Time to read: 3 mins & 13 seconds — 645 words. Written by Joseph Pack.
I went to an old school grammar school.
We wore suit and tie, sat behind wooden desks facing strict teachers, and were slapped with detention when our uniform was wrong.
The place knew how to suck all semblance of independence from you.
They wanted to produce replicable drones and they knew it.
I never fit in.
After leaving school I went to music school. Expecting a similar structure of rules I was shocked to find something very different on my first day.
I walked into the classroom to find all the chairs around the edge of the room in a circle. There were no tables. Some kids were sitting in the window sills.
What the fook is happening? I thought.
No structure, no rules, and (most noticeably) everyone was happy.
I learned that this was the masterstroke of my new teacher, Janet.
Janet knew that creative people work in different ways. Some like to sit, some on chairs, some in windows. Others like to lie on the floor. Others had to stand.
Having ADHD, I was always fidgety.
The grammar school hated this.
But music school embraced it. Allowing me to have a guitar in my hands most of the time. Once the guitar was in my hands I could think. It channeled my busy mind into something worthy, opening me up to deeper thoughts.
Why am I telling you this?
Think about the way you work today.
Are you in the right environment?
What exactly do I mean by right environment?
Let’s explore more:
What is the right environment for ADHD?
When I think about environment I think about two sub-sections:
How you work
What you’re working on
Let’s start with point one.
How you work
I like to work standing up. I like to work from 6am to 1pm. I prefer to write than speak on camera. I like to limit coaching sessions to no more than 3 per day. I like to leave space in my calendar for dealing with chaos (things that spring up out of nowhere and need my attention immediately).
I don’t like to work in an office. I don’t like to commute. I don’t like meetings. And above all else I don’t like being told what to do.
You might agree with all of the above.
You might only agree with some of it.
Or, like my former peers who outperformed me at school and went on to work on a corporate environment, you might think I’m completely fooking crazy for expecting to be able to work like that.
But here’s the thing:
I’ve been working like that for a decade.
Listen to me now because it’s one of the most important things I’ll say on this…
You can work ANY WAY YOU WANT.
Well, almost anyway you want.
If you can’t work how you want because you’re stuck in a beauracratic workplace akin to modern day slavery, perhaps your biggest problem is point two — what you’re working on.
What you’re working on
As
described in Hunters In A Farmers World, people with ADHD are uniquely suited to entrepreneurship, sales, and other creative fields like art, design, music, film, and beyond.We have a different skill set to our neurotypical brethren.
We’re often creative, outspoken, empathetic, human-centred, and emotional.
These are essential skills for the entrepreneur who is often flying by the seat of their pants with a point to prove and a world to change.
But stick that person in a corporate environment and they’ll be like a jack in a box with the lid bolted shut.
Now, a word of caution:
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone.
It requires a commitment beyond anything you’re likely to encounter in a corporate environment. But those of us with the bug just can’t stop playing the game.
If the idea scares you, I advise finding a smaller company who need someone with a multi-disciplinary skillset instead. You’ll get a regular salary and the freedom to work your way (both in the work you do and how you do it).
Thanks for reading,
Joseph Pack
PS: see you next Tuesday at 7:45am GMT.
I’ve just launched a daily email for people with ADHD who are entrepreneurs or want to be. If you’d like to join, reply to this email with “I WANT TO JOIN” and I will add you to the list.