ADHD and Remote Working: Flourishing in a Flexible Working Environment
One of the lasting impacts of the pandemic has been the switch away from rigid office working to hybrid and remote working for many businesses. For many individuals, and in particular individuals with ADHD, there can be a whole host of benefits to this more remote and flexible way of working. This includes the added control individuals can have over their working environment, and the ability to work in ways that suit them, thus maximising on strengths and skills at work.
We’ve put together a few top tips to help individuals with ADHD flourish in remote and flexible working environments!
Choosing the Right Work Environment
The first step is choosing the right work environment for you, both when working in the office, or at home. It is important to ensure that these environments are conducive to your ways of working.
When working in the office, this could involve making sure that you are able to work at a desk in an area where you can focus best. This may be in a quiet space away from distractions, or possibly in a more interactive environment to enable you to bounce ideas off colleagues and help you to process information. When working from home, you may be more susceptible to distractions and have less access to support. It is therefore important to ask yourself:
Are you able to create a designated workplace away from distractions?
Do you need any additional equipment or assistive technology that you had access to in the office?
Improving Communication
One of the major challenges with working from home is the potential reduction of direct or face-to-face communication with colleagues and managers, which could have a negative impact on your ability to be organised or understanding what work that you need to prioritise. Making sure that you maintain regular contact with your manager and team whilst remote working can enable you to:
Get more clarity and a clear direction on your work, including defined priorities and deadlines.
Break larger tasks down into smaller steps, with additional deadlines set for each step to help enable hyperfocus.
Having this direction from your manager or team will support you in maintaining organisation and focus.
Maintaining Focus at Home
Maintaining focus for long periods can be challenging at the best of times, and in particular for individuals with ADHD; especially with the added distractions that may be present whilst working at home. However, there are plenty of techniques you can use to help you maintain focus and productivity whilst working remotely:
Dedicating time for certain tasks will help you to focus on one task at a time and assign priorities for different points during the day. You can further help with this by creating focus time and turning off email or chat notifications during periods of focus to help you avoid unwanted distractions from other tasks.
Taking regular breaks away from your desk is not only good practice, but will enable you to manage your energy levels throughout the day. You could use the pomodoro method (25 minutes of work with 5-minute breaks), or try 45 minutes of work with 15 minutes for a break. You will know your optimum concentration time better than anyone, so make this work for you.
When you do take breaks, make sure you are taking breaks away from your workspace. Taking short walks or moving to a different space in your home while you are on your break can help you to recharge.
If you’re able to do so, switching between tasks can help keep your focus by keeping your work fresh and interesting.
Body doubling can help you maintain accountability for your work whilst working remotely. This is the process of working alongside a colleague to help you maintain focus. You may try this by working together whilst on a video call, so that you can work and take breaks at the same times.
Looking After Your Wellbeing
There can be reduction in a clear separation between work and home activities whilst working at home, which can make it harder to maintain a good work-life balance. This may be that your home life distractions make it harder to focus on work, or that you find yourself working longer hours and not switching off from work. This could be made worse for individuals with ADHD, who may experience hyperfocus and lose track of time whilst working.
It is important to set clear boundaries for work and home to help you to maintain a healthy work-life balance and reduce feelings of fatigue or stress. You can try:
Working in a set area of your home away from distractions.
Having set start and finish times for your workday.
Setting reminders or alarms to help you to remember to take breaks and when to log on/off for the day.
If working at home, replacing what would normally be your commute time with another activity that helps you to decompress from your working day, such as talking a walk or practicing mindfulness techniques.
To learn more about your workplace preferences and how to implement tailored strategies to support your productivity and wellbeing, explore our range of individual skills e-Learning modules, or get in touch with us today to talk about one-to-one coaching.
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