Rosie’s 7 tips for thriving in the workplace as a neurodivergent person

Happy neurodiversity celebration week to all the lovely neurodivergent people out there!?

To mark the week, I’m sharing 7 things I have implemented that have made a BIG difference to my life as a neurodivergent person (dyslexic and ADHD) working in social media.?

Hold onto your fidgets. Here we go!

Noise cancelling headphones

This is my top tip and absolutely something I cannot live without. Noise-cancelling headphones are extremely helpful at keeping me out of conversations I don’t need to be part of. Being able to shut out the world and knuckle down on what I need to be doing is amazing.?

I once left my headphones at home (I tend to leave them in the office) and that day was probably my least favourite day at work. Luckily, I rarely run into this issue as they charge particularly fast and rarely run out of battery (two great qualities if you’re looking to buy a pair of your own).

Body doubling

I don’t know about anyone else but probably my biggest productivity struggle is having to work in isolation. So, being able to work in an office surrounded by other people REALLY helps me get my work done.?

If I’m alone in the office for a bit, I either take my lunch then or make sure I’ve planned a task I’m especially interested in during that period. On the occasions when neither is possible, working from home with my husband there or working in a shared space where other people are also working, both really help.

Time blocking?

Having space (that’s the same each week) assigned to each client that I work with really helps me with time management. Even if I then do something else during that time I know that I now owe time to that thing. It also gives me that needed ‘permission’ to ignore other work that isn’t actually as pressing but can take up more time than it should.

Notebook dumping

Getting things out of my head and onto paper when I’m feeling overwhelmed allows me to prioritise tasks. When I can see them written down I can easily assess which ones need doing first and which ones can actually wait. I often find, many can!

For this to work well, the notebook must not leave my desk (so I do not lose it, eep!). I don't take it home, and when I take it to meetings, it immediately goes straight back to my desk, where it lives happily. Plus, when I inevitably forget to complete my timesheet, I have a handy list to reference. Phew.?

Big ol’ water bottle

I don’t know if you’ve ever asked a person with ADHD how much water they drink a day, but the answer may shock you - we don’t tend to be well hydrated.?

So, like many fully functioning grown adults, I have an emotional support water bottle which I take EVERYWHERE and it's huge so I only have to top it once or twice a day. The bonus is that I often have it filled up for me by my lovely colleagues when they go to the kitchen. Thanks guys!

Wordless music

While I am partial to a great sing-along in the office, if I need to really get my head down, I stick on my noise-cancelling headphones and an ADHD study playlist that I made for myself, or whatever Lofi jazz playlist Spotify has recommended me. Not only is this music less distracting I find something about instrumental music puts me in the zone to work.

Grammarly

As a dyslexic gal, this just gives me that little extra security and peace of mind that I’ve not missed a glaring spelling error (plus, you can easily switch to American English, which is super helpful when working with clients on the other side of the pond). But as a failsafe, please just get other people to proofread your work… the best practice even if you’re not dyslexic, to be honest.

And so...

there we go, my suggestions to make your work life easier as a neurodivergent person. Whoop!

It’s worth noting that they are all things I find handy (they may not work for you), but hopefully you’ll find at least one useful :)

I’m always looking for extra ways I can improve my working life as a neurospicy person, so please leave your tips in the comments, and we can all learn from each other.?