Short attention span & very bad with memory..

[Myles]

I don't know what the issue is with me. I can never focus very well & it's hard for me to learn new things. I just got a job and I've been working very hard for the last couple of weeks. However I'm still doing horrible at this job. I'm working at Best Buy as a cashier & sales. It's so much stuff to remember and often I find myself getting confused. People help me but it's not really helping. When people are talking to me, I'm often not listening and I just have a short attention span.I really can't help it. Especially if people are talking too fast or in a boring monotone voice, I space out.

 

I'm often forgetting steps people taught me and I can tell my fellow co-workers are already getting agitated with me,even though they're saying that they're not. I'm constantly holding up the lines and most of the customers are frustrated with me because I have to get someone to help me do a certain thing. I'm getting the hang out of being a cashier but it's certain things I always forget to do which stalls time. I'm scared if I don't get the hang of things soon, I will be fired..

[ghost69]

well, keep trying. it's new. it will come to you. any job has it's variety of problems to learn.

[pinkelephant]

write things down?

 

 

 

thats how i was when i started out as a cashier too. it's so boring.

[Myles]

write things down?

 

 

 

thats how i was when i started out as a cashier too. it's so boring.

 

Writing things down is not a bad idea though I'll look pretty stupid doing it. I'm also not good at counting money.. It's so embarrassing when I forget to type in the amount and the computer doesn't tell me how much change to give back. So I'm sitting there trying to figure out the math and I end up giving the wrong amount of change... humiliating! There's also more to being a cashier at best buy.. I have to offer replacement plans and I have to explain and persuade the customers to go with the plan.. I'm so not good at offering things. Also when there are sells or a price change.. I end up getting stuck because even though people have shown me things, I still get confused on how to take things off of the regular price. If customers have questions, I have no idea how to answer them because I don't know myself lol.

[jane820]

I have that too, it's ADD. It can be an uphill battle, but you just have to take extra steps to avoid screwing up or embarrassing yourself. Writing things down is perfect - don't worry if it makes you look stupid. Wouldn't screwing up every time you ring someone up look alot stupider? Or getting fired from such a seemingly easy job? I used to work a register at a cafe and even if someone ordered two simple drinks or something, I HAD to write it down immediately or it would just leave my mind. Or if I answer the phone where I work now, I have to write down the person's name as SOON as I hear it or the same thing will happen, and I'll have to ask them their name again everytime. Once you accept that you just have to do a few extra things to cope with this, life will be much easier and you'll be able to relax

[woodster]

I have the same problem. My memory is very short and I'm easily distracted. My friends always joke that they can't talk to me if there is shiny object near-by.

 

I'm almost 40, so I've dealt with it for a long time. The first thing you need to do is top being so hard on yourself. So you learn things differently than everyone else. That doesn't make you stupid or slow. Just different. At least you know it - so you can fix it. You are on this message board to help the issue, so that's awesome. The only way anyone would consider you stupid or slow is if you DIDN'T do anything to help yourself.

 

If you have to write it down, do it. Make yourself a cheat-sheet. You can keep it at the register with you. Have it contain some of the Major points that you need to mention - Like Refund, Mailing List, Cash Back etc... After a while you will have it memorized and you'll find yourself needing the cheat-sheet less and less.

 

Honestly, I bet the bosses would be impressed that you are writing your own "Employee Manual". They might want to copy it so they can give it to new employees getting hired after you.

 

Every job requires some memorization. Waitress have to know the daily specials - and they often write it down. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm a computer programmer and I have everything written down. My office is a mess with all my documentation and notes. If I lost any of these papers, I'd be fired for sure!

 

So stay calm and do what you have to. If it will make you a better employee, there's no reason not to.

[BellaDonna]

When people are talking to me, I'm often not listening and I just have a short attention span.I really can't help it. Especially if people are talking too fast or in a boring monotone voice, I space out.

 

 

You may very well be experiencing ADD. How were your grades/performance in school? Was this ever an issue for you in school? Do you think it affects other areas of your life as well?

 

If any of the information on this site sounds all too familiar, you might want to get a formal evaluation. link removed Some people do not realize they have ADD until adulthood.

 

BellaDonna

[Myles]

You may very well be experiencing ADD. How were your grades/performance in school? Was this ever an issue for you in school? Do you think it affects other areas of your life as well?

 

If any of the information on this site sounds all too familiar, you might want to get a formal evaluation. link removed Some people do not realize they have ADD until adulthood.

 

BellaDonna

 

Actually! I did horribly in high school & I think this is what's stopping me from going to college because I know it's going to be the very same thing.I really hated high school because I hate sitting in classrooms listening to teachers talk and I HATE following directions because most of the time, I forgot most of what the teacher taught and I had other things on my mind, like what was on tv,what was I going to do after school, the cute girl I like in third period etc. I'm horrible at following directions & with homework, I hated doing it because I couldn't catch on with the material fast enough most of the time. Even when people tried to teach me with tutorial, they'd often get frustrated because it took me so long to learn the material. When I did learn something and we moved onto the next step.. I would forget the first step and get confused. I actually gave up and stopped doing my work because everyone worked at a fast pace besides me.The teachers basically felt sorry for me and passed me most of the time and I had to take summer school almost every year of high school because I failed a couple of classes. People used to call me dumb which effected my self esteem horribly and I don't get why it's so hard to stay focused and get things done correctly.

[BellaDonna]

I would suggest getting a formal evaluation. It would involve consulting a psychiatrist, school psychologist, or other qualified professional to take some standardized tests to figure out what your learning needs, strenghts, and limitations are.

 

If you were formally evaluated while in high school you may have done much better because you could have received accommodations to help you learn and to firgure out which learning style works best for you.

 

For example, since "listening" to prolonged verbal instructions does not seem to work for you- receiving information in a more visual/interactive format may have given you more success in school.

 

If you do indeed have ADD- it does not always mean that you need medication. You might just have to adapt some things in your environment and come up with some new learning strategies that you can use anywhere- including at work and at college.

 

If you are formally evaluated and you find that you do indeed have a learning disability- if you went to college you could talk with a disability support counselor to work out a learning plan. (I work in this field so if you have any questions about that process feel free to PM me)

 

BellaDonna

 

P.S.

 

I hate sitting in classrooms listening to teachers talk and I HATE following directions because most of the time, I forgot most of what the teacher taught and I had other things on my mind,

 

You may have "hated" learning because it was a confidence issue. Had the material been delivered to you in a way that you could grasp and retain better- and that felt relevant to you, you may have felt more competent, and as a result, more enthusiastic about high school in general.

[sarey]

It may not necessarily be ADHD, I have ADHD and it's not just to do with short attention span and bad memory, it could be a number of things, go to your doctor and get it checked out.

[Maree79]

I agree with Sarey to get checked out by your doctor.

 

There is nothing wrong with writing things down, in fact you may just need to write it down once to remember it. My very first job was as a cashier & although I am great at math, I choked in front of people & would forget everything! I wrote things down, kept the notes beside the register & was able to do just fine.

[pinkelephant]

or maybe you should just try harder to pay attention?

 

 

if you don't have trouble concentrating on what's on tv but do on school then you probably were lazy for school?? no offense but i wouldn't jump on add yet. everyother person is diagnosed with it nowadays...

 

 

 

that's what my bestfriend was like too. she'd always complain and say she has add but seriously, she was just lazy.

 

 

 

 

im brain dead when it comes to simple stuff too though.. no idea why...

[sarey]

^^

Most ADD'ers can actually pay quite good attention to the TV, by the way.

Though I usually just flick the channels over every few seconds, and end up turning it off and doing something else. But some ADD'ers can actually pay a lot of attention to the TV, some do 'over-focus'.

[BellaDonna]

Watching TV is a passive activity, whereas learning is an active and interactive activity in which the mind must retain knowledge.

 

The ability to watch TV does not correlate to the ability to learn material in an educational setting.

 

ADD/ADHD is most certainly over-diagnosed, especially in children. But some individuals really do have the condition and truly suffer in many areas of their lives (especially in school and employment), despite their best efforts and intentions to do well. This leads to frustration and low self-esteem. A person who suspects that they might have this condition should not feel afraid to come forward and seek help simply because they worry it might look like they are joining a trend. It's a real learning disability for many people.

[pinkelephant]

i didnt' mean to say they should feel embarrassed to get help because of the trend. i'm just saying they shouldn't be so quick to diagnose themselves and use it as a clutch. i've seen it happen allll the time.

[redrose85]

Plenty of people have difficulty concentrating, especially when the task is boring. It doesn't always mean it's ADD...

 

OP- Some jobs are just a better fit than others. I just put in my two weeks at a retail job I've been at for 9 months now. Only around the 6 month mark did I finally get everything down pat. There is a lot to know, and in retail, everything can change daily. Don't be too hard on yourself. Money can be SO intimidating! Just keep a cool head and stay calm at all times.

 

Don't focus on your flaws, focus on what you do well, and work on the problem areas a bit at a time. Maybe you should look for a slower paced job that will be a better fit for you. I'm NOT saying you're slow, don't take that to heart Like I said, I'm the same way. I can be a REALLY slow learner, and I know it's frustrating.

 

I just started a front desk job at a local hotel, and from day one, I felt more confident doing that job than I ever have at the old retail job. It's just a better fit all around. If you do get fired, it just means that the job wasn't right for you, and it gives you the opportunity to find something better suited to your abilities.

[jane820]

Plenty of people have difficulty concentrating, especially when the task is boring. It doesn't always mean it's ADD...

 

I don't mean to diagnose, as I'm not a doctor, but I don't think that the problem stems from the task just being boring. Since keeping the job is dependent on learning certain things, simply having a work ethic makes you interested in what you're doing. If someone's not interested in their job, I don't think they'd show such concern for wanting to keep it. It sounds like the kind of thing where, even if you really try to remember something or focus on something, your mind wanders or craps out beyond your control. What is being described here sounds EXACTLY like the issues I face with any new job (even my current one) and the reason I have these issues is my ADD. Even trying to learn something I genuinely WANT to learn is very difficult (I love my job), and I always come out with people thinking I'm actually not interested in learning it.

 

I'm not one of the over-diagnosed, and I actually get very angry when people trivialize my condition by claiming that they have it themselves when they have no real reason to think so, or say that I don't have it simply because it IS over-diagnosed, and that I just want attention or something. The fact that ADD/ADHD is heavily over-diagnosed is a real problem for those who actually have the disorder, and because this looks a lot like ADD/ADHD, I think that possibility should at least be taken into consideration.

[Myles]

Well this is great.. I just got resigned from my job because it's been a week of training and since I couldn't keep up with the material fast enough... they terminated me.. I'm so embarrassed and depressed.

[pinkelephant]

aw, it's okayy. i didn't do well in cashier either. i'm sure you're not stupid or anything. most girls that i worked with seemed smart and thought they were way smarter than me.. but when it comes to other things, i was way smarter.

 

i'm sure you're the way too. it's just cashier, really. my mom didn't do all that well at tim hortons! (it's a casual coffee chain in canada) and she's brilliant (SO not saying that because she's my mom. i genuinely admire her for everything). she just couldn't remember where all the stuff were. she graduated top 20 out of her entire university, has her own business - an accounting firm at that.

 

she was pretty embarrassed, some people were mean to here there... but now she makes wayyy more money in a day than they do in a week. so chin up.

[redrose85]

Don't worry about it. Try to find something in stock or merchandising. Actually, try something in hospitality at a small hotel/motel. It's so much more laid back. I was the "dumb" one at my old job (though no one ever said it out loud)... and at my new hotel job, I was told today that I am a genius for learning everything so quickly. I have been getting praise from day one, and gotta tell you, it feels great! It's a completely different atmosphere than retail/cashiering. You still have to do some cashier work, but it's mostly phone and paperwork. Sorry that you lost your job, but this gives you the opportunity to find something better.