Early in my career, I spent several months in Belfast, Northern Ireland, doing fieldwork for my master’s degree and working with a small NGO. I loved it.
Beautiful scenery. Weekend adventures. Meaningful work. The team was committed and friendly. The office could be somewhat chaotic (I once looked down and found a baby under my desk) but I got my work done and was proud of the results.
I moved back to my parents’ house to write my thesis, full of ideas and ready to type my fingers off. Three weeks went by…and nothing happened.
November in Michigan is gloomy. The sound of every leaf blower within a five-mile radius seemed to echo through the house. My parents considered it rude for me to stay in my room working when relatives and friends visited, which happened several times a week.
I had no schedule, minimal feedback, and only one deadline, several months away. I was deeply overwhelmed. My confidence evaporated.
That stress eventually led me to switch things up. My dad’s office had a spare desk. I got on his 9-to-5 schedule to use it. If I was on a roll, I’d borrow a car and head to a coffee shop after dinner. The project was still challenging. I still lost some time to AIM chats and Minesweeper. But I got things moving and mostly stayed in flow.
I didn’t connect any of this to ADHD. I didn’t even know I had ADHD at the time. I just felt relieved.
What I experienced is called situational variability, also called contextual variability: the fact that ADHD traits show up differently under different conditions. While everyone functions better in some circumstances than others, for people with ADHD those conditions can substantially affect how manageable a task feels and whether it gets done
Understanding this concept and noticing how we respond to different variables helps us figure out what helps and adjust accordingly.
I couldn’t replicate the Belfast office in Michigan. But adding the structure of a regular schedule and a dedicated place to work helped a lot. So did paying attention to outside stimuli and how I sometimes responded differently to things like silence, headphones, and smells if I was tired or stressed. Having other people working nearby or taking a quick walk outside could help me keep going when I was feeling stuck.
I was lucky and privileged to have the time and flexibility to figure things out and to make both structural adjustments and in-the-moment ones.
Not every work situation allows that kind of experimentation. Job responsibilities, fixed schedules, shared spaces, and office policies can create limits. However, there may be room to make adjustments within those limits or request permission from a supervisor.
Asking for these adjustments doesn’t necessarily require a formal request or disclosing ADHD. It may be enough to explain how the adjustments would help your work. Whether to share a diagnosis is a personal decision that deserves thought, including consideration of how that information might be received.
Within organizations, flexibility may be a matter of policy, the needs of a given role, cultural norms, and everyday reactions. In some cases, supervisors may not fully appreciate the way that little shifts can make a world of difference to someone with ADHD.
Misunderstandings and personal preferences or biases may shape the way adjustments are received. Closing an office door could make someone seem unapproachable. Wearing headphones could be seen as unfriendly. One person might see an employee taking detailed notes during meetings as responsible or helpful. Another person might perceive it as a lack of confidence.
Supervisors should understand that ADHD traits and needs can vary by day and task. Clear policies on working from home, headphones, and flexible schedules give employees boundaries within which to try what helps.
Before discouraging an adjustment, ask: does it interfere with communication, collaboration, or results, or simply look different from what’s expected? If there’s a practical concern, could a middle ground work?
Flexibility can benefit employees with and without ADHD. Making it broadly available can sit alongside individual accommodations.
When ADHDers are stuck, we often tell ourselves or are told by others to “try harder” or “make it work.” But quite often, the questions “What would help?” or “How can we work differently?” can get us further.
