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Post by Mouse on May 6, 2009 14:28:00 GMT
I am meeting with my employer's occupational therapist soon do I thought I'd get several steps ahead and with plenty of time ot think I'd make a list of accommodations that I think might help.
So, I have been sitting on the 'puter trying to think of accommodations. Seems my head was swimming with possibilities when I raised the matter first.. but now absolutely bl** dy bereft of even the most daft suggestion.
I 'love' being an adder... or rather I 'love' knowing that I am an ADDer so at least I can understand why I am like I am.. even though it is so *ffing frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I can either go in the garden and repot plants or I can go and make a cake to reward myself .. since sitting here thinking has felt like damned hard work.
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Post by lily on May 6, 2009 15:21:48 GMT
Hi Mouse
Arghh I hate that feeling where once you get the idea your head is brimming with useful stuff and then you decide to leave that thought and for some stupid reason imagine it will come back to you later when clearly it wont!
Are you struggling to think of things to suggest?
Maybe if you try and explain adhd to the occ therapist and tell them what you find difficult they might help with suggestions if they have an understanding of things you struggle with?
Lily x
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Post by twix on May 6, 2009 17:36:25 GMT
Some ideas off the top of my head, might not all suit everyone
Somewhere quiet to do work sometimes, Being able to choose to work in a different location Being allowed to listen to music (headphones) Being allowed to organise your day to suit yourself Flexitime Specialist software? Boss/whoever to be aware that long meetings might need a break Boss to be understanding if you want to wander round for a bit All important things to be emailed to you so you don't lose bits of paper Own desk Own computer Boss not to get cross when behind with paperwork
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Post by twix on May 6, 2009 17:36:45 GMT
Anyone else for anymore??
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Post by Mouse on May 6, 2009 17:38:12 GMT
I'm hoping, since this is supposed to be an all-singing all-dancing complete with bells on business that is supplying the service that they will know what ADHD is and will be coming to the party complete with a bag of gifts in the form of useful input.
I will be pretty pee-ed off if I have to start explaining what ADHD is.
Oh gawd, I'm in that sort of mood today. Let's hope I'm feeling kinder by the time of the meeting!
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Post by Mouse on May 6, 2009 17:51:42 GMT
Hi Twix must have posted while I was having my negative thoughts!
I am in lucky position of having a job where I rarely have to attend meetings ahd the paperwork is practically nil - my dream job!!
I am on leave this week and do you know .. this is the first job ever where I have not had to spend a day tying up all the loose ends before I went on leave. Absolutely bloody marvellous not to have to work until midnight (and getting slower as the hours pass) making notes and sending off emails, and dealing with huge back log of filing from my 6 in trays.
I do appreciate your suggestions but regret most won't apply due to the nature of my current job.
Listening to music is regretfully not an option as i am taking incoming calls in a customer service centre - might be a conflict of brain attention if I tried to do both!
Have my own desk and my own computer (though prob will get backto find a temp has been sitting in my seat). I am exceedingly territorial about my desk. Hate it if colleagues paperwork spreads onto mine even by the merest centimetre!
Having said that I can apply things like... I need a break more often than the fifteen minutes we get between start of work and lunchtime.
due to getting so wrapped up in some calls - the long and convoluted ones - and losing track of time.. which does affect my call rate badly. I am going to see if I can have a freestanding clock of the sort that people who charge by the hour use. I mean for example, solicitors.. the legal sort (not the other sort).
At the moment there is no way of telling how long a call is lasting!
I think I may also need some training on how to wrap up calls but that is probably not a problem specific to ADD. I am the world's worst for saying something and opening up a whole can of unrelated worms!
But then again that might be because I am always thinking around the matter in hand and considering all manner of other and related things. Distract myself.
I'd love to ask for some specialist software for keeping track of call times but I think they'd get a bit twitchy
I am also finding it incredibly hard to get to work on time. Most recently caused by inability to leave the house without having to check the front door is locked at least three times. It's a pain in the backside and I have to sing my OCD song to reassure myself and get away.
I was never really aware of the OCD-type aspects to me as had pretty much managed to handle them / lose them /disguise them.. but may have to raise this as well.
Got to go as typing way too much now.
Once again, thank you both for your input. Will start on that list!
I know I will have to get a grandfather clock for the ladies loo. I go in there and find myself sitting and dreaming.. away with the fairies and I'm only having a little wee!
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Post by twix on May 6, 2009 18:04:33 GMT
I find a countdown timer is more use than one that counts up as you can set it to beep after a number of minutes.
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Post by twix on May 6, 2009 18:05:08 GMT
Mine is great except I don't know where I put it!!!
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Post by twix on May 6, 2009 18:07:59 GMT
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Post by Mouse on May 7, 2009 7:12:52 GMT
Many thanks for the link - much appreciated
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Post by lily on May 7, 2009 8:38:33 GMT
Hi Mouse
"Have my own desk and my own computer (though prob will get backto find a temp has been sitting in my seat). I am exceedingly territorial about my desk. Hate it if colleagues paperwork spreads onto mine even by the merest centimetre!"
God I sooooo know what you mean there. Luckily now I have my own desk which is completely seperate from everyone elses so peoples paperwork doesnt shuffle onto mine by less than an inch (that used to drive me insane in my old job when some annoying persons crap would magically appear on mine even if it was the tiniest corner of paper overlapping onto my desk!) BUT sometimes my boss and another admin girl have to come and sit on reception when im on holiday or if im on my lunch and it honestly angers me so much when I get back and theyve messed it up.
So for example my extremely irritating horrible rude boss will come and sit at my desk and bring her lunch and leave crumbs everywhere, grease all over the mouse from eating crisps, plates with smelly orange peel on, she'll alter my chair so its uncomfortable, move the screen to a different height and just generally leave crap everywhere.
I am not the tidiest person but when someone messes up my mess it drives me INSANEEEE!
As I was typing this she came over took a stapler out my desk and then just left it out. I just find that incredibly irritating and RUDE.
I can also sympathise with the OCD checking the door thing. I am like that with my hair straightners and also plug sockets on the wall. I cant leave the house until Ive checked all the sockets are turned off and lamps are pulled away from the curtains because I have this obsession which I go through EVERY single day.
I'll get off the bus after ive finished work and the closer I get to my house the more I start to panic and i'll always imagine seeing a fire engine outside and the house up in flames! I think that nearly every day. If I hear sirens I always imagine theyre driving too my house too because its on fire or all my family are dead!
Mouse I think thats a really good suggestion about training on wrapping up calls. Maybe you could mention this to occ health and ask if someone you know is good at this or has good call records (and someone who is nice and you like obviously) could give you a bit of 1 on 1 training? Or maybe you could see if they will allow you to have an average longer call time? I know when I worked on a helpline a few years ago theyd say to us they want all calls with dealt with in under 2 minutes so you could explain how you tend to go off on a tangent and find it difficult to keep things short and see if they would allow you another minute or so on each call?
If you think specialist software would help you then definately ask for it. If they get funny with you then theyre not really helping you like theyre supposed to be doing. I bet if they knew this would help you do your job theyd be more than willing to supply this to you.
You could also maybe take a long the list of symptoms and tick each 1 applies to you and then give a couple of short examples under each and then show this to occ health because they then will see what you have difficulty with and then in future they will always have a record of this so if they dont help you properly you can sort of say "well I did tell them!"
I was going to say my friend suffers from bad OCD and she is having CBT for it at the minute which is helping immensely. Have you been offered any CBT now youve been diagnosed? Cos I bet it would help you a lot and in time would improve your checking the locks!
I know I only have extremely mild OCD tendencies but it is a bit annoying having to check things a lot! The thing with me is I also have such bad term memory that Ill check something a few times anyway but then ill forget ive done it so will check again haha. Its quite funny really in sort of annoying way!
I better go now even though I had more to say cos my stupid boss is over constantly today!
Lily x
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Post by Mouse on May 7, 2009 19:54:12 GMT
I don't think we could really have an specialist software just for me because we all use this state of the art stuff and I can see it causing more aggro than I really could be bothered with.
I haven't been dxd with OCD as I never thought to mention it - it has never really got out of hand - probably because have been dealing with all the other stuff. Just when I am stressed it rears i's head more. You would not believe how much time I spend either shouting at myself or laughing at myself.
as for that ignorant person who just came and took a stapler from out of your desk - if I saw someone doing that and my hands were free I'd slap their hands. I have left all my stuff locked away - don't want it disappearing.
Also will return to work armed with wipes to wipe down keyboard, mouse, chair arms, desk, screen, etc etc.
I used to work in an office where I kept stuff like my stapler in my handbag.. cos if you start delving in another person's bag that is a whole different kettle of fish and I dare anyone to try that with me.
Edited to add: could you return the compliment and sit at her desk and leave lunchtime detritus!
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