ADHD Productivity vs. Procrastination

Claire Dibben – 03:57

Both at work or in education. So not having to improve productivity, productivity only, but also helping to improve accessibility as well. So if that sounds useful or interesting for you, for a colleague or for your manager, um, do register.

Claire Dibben – 04:14

It’s completely free to attend. Just follow the link that’s being added in the chat right now. One of the teams doing that for you. So speaking of Caption.Ed and TalkType, it’s only right that I introduce you to Care scribes. I think there’s quite a few new people joining us today for this afternoon.

Claire Dibben – 04:31

Skill session. So care Scribe is the organisation behind skill, which is the event series that you’re joining us for We’re in award winning software company based in Bristol, and we create assistive technology to help people get more from every conversation. We do this through our two products.

Claire Dibben – 04:49

The first one being Caption.Ed. So captioned is a note taking and captioning tool. Um, it helps people. Capture and comprehend just the piles of information which gets thrown at them both at work or in education. And we also have TalkType.

Claire Dibben – 05:05

TalkType is highly accurate, lightning fast dictation software. It works on all platforms. Mac, windows, Chromebook and on mobile. Um, it’s super intuitive and easy to use, and there’s like essentially no training required.

Claire Dibben – 05:21

Like, there is minimal learning curve with it. So you can get dictating straight away. So if you are interested in finding out more about those products and how they may be able to help you, either at work or in your studies. Um, and you want to see the product for yourself. Just click yes please. This is the first time we’re doing this.

Claire Dibben – 05:37

We should be putting a poll up. Um, here we go. It should have arrived on your screen. Um, we’ve got a poll and slash quiz, which says if you would like to learn more about care scribes inclusive technology, just let us know. So if you want to hear more about Caption.Ed or TalkType, just select yes, please.

Claire Dibben – 05:53

And one of the team will be in touch with you. After the webinar. Right. So a bit of housekeeping before I introduce you to Suzi. Um, tomorrow. You will receive a follow up email, which will include the recording of today’s live webinar, and it will also include any resources that Suzi shares There’ll also be a feedback survey where you can let us know how you found today’s session.

Claire Dibben – 06:17

Um, you can recommend any topics that you’d like to see in future. We’d love to know what you want to hear about. Um, and also give your feedback for if there’s any ways that you want us to improve these events. Um, I would encourage you strongly encourage you to get involved with the chat.

Claire Dibben – 06:33

If you can. Um, for me, that’s like one of my favourite parts of skill sessions where I see all of the buzz and the engagement happening in the chat panel. So talk with your peers. Share your experiences, and make the most of the opportunity to talk with others. Going through similar experiences as you and I can understand that sometimes the chat can get a bit busy.

Claire Dibben – 06:55

I suspect it will be quite busy today because we’ve got so many of you on the call. So if you find that like a bit distracting, you can hide. Uh, notifications. So you can just turn off chat previews and mute the notifications. So just wanted to make you aware of that.

Claire Dibben – 07:11

Um, you may have some questions for Suzi. Our speaker. In fact, I hope you have some questions for Suzi. Our speaker, we’ve got Q&A at the end. Um, please don’t put your questions in the chat panel. And the reason why I ask that is because it gets so busy. Questions can be lost.

Claire Dibben – 07:27

It’s quite hard to stay on top of. Instead, they should be a very handy little Q&A. Section. There should be a button at the bottom of your screen on zoom. Um, use that to ask your questions. It means that they don’t get lost in the chat, and it means that we can also upvote questions.

Claire Dibben – 07:44

So if someone asks a question that you wanted to ask, you can just upvote it. And it means that we can tackle them in order of priority. Um, and finally, final bit of housekeeping, because this is a question that always gets asked. Yes, the session is being recorded.

Claire Dibben – 07:59

So if you need to leave early or you want to share this with someone else because you think Susie’s talk is so brilliant and marvellous, um, you’ll be sent the recording and a full transcript generated by Caption.Ed. In your follow up email, which will land in your inbox tomorrow. Right.

Claire Dibben – 08:14

I think that was everything. We’re doing very well for time. So I’m going to introduce you to Suzi Payton as she joins me on screen. I will give a bit of an introduction to Suzi. So Suzi is an ADHD speaker, a neurodiversity coach, a comedian, and she’s recently been recognised as one of the UK’s most influential and dynamic female entrepreneurs.

Claire Dibben – 08:36

She’s got a unique blend of comedy and insightful speaking. Suzi draws on her lived experiences with ADHD, autism, Tourette’s and OCD. To educate audiences, businesses, charities and organisations.

Claire Dibben – 08:53

She empowers people to support their friend’s clients or colleagues in thriving rather than merely surviving. She’s also co-author of the upcoming book Lost and Now Found, A Guide to Understanding and Accepting Yourself, which is for late discovered autistic adults, and that is due to be released in August 2025.

Claire Dibben – 09:14

I actually saw a post that you put on LinkedIn about that Suzi. So hello and thank you. Welcome for joining us today. What an introduction

Suzi Payton – 09:22

Oh, thank you. Thanks for having me. And, uh, yeah, so happy to be here. Very excited.

Claire Dibben – 09:28

I’m so excited. We’ve got we’ve got almost 200 people joining us for this session. Eager to hear, um, your wonderful tips and advice. Suzi. So, um, I’ve, I’ve spoken for long enough. I’m going to hand over to you, and I will be back at the end to do a bit of a Q&A.

Claire Dibben – 09:45

Cheers, Susie.

Suzi Payton – 09:45

Great. Thank you. Hi, everyone. Right. Let’s get started. ADHD, productivity and procrastination.

Suzi Payton – 10:01

So I’m I’m well placed to do this webinar because I am a an expert in procrastination. So, um, I’m sure some of you are too. But the whole aim is to, to help you help others. And maybe yourself. So thanks for having me.

Suzi Payton – 10:21

I’ve just been introduced, haven’t I? Um, yeah. My passion, my passion, my mission is to help the world make the world a better place for newer version people. And I do that in lots of different ways, because being ADHD, um, doing one thing does not work for me, does not work for my brain.

Suzi Payton – 10:41

So I’ve combined all of my passions into a business, and I get to be here with lovely people like you. Today. Well, I assume you’re lovely. And there’s a bit of an assumption, but I’m sure you are Bit about me I live in Brighton with my wife Michaela, and my dog Pepsi, who’s at my feet trying to trick me over right now.

Suzi Payton – 11:05

Um, I love to travel, travel and adventure. One of my couple of my biggest values, and I live in Brighton. And you can find me most mornings down at the sea lanes, the outdoor swimming pool. Um, where I get my my daily fix of dopamine, which, uh, is extra important for us ADHD folk So 13 years ago I was diagnosed autistic.

Suzi Payton – 11:33

ADHD. OCD, and mild Tourette. The Tourette’s is very mild these days. You probably wouldn’t even notice it. Um, and it’s not all about swearing. That’s just smash that stereotype. Now, Tourette’s are involuntary tics, which could be movements which could be sounds.

Suzi Payton – 11:52

Okay. And and words. I’m passionate. I’m a passionate neurodivergent person. And I’ve always been interested in behaviour. Why people act the way they do comedy. There’s me doing a bit of comedy.

Suzi Payton – 12:09

There. Goodness knows what I’m doing. But it made for a good photo, didn’t it? Um, and of course, my special interests autism, ADHD. Today’s session we haven’t got very long, but I really hope that you have a clearer understanding of ADHD.

Suzi Payton – 12:29

In the workplace and ADHD in general. So some empathy as well. And compassion for your neurodivergent peers, friends, family, colleagues. We’re going to look at reasons why people procrastinate, and they’ll be the same reasons why non ADHD people procrastinate.

Suzi Payton – 12:50

But like I said, we are experts at it. We we struggle with it. Practical strategies for managers and leaders to help. Others. And some ways to make an ADHD. Friendly workplace.

Suzi Payton – 13:06

So ADHD. I’m not a fan of the the language. Around ADHD. So it’s there’s an abundance of attention. There’s not a deficit. Okay. The thing is, our attention can go everywhere.

Suzi Payton – 13:23

All at once. Okay. That’s an abundance. That’s not a deficit. But like I said, we we can be passionate. I speak for myself today. I don’t speak for every other ADHD person out there because of course, we’re all humans. Therefore we’re all different.

Suzi Payton – 13:39

So it’s really important to get to know the individual that you’re working with. We have interest based nervous systems. This means if we’re interested, we can do it without without problem. When we’re not interested, then things become tricky.

Suzi Payton – 13:57

So how do we make things more interesting for ourselves? Change being ADHD, I love change. Now here’s the interesting part. Being autistic, I really struggle with change. That’s a bit tricky. That’s a bit of a tricky one to, uh, to work around.

Suzi Payton – 14:15

But I do. We can hyperfocus. So the concentration. Thing can be a myth. We can concentrate if we’re interested. And in fact, we can concentrate deeply, which really smashes the myth of ADHD around people can’t concentrate.

Suzi Payton – 14:33

Yes, we can find it difficult to concentrate. But if we’re in hyper focus, really focussed on something, we’re interested in, we can be in a flow state and you probably, if you’ve got ADHD, you’re you’re probably, uh, resonate with this.

Suzi Payton – 14:49

If you try and interrupt somebody who’s in a flow state in a hyper focus, um, not a good idea. Not a good idea. That can be very, very disheartening. Can be very shocking. It can be very annoying.

Suzi Payton – 15:04

Just, uh, FYI, on that one. So we like novelty. Um, so this is why some things can be tricky for us in the workplace Such as? We can get easily bored. Waiting can be an issue.

Suzi Payton – 15:21

Not for everyone. I’ve managed a lot in my life to to manage those waiting times. Um, get my phone out, play a game, that sort of thing. Monotony. Overwhelm and rigid structure can be a hindrance for us, not for everyone.

Suzi Payton – 15:40

Remember a lot. A lot of us are a mixture of ADHD, autism. Could be dyslexia in there as well. Dyspraxia, Tourette’s, you know, there’s there’s a whole host of, uh, ingredients for neurodivergent person And this is why I probably say this a few times today.

Suzi Payton – 16:03

Every ADHD person is different because we’re human. That is what makes us human. We are different. Please listen, accept and believe what people tell you. Even if you think. But they’re so. They’re so able. They’re so capable.

Suzi Payton – 16:19

How can you find this piece of paperwork? Difficult? You don’t, you don’t necessarily have to understand from your own experience. But please believe what people tell you. It takes a lot for us to share that, especially the things we’re we struggle with.

Suzi Payton – 16:37

So when you don’t believe us, that can be heartbreaking and invalidating. So if this is the only thing you take from today’s session, take this So let’s hear from you very quickly.

Suzi Payton – 16:55

What are some of the reasons for procrastination? So whether you’re ADHD or not, what are some of the reasons you put tasks off? Let’s uh, let’s have a look. Overwhelm. Yep. Absolutely. Yeah. Not immediately pressing.

Suzi Payton – 17:10

And then no, I can’t. There’s too many words. Yeah. If it’s not, if it’s not urgent, it don’t matter. Even if it really does. Fear of not being able to do it. Not knowing where to start, lack of structure. Yes. Personal pressure, boredom, overwhelm.

Suzi Payton – 17:27

Absolutely. Anxiety. Yes. There’s a lot of emotional stuff in here, isn’t it? So this is. I’m really glad that you’ve you’ve shared this because there’s so the emotional toll of ADHD causes many of the challenges.

Suzi Payton – 17:44

Yeah. Not knowing where to start. Thank you so much okay. We’re all on the same page. Sort of course we are. So often us ADHD folk get called lazy.

Suzi Payton – 18:00

Flaky. Space cadet. Not very nice. Labels at all. When actually the the reasons that we find things hard to do, especially if we’re not interested in them. Um, it’s because of the executive functioning challenges we can have in our brains.

Suzi Payton – 18:20

So every ADHD person will have these challenges. To a degree. Some we might not have challenges at all. So you you really have to get to know the individual. So things like planning I was a teacher for 17 years and I’m I’m a bit of a, I don’t know if I’m an optimist or if I’m naive or a mixture of the two, because for 17 years I said to myself.

Suzi Payton – 18:47

One day I’ll get the hang of planning 17 years. Wow. I never did get the hang of planning, I. I managed the short term stuff like I could plan a lesson the night before, a few days before, but the the medium term planning, the longer term planning, my brain really struggles with that.

Suzi Payton – 19:11

That whole planning thing. So of course, if I need to plan something, I’m going to put it off. Because I really struggle with that. So I’m going to talk about. Lots of the reasons behind, um, procrastination.

Suzi Payton – 19:26

And then I’m going to give you lots of tips and strategies that you can try with yourself, with your students, with your colleagues. But of course, you’re not going to go up to and say, I’ve got all these all these strategies. Now try this. Of course you’re not. You’re going to say to them, look at these strategies Which one would you like to try?

Suzi Payton – 19:46

Yeah. Planning, organising, working memory. When I have my ADHD assessment. The psychologist was, um, pretty shocked at how poor my working memory is. So holding information in in your brain. Short term.

Suzi Payton – 20:02

Um, really, really not good. So multi-step directions. If you’re giving somebody instructions, um, to to at a time would be great. Any more. The brain just shuts, my brain shuts down overwhelm, which can lead to frustration.

Suzi Payton – 20:19

And then I appear like a grumpy person. You see how it all connects? So these are a lot of the reasons why. Why we struggle. And, um, yeah, please let me know if I’ve. If I miss anything really obvious today because this is one of my fears.

Suzi Payton – 20:36

That’s put me. That made me procrastinate. Uh, please, please pop it in the chat and hopefully I’ll catch catch on. So to put it into context. The executive functioning, um, side of things.

Suzi Payton – 20:55

Really impacted me. And still does. But I’ve learned a lot of ways. So look at the wardrobe picture. That was what my wardrobe looked like when I was growing up. Well, it still does actually. Have you heard of a flawed robe? That’s where your clothes are on the floor instead of the cabinet.

Suzi Payton – 21:16

Okay. And if you’re ADHD or suspect you are, you might relate to this. You’ve got your pile of clothes on the floor. You think I’m going to tidy them up? They’re doing my head in, especially being autistic. I hate mess, but I’m messy. I. I fold them all up, put them on the bed.

Suzi Payton – 21:34

Oh, that’s enough. Go and have a cup of tea. Bedtime comes. Oh, the pile of clothes are on the bed. I neatly put them back on the floor. This is the ongoing issue of the floordrobe. Um, I do, I do make joke of it.

Suzi Payton – 21:50

I I I’m a comedian as well. Um, but the shame that I’ve had to overcome, um, to accept that I struggle with this stuff and that actually being messy. Doesn’t make me a bad person. That’s taken years.

Suzi Payton – 22:06

I’ve got into £20,000 worth of debt. Um, simply not simply because of the executive functioning side of things. The impulsive spending, the lack of forethought, the lack of planning, the head in the sand.

Suzi Payton – 22:21

And that’s that’s, um, an article from a paper, um, online. Probably not the best photo to put with a sad death story. Me going. But there you go. Anyway, they wanted selfies. Not professional shots.

Suzi Payton – 22:36

I managed to I was a day early for a flight. Once, okay? And that’s all to do with executive functioning. And when I went travelling in the Philippines, I hid some money because I was backpacking completely forgot. So my working memory tripped me up completely forgot, accused the hotel staff of stealing my money.

Suzi Payton – 22:57

Went back to my room, found the money hidden in a wallet. So these are some examples. And the the balloons. Forgetting friends birthdays. You would think by now I would have put them in my calendar, wouldn’t you? Every year I message one friend.

Suzi Payton – 23:13

When is Naomi’s birthday? I know it’s in September So time blindness. So time for ADHD folks is is a bit. Well, for everyone. It’s an abstract concept and it can be quite challenging for us.

Suzi Payton – 23:31

So if you’re like me, um, you would have used anxiety to drive you to be early to. Everything. So I’m an ADHD person. That’s extra early to everything. And if I’m not, it causes too much stress. Many other ADHD is simply find it so hard to get to get to places on time.

Suzi Payton – 23:52

Um, a way around this in the workplace is of course flexible. Um, start and finish times. You know, that’s a great way around it. And deadlines. You know, it’s so important to to have a deadline.

Suzi Payton – 24:08

If you say to an ADHD person, um, if I say to you, when do you need it? And you say, oh, whenever you like, whenever you can. Okay. Just don’t do it because my brain goes, oh, it’s not important. Then. And I’ll never do it unless I’ve got that deadline, which can be moved.

Suzi Payton – 24:25

But you need to start with that. So the emotional toll, this is what the stuff they don’t really tell you in, in the diagnostic criteria. Of course they don’t. Um, there’s so much more to ADHD.

Suzi Payton – 24:40

It’s not it’s not hype. Just hyperactivity. Some people are not hyperactive. Some people’s hyperactivity is hidden inside their brain and their brains going, ah, um, and some people like myself, I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD.

Suzi Payton – 24:56

When my brain tends to zone out quite a lot of the time. So perfectionism. Somebody in the chat mentioned, um, fear of getting started. Fear of doing it wrong. Perfectionism is a huge challenge for so many people that I know who are ADHD.

Suzi Payton – 25:16

And, uh, it it can stop us getting started. Okay. When I was putting together this presentation. I was trying to work out why am I putting it off? Why am I putting it off? Because I’m very excited. Um, and it was, you know, I already mentioned it.

Suzi Payton – 25:34

Worried I would leave something really important out. Then I have to have a word with myself. And what’s what’s the worst that can happen? If you leave something important out, I have to tell myself I can’t impart every bit of my knowledge that I’ve acquired over these 49 years.

Suzi Payton – 25:53

Um, in this presentation today, I mean, if that wouldn’t be very helpful for you either, would it These are the challenges. So empathy, compassion and kindness is is what we need. Rather than judgement.

Suzi Payton – 26:11

You mentioned that in the chat as well. Overwhelm can stop us. Getting started. We are very easily overwhelmed and and I don’t speak for everyone, but I must say, most people that I speak to, um, are very overwhelmed and then all of all of the tasks, even if they’re fun things.

Suzi Payton – 26:28

It all becomes this big cluster. And it’s like like mud walking through mud, you know, or swimming through mud. That would be harder, wouldn’t it? Boredom. I used to struggle really badly with being bored.

Suzi Payton – 26:45

Now, hopefully in your workplaces. Um, people, especially in the meetings, aren’t all sitting there, yawning. If they are, I think you might want to. Uh, maybe adjust your meeting style But the the fear of boredom is very real.

Suzi Payton – 27:04

And it can it can make us avoid things. If it’s a boring task. So for me, a boring task would be data entry into a spreadsheet. I would put that off because even if you had all the, you know, all the figures there, and I just had to put them in, that would be so boring for me.

Suzi Payton – 27:22

It would feel painful. So of course I would put it off R-s.d. Can you, um, just put in the chat if you’ve, um, heard of R-s.d, which is rejection sensitivity dysphoria. It’s a huge challenge for us.

Suzi Payton – 27:39

ADHD folks. Just a yes or a no in the chat. Please. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. A mix.

Suzi Payton – 27:54

Okay. Well, it’s really again, it’s not it’s not part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. And but it’s such a. Oh yes. Cathy says. Yeah. Um, oh, one of your biggest problems, Thomas.

Suzi Payton – 28:10

Yeah. Yeah, it’s a huge issue. And if you. So basically what it is, it’s, um. A really intense pain like. And it can feel physical as well Associated with any criticism or perceived criticism and rejection Okay.

Suzi Payton – 28:32

And thats perceived rejection as well. So, you know, I’m going to read this out for people with ADHD. Shame arises from the repeated failure to meet expectations from parents, teachers, friends, bosses and the world.

Suzi Payton – 28:49

It’s estimated that those with ADHD received 20,000 corrective negative messages by age ten. So how many? I’m no maths whiz. In fact, I have dyscalculia. Um, but you know, that’s a lot of negative messages.

Suzi Payton – 29:07

By the time you reach adulthood. Not even knowing because many of us didn’t know that we had ADHD. They view themselves as fundamentally different and flawed. So all these challenges that I’m talking about, and it does. I’m a bit I’m such a strengths based person, but it’s so important to share the challenges.

Suzi Payton – 29:29

Isn’t it? I mean, please focus on the strengths. Absolutely. But to receive so many negative messages, of course it’s going to affect your brain. It’s basically a trauma response. And your brain is going to be on the lookout for hurt for criticism, for rejection.

Suzi Payton – 29:49

So I mean, how how is that going to show up in the workplace? In fact, can you pop in the chat? How do you think that could show up in the workplace? And if you’re comfortable sharing for yourself? It’s going to cause a lot of challenges Oh, yeah.

Suzi Payton – 30:10

No, I like your your top tip there. We I kind of touch on that later. Um introversion fear overcommitting. Yeah. Low mood. Yeah. Withdrawal. Absolutely. Avoidance. I was an expert avoider.

Suzi Payton – 30:27

Absolutely. I would do anything to avoid, um. What I thought was going to be some negative feedback at work. You know, when I was in the schools, I worked for the YMCA. And being ADHD. Sorry, being like a comedy inclined as well.

Suzi Payton – 30:43

I would avoid it by making jokes, distracting, distracting. Um, yeah. Just cry. Yeah. Sean, a light bulb moment.

Suzi Payton – 31:01

Yeah. So I’ve done a lot of work on RSD and now it doesn’t hurt. Nearly as much. And do you know the one of the most, um, empowering things I’ve. I’ve read the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Um, if you’ve read that book.

Suzi Payton – 31:17

Oh, my gosh, it’s amazing. It’s really easy to read. It’s based on Toltec wisdom, native American wisdom, and the one agreement don’t take anything personally. Now, this takes time. You know, when you’ve spent your life.

Suzi Payton – 31:33

Taking things personally. But whatever anyone says or does is not about you. It’s about them. And if somebody’s giving you feedback at work. You know, hopefully in a nice, kind way.

Suzi Payton – 31:49

But whether it’s good feedback or bad, bad feedback. Um, it’s it’s one person’s opinion and it doesn’t alter your worth as a human Okay. So it’s really important to, to remember who you are and how amazing you are when you experience that rejection.

Suzi Payton – 32:10

And it’s it’s all feelings are valid. So it’s not like, oh, is this RSD or am I feeling bad? You’re feeling bad. You know, what can we do about it? I mentioned good old hyperfocus. Now this is an amazing thing.

Suzi Payton – 32:27

Once you can learn to, um, focus it, focus it. Um, because like I said, it can be. Oh, gosh, Pepsi. Sorry. My dogs now trying to throw everything out the way. One moment.

Suzi Payton – 32:43

Are you there? Please? It’s trying to knock my standing desk off of my, uh, table. Hyper focus. Yeah. Help or hindrance? What do you think? In the workplace or. Or at schools and colleges? Both.

Suzi Payton – 33:04

Yeah. Can be both. Hindrance or. What’s that? I will get a thought in my head. That’s all consuming. Can’t focus on anything else until I’ve acted on it. Taking me away from my work. Absolutely. Alicia or Alicia? Sorry, I don’t know how you say it.

Suzi Payton – 33:20

Um. Yeah, it can be really hard when you’re really focussed on something. I mean, I get so focussed. I love writing, um, I’ve got a book coming out and I can be really hungry and need the loo, and I’m like, I, I cannot move. I’ve still have to carry on this writing.

Suzi Payton – 33:37

So yeah, it really depends. But if we can harness it, it can do us well. Like I said, being interrupted from hyperfocus, um, is really quite startling and frustrating. So if you’re managing somebody who’s deep in focus, um, please don’t tap them on the back, okay?

Suzi Payton – 33:58

If you’re likely to get a whack in the face, maybe that’s just me. Again. It’s it’s going to if you’re hyper focusing on something, it could be help stopping you doing something else that you need to do.

Suzi Payton – 34:14

So let’s spend some time then. How are we doing for time? Goodness me. Got about ten minutes. 45. Um, with some top tips on what could help. Again, please don’t assume any of this will work with your ADHD people that you’re supporting.

Suzi Payton – 34:33

Please don’t assume because you know what assuming does, doesn’t it? It’s something about an an ass out of you and me. So somebody put this in the chat just now. I’ve put the frog. There.

Suzi Payton – 34:49

You know that book, that whole mindset thing. Eat the frog, do the boring task. First, and then you can do the fun stuff. In my experience, and many peoples. Not everyone I can’t speak for everyone. That doesn’t work.

Suzi Payton – 35:05

That doesn’t work for my ADHD brain. Because if I’ve got to do the boring thing first, then I’ve got zero motivation that gives me zero dopamine. So what do we do? We do the fun stuff. The easy stuff. And the creative stuff.

Suzi Payton – 35:21

First. So I’ve put the film there. I’ve got some new editing software that is just amazing. Riverside and I love it. Um, so I’ll be sitting here doing something that’s a bit more challenging and I’m like, oh, I could just edit that video.

Suzi Payton – 35:37

And what I’ve learned to do is go, go with it, go with the flow of what my brain needs to do within reason, of course. Um, I do the video. Then my my mood is lifted. I’ve got a bit more dopamine. Then I can tackle the.

Suzi Payton – 35:54

Let’s say, um, looking at the spreadsheet for my my bookkeeper. Okay. That’s kind of the boring stuff. Um, it helps build momentum and it will make your, your people, the people, your supporting much happier.

Suzi Payton – 36:11

And they will feel more productive because they, they’re getting stuff done. We don’t like not getting stuff done. So let’s make it easy. Our society has always taught us things need to be hard No, they don’t. That is all a lie.

Suzi Payton – 36:27

Okay. Things should be easy. The thing is, with us. ADHD folks, we we’re used to things being hard. So we just think that’s normal. It’s not. Things can be easy So that’s one top tip Accountability.

Suzi Payton – 36:47

Uh, a buddy or groups. So WhatsApp groups, you know, you could you could set one of those up within your organisation or a channel on slack or something. Um, just to say, look Morning, everyone. I’m working on this report today.

Suzi Payton – 37:04

Just so that you’ve, you’ve there you’ve committed to it and it’s going to help you hopefully do that report. Um, groups, you know, you could meet up, you could have groups within your organisation where you could meet up, talk about how you’re getting on what’s going well, and hopefully they wouldn’t all be laying on the floor like that because that would be a little strange.

Suzi Payton – 37:26

But that’s a nice group picture Body doubling. Body doubling is where you. You’re with somebody else doing a task that you find tricky, or any task. Um, but just having somebody else there can magically there’ll be a brain based science explanation for this help you get on with the task in hand.

Suzi Payton – 37:53

Um, not if there are chatterbox. Okay? You don’t want them to distract you. But this can be really helpful. So if you’re working from home, which I know a lot of us are, um, you can even do this online. There are body doubling groups online where you can log on, say, I’m just I’m just writing this blog post.

Suzi Payton – 38:11

Um, cameras off. If you like, because I find that weird. Where camera being on doing the blog post and it feels like you’re doing it alongside somebody else. Don’t underestimate the power of body doubling Support with repetitive and challenging tasks.

Suzi Payton – 38:33

So deadlines are important. Don’t say whenever you can or there’s no rush. Or even better, how about you take that task away from them? Could somebody else do it? Who doesn’t struggle with it so much Helping people to break.

Suzi Payton – 38:49

Tasks like we mentioned, overwhelm already. Um, and sometimes we just don’t know where to start. Our brains can’t even find out where to start. So if that comes easy to you, maybe you can help somebody do that with them.

Suzi Payton – 39:05

Okay, what’s the first step? Excuse me? And when I say tiny steps, I mean tiny steps. So first thing, I need a cup of tea before I can do anything. Okay. Um. Okay. So what’s the first step? Go into the kitchen, fill the kettle.

Suzi Payton – 39:23

So we’re breaking things right down, and you can, um, transfer that. Nao. I see you’ve raised your hand. Um, but I’m going to have to if you’ve got a question, please put it in the, um. Q&A. Thingy. Ready for for Q&A.

Suzi Payton – 39:40

Okay. Use of timers. I had to apply this method when I was creating this presentation. Just. I think because it just felt so big. Um, and then I was working in bursts of 20 minutes.

Suzi Payton – 39:56

Then taking a break. So that was over a cup of tea, a bit of stretching, some breathwork, my weight that I can’t use at the moment because my dodgy shoulder, um, that can really help with motivation and productivity. Timers, smart watches.

Suzi Payton – 40:13

Um, again, don’t assume people know what to do with these things. Many do. Many don’t. So you need to really support them and help them or you don’t. You don’t have to like have all the answers you can help them find the people that can help them.

Suzi Payton – 40:29

Having visual clocks to help with that time. Keeping track of time. There are so many apps that are that can help you and back to the previous screen. Uh, not the previous screen. I. I is a game changer.

Suzi Payton – 40:45

So this room that I’m in now, it’s kind of the spare room, office study thing. And, uh, it’s a bit messy. Funnily enough. And I, I’m autistic as well, and I really want a tidy office.

Suzi Payton – 41:01

So I put into my. I. I use co-pilot. A lot of people use chat GTP. Don’t they? And I said, um, I really want to tidy my office. I just don’t know where to start. And then it gave me kind of a a general idea of what to do. And then I said, oh, I’ve got ADHD and I find it really hard to break it down.

Suzi Payton – 41:20

And then it broke it down into some really good manageable steps for me. So using I game changer, I’m no expert, but, um, I hope to be soon because it’s it’s life changing. You know the the stuff they’re doing at care with the, the, uh, the captions.

Suzi Payton – 41:38

All. AI stuff. It’s it’s so making life so accessible for us. Neurodivergent people Okay. To do lists. We need them. Because otherwise the information just goes.

Suzi Payton – 41:56

It’s a bit like out of sight, out of mind. That is a really difficult challenge for us. If we can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. So I’ve got a long to do list, but that’s not very, uh, that’s quite overwhelming. So for me, what works for me is I’ve then got a mini list and I put three things on it at the beginning of the day Just three things.

Suzi Payton – 42:15

And I also, as a backup for my brain that doesn’t work very well in these areas. I’ve got my notes, my sticky notes. That’s when my computer, uh, desktop as well. Um, and also putting it into your planner and diary as well.

Suzi Payton – 42:32

Whatever you use, because our memories are not great. Um, so we need we need external help with that. Okay. Uh, yeah. I sometimes email myself if there’s something I really have to do, and I just not doing it for whatever reason.

Suzi Payton – 42:51

I send myself a nice email, send it. Forget I’ve sent it, look at my notifications. Oh, I’ve got an email. I wonder who that is. And it’s me. I do that all the time. And then the traditional sticky note can help, but, um, they can also become part of the the furniture as well.

Suzi Payton – 43:10

And you don’t see them energy awareness help people to identify when they have good energy, when it’s high, when it’s not so good, and when it’s low and and help them and support them and tell them it’s okay to to do the tasks in that order.

Suzi Payton – 43:29

You know, this is about working with your brain and not trying to fit yourself. Make yourself neurotypical. That’s never going to happen because our our brains are different. And the thing is, we look. It’s like being an alien. We look like everyone else.

Suzi Payton – 43:45

But what’s going on inside is, is a whole different story. You will get a copy of these slides as well. So, um, if it feels a bit rushed, you can have a look, take your time. And pick out the ones that that could help Talked a lot about challenges today, but it’s so important you understand where these challenges come from.

Suzi Payton – 44:09

Otherwise we can say things that are not very helpful. Like, oh, can’t you just get on with it? Can’t you just focus? So find out the individual, get to know them, find out what they’re good at, find out where they excel and give them more of that stuff.

Suzi Payton – 44:25

Remember, we’ve had a lot of self esteem battering over the years. So if you can help us build that up. You, you know, and create that environment of safety, psychological safety, um, we’re more likely to be productive and stay okay.

Suzi Payton – 44:42

Retention as well Please, please, please. Listen to what people tell you. Believe them. Accept and support. You don’t have to have all of the answers.

Suzi Payton – 44:57

You’re not supposed to be an expert in ADHD, but if you listen to what people tell you, you can work together. Okay? Regular check ins one to ones. But find check what they need first. Don’t just assume can really help.

Suzi Payton – 45:13

Stay on track and feel supported. Regular breaks okay? Um, remember, we’re looking at accommodations. Reasonable. Reasonable adjustments. But yeah, so, um, if someone needs a break.

Suzi Payton – 45:29

Encourage it. Okay, that makes us more productive when we’ve had a rest. Flexible working times. I mentioned earlier. Can they come in later or go, leave earlier? You know Workspaces.

Suzi Payton – 45:44

So standing desks. That’s what I’ve got here today. Um, can really help me. With productivity. I kind of when I’m standing, I’m like, ready to go. When I’m sitting, I’m a bit like, uh, you know, and headphones listening to music. Let’s normalise this stuff.

Suzi Payton – 45:59

And I’m sure some of you, a lot of you do already. Um, to block out the distractions, you know Meetings. Oh, my gosh, I’ve spent many a meeting doing the most elaborate doodles and thankfully, nobody ever told me not to.

Suzi Payton – 46:15

But I know it happens. It’s not professional. If you’re doodling, doodling is a form of stimming, which is, uh, self-stimulatory behaviour. And it can help you concentrate. Fidget toys. I’ve been holding this all session and it just helps me do something with my hands to focus.

Suzi Payton – 46:35

Um, and I’m not doing this all the time, which I do on stage. Uh, I utter I, um, to transcribe or even CareScribe perhaps. And agendas. Please give it give us a chance so we can kind of follow what’s going on.

Suzi Payton – 46:51

So I’m going to finish up very quickly in one minute. Claire. Don’t panic. Um, please be aware of people using these comments. You know, or everyone struggles with that. You just need to focus. Um, they’re called microaggressions for a reason.

Suzi Payton – 47:08

They they’re damaging. Their judgemental and they’re invalidating. Collaborate and ask, how can I support you? What do you need from us? Don’t assume. Keep supporting.

Suzi Payton – 47:23

Even if they’re doing well. If you think, okay, well, they’re doing fine. They don’t need the support anymore. That’s like literally taking, um, I don’t know, a walking stick away from someone or you’re walking. All right, let’s take the stick away. No. Feedback.

Suzi Payton – 47:41

Work on your feedback delivery. People. Start with what went well and then ask them what? What would you like to you know, what did you think? What can we do about this Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Suzi Payton – 47:56

Um, I know you’re going to give some feedback. Um, I have made a resource for you, and it’s a nice, friendly printable, quick reference guide for managers to support ADHD folks. So you can scan the QR code.

Suzi Payton – 48:12

You’ll get these slides. Please head to my website. Give me any feedback. Um, on this. You know, this, uh, sprint. Not a marathon session. And, uh. Please follow me on social media. Got events coming up, got all sorts going on and that is me.

Suzi Payton – 48:31

Thank you so much. And I’m going to hand back to Claire now for the Q&A.

Claire Dibben – 48:39

Hi, Suzi. Thank you so much. Thank you for that. Um, we’re getting lots of thank yous in the chat as well. I know it’s been quite busy and quite hard to keep up with, but, um, I’ll read out some of the comments, so that was great. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Claire Dibben – 48:55

Very informative. Um, yeah. Really wonderful presentation and tips shared Suzi. And also just to everyone in the chat. It was popping off. There was loads of great conversation and sort tips being shared between the community attending the webinar as well.

Claire Dibben – 49:11

So yeah, just wonderful to witness and to be a part of actually, um, so still getting loads of thank yous. Um, we’ve got about ten minutes left, so we’ve got quite a few questions in here. Suzi I’m going to have a look through and select some ones for for you to answer.

Claire Dibben – 49:31

Cool. So we had one which piqued my attention. Actually, which was around where is it gone? So it says do you have any tips for working with people who have pathological demand avoidance?

Claire Dibben – 49:52

In conjunction with their ADHD, and they follow up saying, how can I Suggest helpful? Time management tips without it coming across as a demand? Can you answer that

Suzi Payton – 50:05

I can, because something I didn’t mention is I have a PDA profile myself, so a lot of the stuff that I’ve, I’ve talked about today would. Naturally be PDA friendly. Um, and it really is about the well, it’s about a lot, but asking making people, not making them feel like giving people a choice.

Suzi Payton – 50:29

So when you say about time management, um, let’s just I’m going to have to assume here, let’s assume, I don’t know, there late. Quite often. Um, so it’s those it’s the way you communicate that like, oh, um.

Suzi Payton – 50:46

I noticed it’s, you know, I noticed that you were late. Um, for the session. Is everything okay? Was there anything that stopped you, um, getting there on time? And if they. Depending on what they say. Like, oh, shall we, shall we work on this together?

Suzi Payton – 51:04

Do you or do you want me to help you with that? And if they’re like, no thanks, I’ll do it myself. Okay, great. So it’s it’s about making people, giving people a choice. So without I had to kind of make that up. So it’s with is it easier when there’s a specific situation.

Suzi Payton – 51:23

But um, if you can help people. Feel that they got autonomy over their decisions, over what’s going on, giving them a choice, then you’re going to get a lot have a much better relationship with that PDA person. And please remember, it’s kind of we’re hardwired to kind of feel threatened by being told what to do.

Suzi Payton – 51:47

So. Okay, don’t like being told what to do. Ask them then please can you please can you get here by 10:00 next time? Rather than, you know, you really need to be here by 10:00. Okay. If you tell me, I need to do something, I’m just going to be like, my brain is just going to be like, I don’t need to do anything for you.

Suzi Payton – 52:10

Okay? So ask. Ask it as a question, okay?

Claire Dibben – 52:15

I love that. It’s. Yeah, it’s about that. And it’s quite subtle, isn’t it? That sort of shift, that example that you gave Suzi was quite subtle, but it’s it’s collaborative rather than, than combative. Like from what you’ve described. And like the, the difference in approach

Suzi Payton – 52:30

Lovely stuff. Absolutely.

Claire Dibben – 52:33

Thank you. Right. Let’s have a look. Look at this question. Um, so we’ve got some at the top here, which says this is from Nick. They say how do you mean how do you maintain consistency with the methods that you implement?

Claire Dibben – 52:49

I have multiple blank notebooks from deciding I was going to start with a list and then completely forgot about them. Um, or doing it for three days and getting bored of it. So do you have any advice, Nick

Suzi Payton – 53:00

Yeah, I mean, you say that and I’m looking at all of my lovely notebooks over there. Um, I think consistency is something that needs to be explored. What? What is consistent for a neurotypical person? Is that a realistic, um, expectation for us to be consistent?

Suzi Payton – 53:18

Um, what? I’ve worked with clients. So I’m a coach as well. So I’ve worked with clients. She she had a lot of diaries. She’s like, oh, I put this in this diary and I’ll put that in that diary. And I said to her, okay, so as a coach, I don’t say, do this, do that.

Suzi Payton – 53:34

Um Not that any other people do. Well, they probably do. Teachers do, don’t they? Um, and I said, so. How’s that working out for you? Having two diaries. And she was like, oh, well, actually, it’s just causing more overwhelm.

Suzi Payton – 53:50

Um, okay. So what do you want to do about it? So, um, I think in answer to that is, is starting small, not trying to do everything all, all at once. So, okay, I’m going to just have one notebook and I’m going to use it for notes.

Suzi Payton – 54:07

Funnily enough. And uh, and making it an intention. But it’s not enough. We need more than oh, I’m just going to use this one notebook because we forget we get bored. So it’s about, um, using the grow model. I mean, you can coach yourself.

Suzi Payton – 54:23

You can get get a coach if you apply to access to work, you can get funding for a coach in the workplace. Or if you self-employed. So, um, do that, get some coaching, then they can work with you on that stuff. So if your goal was to be more consistent with something specific.

Suzi Payton – 54:43

Sorry, I don’t know if you can see these. Um

Claire Dibben – 54:46

Aren’t you find.

Suzi Payton – 54:47

Okay. Um. Yeah. It’s about being intentional and working to set those goals and, um. Yeah, I’ve got I’ve got a free course, actually, that helps you coach yourself on my website. So please, please check that out.

Suzi Payton – 55:02

But, um, a it’s about being compassionate with yourself. Like, am I going to be consistent? Is that realistic? What does consistent mean for me? So I want to go on social media every day. Is that realistic? Well, no. Some days I just can’t face it.

Suzi Payton – 55:18

So I, I don’t beat myself up. I say, okay, didn’t do one today. That’s fine. Try again. The next day

Claire Dibben – 55:28

Being compassionate. Such a such a good tip. Um, and we’ve also got people sharing their own experiences in the chat as well. Right. We’ve got four minutes left, so I’m going to ask you one final question. Suzi. Which is. Yes. So this is a question from Tessa, and they’ve asked, do you think that oversharing in the workplace is an ADHD issue?

Claire Dibben – 55:46

And are there any tools or things to consider that could help someone with this

Suzi Payton – 55:52

Um, it’s very common. Very common amongst ADHD folk. And autistic folk. Um, again. What’s what’s oversharing? You know, I mean, that’s going to look different for everyone.

Suzi Payton – 56:10

So that ADHD person that’s oversharing might not even know they’re oversharing, you know, because sometimes the filter isn’t there or it’s it, you know, it can be glitchy. Um, so oversharing, if it’s if it’s causing a problem and if it’s kind of really, let’s say, inappropriate stuff, that’s making people feel uncomfortable.

Suzi Payton – 56:34

Then a nice conversation. You know, um, sometimes, especially if we’re autistic as well. And you might not even know that we might not even know where autistic. So what can be really helpful is by really kindly saying, oh, it’s really not appropriate to talk about, um, the only thing that I can think of is your sex life.

Suzi Payton – 56:57

In the office across the desks. Okay. Um, you know, because it can make people feel uncomfortable. Perhaps. Perhaps you can have those conversations when you’re out for a drink. So it might. People get a bit concerned about being direct and having those direct conversations.

Suzi Payton – 57:15

But that’s not a me problem. That’s a them problem. So we have to learn to communicate clearly and kindly. And if it is a problem with the oversharing, then then let people know. But in a kind way, because they might not know

Claire Dibben – 57:31

Um, like raising people’s awareness to it. But like you said, you’ve used the words like you’ve talked about being compassionate, being kind. I think that’s super critical, you know, because in any like, especially in a work contexts. There’s going to be difficult conversations, so to. Speak, whether that’s developmental feedback, that is, you know, that’s really unavoidable in the workplace.

Claire Dibben – 57:51

But I am a firm believer that you can give that feedback in a kind and compassionate in way to someone. And that’s a skill that has to be learned. Um, I do think for managers and colleagues and peers, but that just really struck me when you’re talking about that. Suzi, um, right.

Claire Dibben – 58:08

So we have two minutes left. Suzi I’m going to, um, say one big final thank you for joining us today. And for delivering your presentation. And also just for being so generous with your advice and tips during the Q&A. Um, we’ve had some wonderful interactions in the chat and lots of thank yous and, well wishes from the attendees.

Claire Dibben – 58:26

We’re getting more in now. So yes, thank you so much. Suzi. And I’ll invite you to turn your camera off now whilst I just wrap up the webinar. Thank you. Suzi.

Suzi Payton – 58:34

Okay. And thank you everyone for all your involvement. It’s been it’s been really lovely to see

Claire Dibben – 58:40

It’s been great. It’s been great. It really has such a vibrant session this afternoon and quite a miserable day, at least here in Bristol. Um, so thank you everyone for joining us on the call in in a second, one of the team is going to post a link to the feedback survey that I mentioned at the start. You can let us know how you found today.

Claire Dibben – 58:56

You can also ask for more information about Caption.Ed and TalkType. So I saw some messages in the chat talking about co-pilot and Otter.ai for meeting notes and summaries. Caption.Ed does exactly that. If you’re curious to find out more about it, just let us know in the feedback survey. Um, and if you enjoyed today’s webinar, which I really think you did because I saw everything, all of the conversation in the chat panel, um, please help us spread the word about this community by posting on LinkedIn, tagging Care Scribe.

Claire Dibben – 59:22

We’d love to see all of the tips and advice that you want to share with your peers. Um, every bit of word of mouth helps us grow this community. So thank you. We’re at 2:00. Thank you for joining us today. Um, we’ll see you next month. Thursday, the 3rd of July for our next Skill Sessions topic, which is speaking to everyone through inclusive communication.

Claire Dibben – 59:42

Thank you everyone. We’ll see you then. Bye