Slowness, Work and Autism

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I feel really bad because I'm slow. Every job I had I lost because I was slow. It always made me ill to try and work faster and I'd always blame myself and think I was stupid. Now I see it differently but I really don't know what I can do. I've got a job interview tomorrow. This'll be the fourth job I've had in Web Design if I get it, having been graduated from uni for only four years. Most of that time I've been unemployed. I just don't know what to do for work. All I want to do is sit and take my time to do a task, but I know if I do this then I'll just loose my job. Last time I ended up in hospital for my stress level so it's like unemployment is the only option.

Have any of you managed to overcome this problem? If so how?

I have only ever had one job where people complained about me seeming to be "slow", and I honestly have no idea how I could have worked any faster ... but then the matter of "thorough" (as you have mentioned) turned out to be the actual difference there: The "fast" people were not really doing all the work.

There have been times when a boss has asked why something I am doing seems to be taking so long, and I have usually just answered with a question:

Why is there always time to do things over but never enough time to just do them properly the first time?

That might not work in every situation, but for me it has typically set them away for a while ...

There's a social dynamic going on which I kind of perceive. Almost like a soccer coach, the boss feels the need to exhort his players to run faster, even though he knows they're already running as fast as they can. The boss wants to feel like he's doing something!

In many normal cases, there's a trade off between speed and thoroughness. But there are some tricks. For example, I have had success with the theory of 'multiple quick passes.' And maybe you could test something three times, instead of ten times? (And I believe there's a famous case in which WordPerfect removed something in order to fit something else on their floppies (and this was back when there were 5 1/4" floppies!). And it all "worked." But users got an "error" message that two programs were missing, so WordPerfect had to hire extra staff to field all these incoming calls. The point is, multiple quick passes.)

One real NT trait at work I have noticed is they only see things on a surface level. They don't seem to understand that the fast people may not be doing the whole job, cutting corners to appear faster. Any mistakes and additional work needed further down the line is accepted as part of the job, with no one questioning the real long term inefficiencys of their apparent speed. I believe in spending a little extra time to prevent any additional work futher on. Most NTs will never see this though, and you tend to be branded slow, and thats that. If a real long term time study was done I would bet the slow workers would be proved as the most efficent, over the long term.

Try to find a job where accurate and thorough employees are highly regarded and sought after.

As usual everything you all say fits my own experience completely. In my previous job they say they, "had not problems with quality" in fact as a Web Developer we never had one client come back with a single error message or problem, just more features to add. Unfortunately the problem was said to be speed.

I've tried lots of things whilst out of work to try and get a website done faster, but despite this I still get 1 design done in 1 day (about 6-7hrs really). They want 2-3 designs done in one day. Ok not finished but just to a level where they can show a client. The problem is really that the recommended approach is: Go on a template site, rip a design, done. Trouble is that it needs to be altered to suit the purpose and it's this altering which takes time. I think I always complicate things up but don't know why, perhaps it's trying too hard to create a good working idea for them, I want it to have vision or something.

P.s. And yes there was another more successful guy in the job and he cut the worst corners but you can't exactly point that out can you?

Yes we on the spectrum tend to try too hard, an asset yet a hinderance.



I find being perfectionistic and seeking the very best result does take time. But I love to work this way and wouldn't have it any other.
It seems you are putting your very best effort into each design, to be the best you can. Sometimes thats not what employers want to see.
They can be blinded to your skill by what they see as lack of productivity. Unfortunately we are under pressure to give them what they want,
at the expence of long term quality.

I actually work too fast. I'm very perfectionist and go over things more than once, yet I am still the fastest. And I make no mistakes. At least none that I or anyone else has been able to spot.

i can be accurate, or i can be fast, but not both. one or the other must suffer.

This is typical of my experience, extended probationary periods, sack, or just contract finished because they can. but mine is probably more to do with ADHD dyslexia etc, but i know what you mean, we are diferent, and thats all that matters, we don't fit in.

Every job I ever had I was plauged with slowness I usually compinsate by never being late or a being a perfectionist.

This makes us strong as entrepreneurs, but not so much as employees. Or, it gives us somewhat of a head start on the very difficult task of starting a business: 80% of new businesses fail, fixed cost and "burn rate" major contributing factors, and an independent tends to underprice and you don't want to do that.

In fact, a lot of IT start-ups expect a steep growth trajectory, and only a small percentage get it (similar to only a small percentage of seasoned pros making it deep into the World Series of Poker), and then they lash out and criticize employees for something.

Doing quality work, listening to the client, a real dialogue where you give the client what he or she wants---all that plays to strength, and you can charge some real money. But it just takes a while to get started, to get that first client, then to get that second client . . .

Please could you explain what you mean when you say this makes us strong entrepreneurs not employees? I'm just an employee of a company (or will be) so I'm not starting my own business.

Just a thought, specific to your field.

Instead of working for a web dev company, you might be better off working in the web dev & maintenance department of a company which only does its own website, at least until you get more experience. If the company is selling websites, and particularly if they have you prototyping sites that haven't been sold, production speed is of the greatest importance. When maintaining (or redesigning) the company's own website, however, accuracy becomes more important than speed.

As an example, "back in the day" I worked at AAA during a major site redesign. The actual design/functionality had already been decided before I was brought in, and it took the team close to 6 months to code the site, create the graphics, port the content, etc. to actually bring it to launch. I don't think there's any way that a company trying to make a profit on creating the site would have spent that much time on it - but when it launched it was 100% bug-free, and that's what was important.

Something that can be hard to do is a rough draft. Some people are good at putting together a basic idea to show someone, it doesn't all work but the client gets the idea, then you go and clean it up. This does take longer but you are dealing with personal opinion of clients. If every idea you have needs to be finished and perfect to you, it will take longer to create. Imagine I can show a client 3 web designs to choose from and you come in with one, I'd have a better chance of having something he likes even if it's not fully working, it's all about looks. I have to go back and complete the one chosen but the client is happier, choices feel good.

I'm not saying this is what's happening, but it's probably what they want to have happen. Quick rough drafts are not something everyone does well, and it can be hard for those on the spectrum due to routines, overthinking, and fixations on small details. I'm quicker with code than I am with design, and I often scrap a design and start all over.

I've always been one of the fastest in my jobs, but it's physical precision and quick repetitions that I'm good at.

stimulants can help this a little...maybe alot

tea- black or green..the easiest on you
energy drinks..bad for you but some people say 5 hour energys are good..but never had any effect on me..
coffee...bad for america imo...seems like it would dehydrate you.
medication...expensive, side effect prone, but can be very effective.

At my first real job at a grocery store the manager told me to sweep the whole store. It was a big place and I had only 15 minutes left on my shift. I realized that he didn't mean a thorough sweeping but a quick run over. I still did too much, I pushed the broom under the counters to get junk out. It took me a while to just go over.

When I worked at McDonald's briefly I was a terrible hamburger maker. I tried to make each one a masterpiece. I was told to just slap it together. That was hard.

At a job at a retail store the manager showed me how to put a sensor on the clothes. I had a bunch of briefs to do and she had said how it was important not to damage them. I carefully put the pin in the seam then placed then locked the tag onto the pin. The manager came along and told me I was too slow. I couldn't be careful and fast and decided since fast was more important to her I went on not caring if I damaged the item.

Later at another store we'd take clothes out of the box, hang them on a rail and pull the plastic off. I always thoroughly pulled it off and rolled it neatly into a ball. When the ball got too big I'd put it in the plastic bag and start another ball. A manager told me to stop balling it. I'd gather hold the plastic in a clump then put the clump in the bag. I was still slow and often people commented on my slowness. I answered that I didn't know why I was slow I just was. Other people would zip through but miss some of the plastic, which could be messy. I never left a mess.

I have never had too big a problem with being a little slower at work.