Thoroughly ADHD
Host: Alex Delmar, Certified ADHD Coach
Episode: “Late, Lost, And Overwhelmed At Work”
Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of Thoroughly ADHD, Alex Delmar dives into the unique challenges adults with ADHD encounter in the workplace—particularly chronic lateness, disorganization, and feeling overwhelmed. Alex breaks down common ADHD-driven behaviors that can hinder career progress and offers validation as well as hope: with the right strategies, these issues can be addressed.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recognizing the Role of ADHD at Work

• Many workplace challenges commonly attributed to one’s “personality” are, in fact, manifestations of ADHD.
• ADHD presents differently for each individual, meaning struggles are unique but share common threads.
• Quote:

  “First, you need to recognize is this really me or is it my ADHD? Keep in mind ADHD shows up differently for every individual.” (00:42)

2. Common ADHD Behaviors Impacting Work Performance

• Time Management Issues:
  • Difficulty judging how long tasks take (time blindness/optimism).
  • Chronic lateness to work, meetings, and missed deadlines.

    “Probably the most frustrating trait for our supervisors and colleagues to deal with is our mismanagement of time.” (01:30)

• Disorganization & Prioritizing:
  • Trouble prioritizing tasks and staying organized adds to feeling overwhelmed.
• Task Initiation & Procrastination:
  • Difficulty starting tasks, leading to procrastination and last-minute rushes.
• Meeting Challenges:
  • Forgetting appointments, double-booking, zoning out, over-explaining, or being afraid to speak due to losing track.
  • Working memory problems make it hard to take notes and follow conversations simultaneously.
• Written Work & Perfectionism:
  • Producing reports, emails, or presentations takes longer due to working memory and fear of mistakes.
  • Tendency to repeatedly revise seeking perfection.
• Environmental Triggers:
  • Open office distractions versus isolation from helpful cues.

3. Emotional Impacts and Workplace Relationships

• Shame & Guilt:
  • People with ADHD often hide their struggles out of shame, rarely ask for support, and feel guilty for letting others down.
• Burnout Cycle:
  • Chronic stress, exhaustion, and emotional dysregulation can result in being seen as moody or irritable.
• Impulsivity:
  • May manifest as overpromising results, jumping into projects unprepared, making impulsive comments, or even leaving a job abruptly.
  • Quote:

    “Stress and exhaustion combined with the emotional dysregulation associated with the ADHD brain can cause us to act in ways that our coworkers characterize as moody or irritable.” (06:25)

4. Even ADHD Strengths Can Backfire

• Skills like empathy, idea generation, and big-picture thinking can be liabilities if not applied thoughtfully or communicated well.

5. Recap of Barriers & Pathways Forward

• Traits That Hold You Back:
  • Mismanagement of time (planning, prioritizing, disorganization)
  • Perfectionism, distractibility
  • Task initiation problems
  • Working memory unreliability
  • Irritability and impulsivity
  • Lack of supportive routines and workplace structures

  “To recap, some traits that are holding you back in your career are the mismanagement of time, which includes lack of planning, incorrectly prioritizing, disorganization, perfectionism, distractibility, and problems with task initiation...” (09:17)

• Hopeful Outlook:
  • These are all skills or structures that can be developed or modified.
  • The episode concludes with an encouragement to explore solutions in future episodes and reach out for help.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On self-reflection:

  “First, you need to recognize is this really me or is it my ADHD?” (00:42)

• On time management challenges:

  “Probably the most frustrating trait for our supervisors and colleagues to deal with is our mismanagement of time.” (01:30)

• On emotional fallout:

  “Stress and exhaustion combined with the emotional dysregulation associated with the ADHD brain can cause us to act in ways that our coworkers characterize as moody or irritable.” (06:25)

• On hope and possibility:

  “Luckily, these are all areas you can improve. Either there are skills you can learn, or external structures you can develop, or modifications you can make that will remove these roadblocks to your success.” (10:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01–01:44: Introduction, ADHD in the workplace, reframing struggles
• 01:45–04:30: Manifestations: lateness, disorganization, memory struggles
• 04:31–06:15: Meeting challenges, written work, perfectionism
• 06:16–07:55: Shame, guilt, asking for help, risk of burnout
• 07:56–09:22: Emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and social impacts
• 09:23–10:45: Recap, hope for improvement, encouragement to seek solutions

Tone

Alex’s tone is empathetic, direct, and deeply validating for listeners who may feel isolated or misunderstood in their professional struggles. He blends personal experience with practical insight, always circling back to the possibility of change and growth.

For further actionable strategies, Alex recommends checking out future episodes and reaching out with personal challenges for discussion.