Too easily distracted

Post Reply New Topic

I'm an accountant and can do my job pretty well, if only I stuck at it. If I find something that holds my attention, I'm typically overly focused, burying myself in the task until it's done. However, if I'm doing something less exciting, I can be susceptible to my attention being drawn by just about anything.

It's annoying me for two reasons. Firstly, I could earn more and be in work longer if I could stick to task and prove my abilities. Secondly, I currently contract, so short term roles with periods of 'seeking a new contract' in between. This doesn't help cashflow and makes life more stressful that it needs to be. I can get myself into jobs with decent companies, who use temps a lot and have a history of keeping the good ones for years on end, often giving them permanent positions. However, if I can't do my job better, I'm there for minimum time and out again.

I've researched links between ADD type symptoms and ASD and this does seem to be the case with me. Not necessarily to the extent of Attention deficit but definitely to the extent that I need to either find some mechanisms to combat it or find another solution.

Anyone any experiences that might help?

I'm exactly the same way. It's very easy to daydream. Especially considering I work retail, which is often pretty mindless.

I do strongly suspect I have undiagnosed ADD, and that it's been masked by my autism. I intend to talk to some professionals about that; maybe there's something I can take for it, and maybe I can get an official diagnosis. I did take stimulant medications in the past, but they had side effects when I took them on their own.

I'd love to develop better mental discipline so I can just terminate unhelpful thoughts. I've been considering exploring some Zen practices.

It is very common for people with ASD to have two modes: hyperfocus, and highly distractible.

For example, I have IQ 128, but my attention scores are all around the perfectly average 100. But attention scores and IQ scores are supposed to align, which indicates possible ADHD. I have not pursued an ADHD diagnosis however, because I feel my ASD has caused my high IQ, resulting in ADHD secondary to, or caused by, ASD. Therefore, I do not see the need to have both diagnoses, it would feel redundant.

Anecdotally, caffeine does not affect me, a further indication of ADHD.

You may see a psychiatrist about getting on attention medication if you feel that your distractibility is causing a significant occupational limitation. You'd be expected to try the meds for a short time, and see what happens, so if it doesn't work no harm done. Other techniques might include listening to music while you do your work, adjusting your diet or sleep patterns, or stimming if you're into that. Outside of medication, it's really up to you to learn what works for you in terms of keeping your focus.

I had attention problems at work. (I'm diagnosed with ADHD and not ASD.) You know how sometimes you go into a room and you can't remember what you came in there for? I get that all the time, not just with rooms, but with things like selecting a cell on a spreadsheet. When it's really bad I'll end up zoning out for several seconds. Okay, in this cell, I need to type... um... ????

Fortunately I was able to get medication for it. I still have problems but it's a lot better. If only the rest of the executive dysfunction were so easy to fix.

In the past, the DSM said you couldn't be diagnosed with autism and ADHD, and apparently that was because ADHD was considered an inherent part of autism (as in, autism is ADHD, plus a few extra problems) so it would be redundant. However, an autism diagnosis wasn't giving people access to ADHD treatments that could have helped them. I think that's why it was changed in the new DSM; you can have both diagnoses now.

FinalFate that's really helpful. Some things there I can give a try see if they help.

Cyllya1, I'm fairly sure I'm not ADHD bad. I know there's an issue but it's not even close to what's described by most people with ADHD.

I spoke to my doctor who confirmed that medication would be an extreme option for the relatively mild symptom and could cause side effects equally as detrimental. So I'm going to track down local support groups and see if there is something they can suggest.

I do find music helps limit my distraction, I always had music on while studying but most accountants like peace an quiet and headphones aren't accepted in many offices. Could be an interesting challenge.

Thanks for the input so far, I will keep searching and update here when/if I find something that works.

Staying focused at work is one of my weaknesses, even if I am rather enjoying what I'm doing.

I'm a cleaning lady at a care home, so I move from one room to the next, but I still have trouble focusing properly. Here's a scenario:-

I'm cleaning room 10.
A nurse comes up to me and says some sugar has been spilt outside room 6.
I say ok, then go to fetch the vacuum, not remembering where I put it last.
I go looking around for the vacuum until I find it.
The vacuum appears to be left near room 10, where I was cleaning, so then I think "well while I'm still here I might as well finish off this room and vacuum it now."
I finish cleaning the room then vaccum it.
Then I move on to the next room, and have completely forgotten about the sugar I was supposed to vacuum up.

You can imagine how stressed I become when we are short-staffed and I have to do the work of two or three people. I am told to do all the rooms in order (like room 1, then room 2, etc...), to keep me from missing things out, but sometimes I like to clean the dirtiest rooms first, because if I don't, I keep worrying about it whilst trying to do the other rooms. So whichever method I try, I still find myself getting stressed.