Organisation Tips / Attention Switching

CJRE_84 said:

I can't tell if its a question of motivation within my work, something which is typical of ASD, or whether I should be considering seeking diagnosis for something like ADHD also.

I can very much relate to this - I had up to 26 staff reporting to me and had to juggle so much stuff that things were impossible to be completely on top of.

The way I worked through it was:

1 - routine. Set the first hour of every day to start before you have even got to the office so there are no distractions. Now plan your day, check your reminders, read your emails then re-plan the day according to the updates.

2 - check in on your to do list religiously. Every 2-3 hours to make sure you have it all in your head.

3 - If you get an email and it isn't massively important and you have more important stuff on, ignore it. If it is important to the sender then they will chase later on. Exceptions are in point 6.

4 - To-Do lists. You are going to need to let this control your priorities so use one. Microsoft To-Do is my favourite as it works on all my platforms and is synchronised.

5 - set aside time for your team. They are probably your singular most important resource in spite of how much of a pain in the ass they may be. Take time for a monthly 1-2-1 session, get away from the possibility of being grabbed and have an open and attentive chat with them. Listen to what they are annoyed at or want to do, even if you are not interested. People love to be heard.

6 - JFDI on small stuff. Don't let it wait so take 5 mins now and get it out the way and move onto the next thing.

7 - do a big catch up on a Thursday to make sure all your tasks are being dealt with. This gives you Friday morning to delegate what you need to your minions.

Thats is on this subject - you need to embrace the to do list and scheduling. There are no shortcuts but setting reminders is a helpful aspect of To-Do.

Thanks Iain, appreciate the response, feel like I have the majority of these in place also which is reassuring, sometimes I doubt myself a little and wonder if I'm up to the task or whether I'd be better off in a more "solo" role which doesn't require managing teams etc.

I do procrastinate too much on the small things also, maybe I'll define some specific time in my diary to "swallow my frogs" as they say and just get those things done.

Beyond that I just really really struggle with the to do list element, and the discipline of sticking to it.  I pencil in 30 mins at the start of the day and 15 mins at the end to try and enable me to focus on how I'm going to use my day, and then recap on the day also.

The reality is, I'd be lying if I ever use that time for this - I get drawn into other things, or de-prioritize doing so, to the extent where weeks can pass where I don't revisit my lists.  

I'll definitely check out Microsoft To-Do, I've not heard of it before, thanks for the suggestion.

CJRE_84 said:

I doubt myself a little and wonder if I'm up to the task or whether I'd be better off in a more "solo" role which doesn't require managing teams etc.

Imposter syndrome is a common issue for us too - I get the same but you have to look at your track record regularly to realise that you are capable and it isn't dumb luck.

As for the management of others issue, I recently retired at age 54 and have gone from working in IT to working on renovating apartments in a different country (I had been doing this on and off so it wasn't an abrupt shift).

I now have teams working for me with their own manager and I just keep turning up unexpectedly, get stuck into the work from time to time so the guys know that I know my stuff and will often show them ways of doing the job more easily or to a better standard, plus problem solve with them.

It is so much nicer than having anyone above me and not needing to worry about the management directly. I can dip in and out as needed, fill in for unexpected absences and still get the job done well.

My favourit part is setting a delivery date and paying a bonus if they hit the target. It keeps motivation high as the bonus is shared amongst everybody depending on their contribution.

The guys know I wil keep the projects coming with tthe same format so they keep on top of the slackers without me needing to do much.

I don't need to be there doing the checking etc but I enjoy it - and it makes good money so it is the sort of retirement I like.

Thanks Iain, and yes your right, its easy to be self critical.  It's often only when I write my CV when moving that I actually pause and feel positive about my achievements.  I also wonder sometimes whether I'm being too harsh on myself and I should just take positive feedback at face value.  But on the whole I do struggle with any positive feedback directed at me, in a work crisis (we had many over Covid) people always praised my coolness and calm approach - which in some cases was hilarious, because on the inside I was absolutely flapping.  Guess one of the benefits of the condition!

Sounds like you have made a great life for yourself.  IT is always an area I'd liked to have gone into.  My role is quite business facing but requires some technical skills also which is where I thrive.  Unfortunately to go higher I need to be 100% pure politician and 0% technical guy and that feels daunting even though I've worked on it over the years.

I did start up a few small online businesses during Covid but have struggled with time and being able to get them to a critical mass where they could be anything beyond a side-hustle.

Thanks Iain, and yes your right, its easy to be self critical.  It's often only when I write my CV when moving that I actually pause and feel positive about my achievements.  I also wonder sometimes whether I'm being too harsh on myself and I should just take positive feedback at face value.  But on the whole I do struggle with any positive feedback directed at me, in a work crisis (we had many over Covid) people always praised my coolness and calm approach - which in some cases was hilarious, because on the inside I was absolutely flapping.  Guess one of the benefits of the condition!

Sounds like you have made a great life for yourself.  IT is always an area I'd liked to have gone into.  My role is quite business facing but requires some technical skills also which is where I thrive.  Unfortunately to go higher I need to be 100% pure politician and 0% technical guy and that feels daunting even though I've worked on it over the years.

I did start up a few small online businesses during Covid but have struggled with time and being able to get them to a critical mass where they could be anything beyond a side-hustle.