3. House Rules: Setting expectations about when and how to engage with team members can be helpful but isn't always possible with any company culture.  That said, communicating with those you work closes with on how you work best is always a good idea - whether you have ADD or not.

 

What you can do if you work with others who have ADD:

  1. Ask them what will help them to collaborate best and be open to making concessions or doing things different than you are used to in order to work best with your team.
  2. Create clear agendas.  If you expect attendees to have specific things prepared communicate that in advance.
  3. Share follow-up items out of meetings - even if it's a 1:1.  That way, you're both on the same page on who is responsible for what.  It's not abnormal to have a wonderful meeting and then leave the room forgetting the various things you committed to.
  4. Do not interrupt.  Chances are, it took them time to figure out what to focus on.  A simple interruption will take them another 4-5 minutes (or more) to refocus after you leave.

 

At Microsoft, we build products with accessibility as a priority and we were so happy to have members from the Office accessibility team in attendance to learn and listen. For more information what Microsoft is doing and examples of accessible features, check out: https://aka.ms/accessibility.

 

We want to hear from you!

What are your tips and tricks?  What has made you successful living or working with another person with ADD?  What do you wish your co-workers understood about ADD?  Leave a comment below and let's continue to learn from each other!

 

#HumansofIT

#NeurodiversitySuperpower

 

7 Comments
Version history
Last update:
‎Apr 13 2020 10:20 AM
Updated by: