6 oddly specific things that help me work with ADHD

Some number of years ago, I was working at a job that was OK, but was very strict about coming into the office. The boss loved seeing us all there, knowing where we were, and being able to just “drop in” whenever he had an idea.

This was a very bad situation for me. But because everyone else seemed fine with it and also this is capitalism, baby, I just assumed I was deficient in some way. I’d previously had a job where I worked from home, and I’d absolutely loved it. But at that time (pre-pandemic), working from home was a quirky luxury and also, probably, a sign of hopeless laziness. Only a real schlub would want to work from their house! Even though, as a writer and consultant, everything I did could be completed from any location with a Wi-Fi hotspot and enough oxygen to sustain life.

Then it snowed. A lot. And none of us could get to work. And for three days, I didn’t absolutely loathe my job. I worked diligently, with focus and clarity. I wrote more in those days than I ever had under the fluorescent lights in my uncomfortable work clothes, always a little bit anxious.

And after that, I knew that the whole “working remotely” thing just wasn’t negotiable for me anymore. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t incapable. I just worked way better when I wasn’t being watched or bothered, when I could control the sights…