Performing at a high level in IB with ADHD
I’ve been on the desk for a few months now and have recently realized how truly difficult it is to have ADHD in this job. I’ve always struggle processing multiple sets of instructions at once or managing multiple demands at the same time. It’s never been too big of an issue since I still managed to succeed in school and other areas of my life.
But over the past few months since hitting the desk, I’ve found how hard it is to perform in banking with ADHD. Most the other analysts by now have ramped up much quicker than me and I feel like they have better work product and efficiency. I’m not used to being behind compared to my peers so it genuinely eats at me everyday knowing I need to be better.
What’s most frustrating is that even on some super simple tasks that I should not mess up, I’ll miss an easy little detail even when I check through my work 10 times. It keeps happening and even though I’ve gotten slightly better, I still find myself screwing up some easy things no matter how hard I try to double check everything.
I’m honestly just feeling so frustrated everyday knowing I’m not doing well at this job given how hard I try and the hours I’m putting in. I’ve never felt like a failure like this before as I’ve usually been successful in any area in my life I work hard in.
Anyways, regardless of the struggle, I’m committed to becoming great at this job even if it’s not my long-term plan to stay in IB. I’d love to hear any ways you guys have been able to be successful in IB despite having ADHD/ADD
Don’t forget to take your meds, try extra hard to stay organized, and get sleep (hard enough to get sleep with the current ADHD medication remedies so I suggest a sleepy tea). We can do this and I know many others in finance also with ADHD. The current WSJ attack on ADHD meds makes those who actually have it look bad lol… we just want to focus and not tap our legs under the desk. You’re also only a few months in, give yourself a break it gets better over time. Sounds lame but when I started out in IB I would put sticky notes all over my monitor and remove them as tasks were completed.
Melatonin gummies are the only thing that can knock me out if my brain is hyper
I’ve actually started using sticky notes and it’s been helping
Second the sticky notes recommendation. Also used Trello for a period and found that helpful if you have desktop + mobile sync'ed up.
Hey not an analyst (hopefully I will be) and definitely not working but here are some things that have helped me with my adhd.
We tend to have very overactive minds and that makes it hard to focus, so try playing white/brown noise or something, I find that it really quiets down all the shit in my head.
Drink matcha instead of coffee TRUST me. Coffee does nothing for my focus or even alertness. I’ve heard from a lot of ADHDers that l theanine is great for focus. I’m gonna try it out soon, but that’s what is in matcha.
Try not to eat too many carbs. This is hard. But I find that rice/pasta during hours I need to work make me really sluggish and tired.
For errors, don’t let your brain take shortcuts. I so often glance over instructions rather than really absorbing them. Look at every inch of whatever you’re working on and don’t skip over anything assuming it’s perfect. I like to take a separate sheet of paper and star off whatever I’m sure is perfect so I know what to review quickly.
One tool I like is to take all those big instructions and break them down. Get a little to do list, preferably paper bc tabs are too annoying to deal with. write EVERYTHING you need to do down. Break down the tasks as much as possible and go from there. Task switching is hard I think primarily because we have so much shit going on up there that it’s hard to prioritize. If you break down tasks, you basically create a game plan. Just make sure you can constantly see the work you have yet to do. It’ll keep it in your mind.
I’m not working in IB yet but hope this helps!!
Also yo can I dm you
Yeah
Ignore title. ADHD Type 1 going into PE. The matcha thing is underrated. I switched earlier this year, and while it took a second to adjust off of the immediate spike from coffee, matcha has been incredibly beneficial. That and sneaking an airpod in with quiet lofi (easy to do if you were just getting off a call), intentionally looking away from your screen for just 20 seconds every 20 mins, and using a pomodoro split of 54/6 (yes, I took 6 mins to stretch or just stare blankly at anything. I know you’re an intern who might be watched, but the few minutes is what I need to prevent burning out). Healthy fats and omega 3s are also important but that’s beyond the original question. It’s all about finding a system that works best for you.
I realize I don’t want to stay in high finance forever, but without this environment to force me into developing a system of work that works for me, I feel I wouldn’t be able to pursue a project of my own with enough consistency. That’s the goal!
I love this. Yeah I agree that this type of work structure is challenging for ADHD but it’s definitely needed bc otherwise I’d never be disciplined enough to learn these skills on my own.
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