How to define ADHD?
ADHD is the acronym for attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder, something we have ultimately always lived with. Our brains work differently than others. This disorder affects, according to studies, between 2.5% and 5% of adults and between 3% and 6% of children. If we popularize, we can say that there are three types of ADHD: inattention, hyperactivity and a mixed type. There is therefore not one, but several ADHD, which are expressed in very different ways. In adults, less than 1% of people are estimated to be diagnosed, meaning many are likely living with the disorder without knowing it.
So we can live well with ADHD…
Yes, everyone composes and compensates in their own way. 20 or 30 years ago, ADHD was not diagnosed like it is today. Many of us therefore compensated until a life event – a change of job, the birth of a child, a divorce – made the compensation mechanisms insufficient. The body finally breaks down. This is why many diagnoses occur in adulthood. As with endometriosis, talking about it more frees up speech, raises awareness and pushes people to consult by recognizing themselves in the symptoms.
What led you to get diagnosed?
Suffering. I was drowning in a glass of water. After five years of entrepreneurship, I was no longer able to cope. For a long time, I thought I was just disorganized or prone to procrastination. At one point, I thought I was burning out, but it wasn’t that. I consulted, full of doubts, looking for an answer: why was I no longer getting by when I had managed to compensate very well for 35 years?
How has the diagnosis changed for you?
This has already taken away a lot of guilt. I understood that I was not inferior to others. I was in a deficit of confidence, convinced that others knew how to anticipate, and not me. I worked urgently, sending my files in the middle of the night to meet deadlines and not stress my team. The diagnosis was a starting point to rework my life, optimize my organization and my time, and be more functional.
Concretely, what have you changed in the way you work?
All ! (laughs). I thought I was just impulsive and hedonistic, attracted to novelty that gave me dopamine. Now, I assess how much time each task actually takes me and learn to prioritize. I make to-do listsestablish priorities and create reward systems for tasks such as administration. I stopped systematically accepting all new projects and adopted time management tools: Pomodoro method, Eisenhower matrix, etc.
Related to time management, procrastination is a real issue when you have ADHD, right?
Completely. There is what we call task paralysis : we postpone a microtask (send an invoice, an email, make a transfer, etc.) until it becomes urgent. Paradoxically, we are often very effective in emergencies. This works if you know yourself well, but can be problematic in meeting deadlines. Procrastination is also linked to easy distraction, often called shiny object syndrome. For example, we open one email, then 50 others, and at the end of the day, the first email remains unanswered.
What advice would you give to managers who have this profile in their team?
First, know that ADHD can manifest in multiple ways, such as inattention. Some people will have difficulty concentrating in a meeting or in an open space because of ambient noise. Others will have short-term memory problems: they may forget an instruction if their attention is elsewhere. To help:
- Systematically write down instructions;
- Avoid instructions given “in passing” in a corridor;
- Structure meetings with an agenda and a clear framework (e.g. talking stick);
- Provide suitable tools: noise-canceling headphones, seat balls for micro-movements, etc. ;
- Break up projects into clear tasks with intermediate steps;
- Help with time management with retro-planning and regular updates.
Also be careful of overload: ADHDers can overestimate their abilities and accept too many projects. The manager then plays a key role in channeling this energy and prioritizing essential projects.
So having ADHD doesn’t prevent you from succeeding?
Absolutely, you can have ADHD and succeed in your professional life! People with ADHD even have strengths: they know how to handle emergencies, are very creative and often have a rich general culture thanks to their successive passions. If they sometimes flutter, they can also concentrate intensely on a task for hours or days, almost obsessively. Faced with change, these profiles are also reliable, agile and capable of great investment. On the other hand, the risk of burnout must be monitored, a crucial role for the manager who must ensure this good balance.
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