While working I can go all out. I used to struggle to understand how others took so long to do things. Then I learnt about hyperfocus, which like it sounds means when I, and other neurodiverse folks, are focused nothing else enters in that moment. As Brandon K. Ashinoff and Ahmad Abu-Akel  describe it in their paper Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention “complete absorption in a task, to a point where a person appears to completely ignore or ‘tune out’ everything else” (2019).

 I was working faster and harder… and was totally worn out at the end of the day. Fortunately, a supervisor talked me through this process and discussed structure and self care when the tasks do switch. After a phone call to meditate, after finishing a write up going for a short walk, taking time to drink water, go pee,  etc… It made a huge difference, and though I forget to insert self-care tasks at times, when I remember I am more productive and generally feel a little more energized. Having permission to be human and attend to my needs has saved me from burnout (I hope!).

Years later, I had a new supervisor with more formalized management training. They saw my boundaries, my wondering off and taking intentional time to not work and thought I was slacking off. I was called into their office and concerns were discussed that I was not using work time properly. I was not being paid to dillydally, I was encouraged to sign up for company offered yoga or mindfulness practices on a weekly lunch break or increase my self-care at home. I said no.

Though quiet quitting is getting all the press now, I can’t help but hustle when engaged. Quiet quitting is “when workers only do the job that they’re being paid to do, without taking on any extra duties, or participating in extracurriculars at work.” (Bero, 2022) I support this too but even within the paid duties boundaries are important. To do my job well, I need time and space. I need to process, to laugh, to breathe and the classic corporate view on caring employees and productivity does not match with how anyone’s brain works throughout a day. Self-care care be an act of rebellion when finding oneself in a go go go structure and its needed for mental health survival.

Now, I found a place that supports my needs and often teammates notice if I’ve taken on too much and encourage rest. I know that I am lucky, but I’ve also had moments when I lead and know within that advocacy for boundaries, self-care and non-productive time creates a stronger workplace, life, and person. People quit out loud less when they have the space to notice needs and care for them. You can take up space, and when people are listening to your voice use it to make sure people are actually cared for and allowed to care for themselves.

 Sources:

Brandon K. Ashinoff  and Ahmad Abu-Akel (2019) Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention, National Library of Medicine retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7851038/#:~:text=Hyperfocus%2C%20broadly%20and%20anecdotally%20speaking,is%20particularly%20fun%20or%20interesting.

Tayo Baro (Sept 2022) ‘Quiet quitting?’ Everything about this so-called trend is nonsense, The Guardian retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/08/quiet-quitting-not-real-work-culture