Skip to main content

Article: Urgency Addiction - Getting things Done

I'd just like to draw your attention to an interesting article about aspies in the workplace.

Urgency Addiction - Getting things Done
by Malcolm Johnson

Malcolm has a unique website which looks at how Aspergers presents in the world of business. In this article he looks at the forces which cause aspies to procrastinate and to postpone work until the last minute. He also looks at techniques for getting around the problem.

If you're an aspie in the workforce or later years of school or if you're the parent of a teenage aspie, this is a very good read. You might find it very familiar.

My Take
Strangely, the urgency addiction that Malcolm describes has almost the opposite effect to what I experience although the driving force is the same. In my case, I don't procrastinate but rather tend to do work as early and as quickly as possible.

I could however relate very well to his comments about losing interest half-way through.

Regardless of how a particular person's urgency addiction presents, there's no denying that it's a major source of anxiety for the aspie and that it puts a tremendous social strain on any group work.

I also agree with Malcolm's suggestion that there is a link between this and perfectionism.

Comments

Dan said…
I have AS and I personally wait until the last minute to do everything. Especially when it comes to school.
Unknown said…
Hi man. Its benjimanbreeg from WP. I got banned quite a while ago, by Sinsboldly. There seems to be so many people in my shoes that have been banned unfairly by her, cause she has personal issues with them. I can't get hold of Alex, as he seems to be in exile, and he's on my friends list on facebook. Is there anyway I can be reinstated? I'm not even worried about visiting the forums too much, and won't if so. I just have unread messages from friends on there, and would like to be on the site for support. Thanks.
Gavin Bollard said…
I'll have a look and see what can be done.
Unknown said…
Ok thanks man, you can let me know on here or, i'll give you my email address if you like?

benj
Rachel said…
Gavin, I'm like you in the procrastination department: I do tasks early and very quickly. I hate leaving things until the last minute. It stresses me out completely.
Gavin Bollard said…
Benj,

I'm starting with Sinsboldly because I need to know why you were banned and how she expects you to be able to resume. Once I have her take, I'll decide whether it seems fair or not and if necessary take it further.

If you use the Contact Me form about halfway down the blog (right hand side, you'll be able to send me an email directly).

Popular posts from this blog

What is Stimming and what does it feel like?

According to wikipedia , stimming is; "a jargon term for a particular form of stereotypy, a repetitive body movement (often done unconsciously) that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner. It is shorthand for self-stimulation, and a stereotypy is referred to as stimming under the hypothesis that it has a function related to sensory input." The wikipedia article then goes on to propose some theories about the function of stimming and how it is designed to provide nervous system arousal. The theory being that it helps autistic people "normalize". I'm not sure how much I believe that theory - I helps us relax and it feels good... but normalize?? Not sure. The most commonly cited form of stimming is body rocking. Such is the prevalence of this form of stimming in Hollywood films concerning autism that you could be forgiven for thinking that autistic people stim by rocking most of the time. How far does stimming go? Stimming is much more than just...

Why do Aspies Suddenly Back Off in Relationships (Part 2)

In part one, we looked at the role that Change Resistance plays in causing aspies to suddenly go "cold" in otherwise good relationships. This time, I want to look at self esteem and depression; Self Esteem The aspie relationship with themselves is tedious at best. People with Asperger's commonly suffer from low self esteem. As discussed in earlier posts, this low self esteem often results from years of emotional turmoil resulting from their poor social skills. Aspies are often their own worst enemy. They can over analyze situations and responses in an effort to capture lost nonverbal communication. This often causes them to invent problems and to imagine replies. Everything made up by aspies will tend to be tainted with their own self image. This is one of reasons that people with Asperger's will sometimes decide that they are not good enough for their partner and that they must let them go. Sometimes, the aspie will develop a notion of chivalry or self-sacrific...

Are Aspies Capable of Love?

Although the answer to this question may seem simple, it recurs with alarming regularity on aspie forums everywhere. Often, it is confused with the aspie's ability to find a partner or the famous aspie empathy problems - these are different things altogether which I'll hopefully discuss in follow-up posts. Emotional Behavior in Aspies Aspies are very capable of loving but they often confuse the issue by adopting an altogether too rigid view of love. Despite popular mis-belief, aspies are generally fairly emotional beings. We have intense feelings of happiness and even more intense feelings of sadness. The smallest triggers can produce huge emotional responses in us. While a bad day at work may make an NT grumpy, it could make an aspie feel suicidal. Similarly, when something good happens an aspie may seem to be over-reacting or overly happy. Most aspie adults have long since learned to control excessive displays of happiness but it's very apparent in aspie children...