The Need for Speed and Utilizing Skill Sets

[Fox]

So back in June I started working at the grocery store/deli here in town and I like it a lot! But since I initially started I've started having a lot of problems.
Mainly in speed. The speed at which I stock/front shelves is below satisfactory for my employer to the point where I've lost hours and my job could be in jeopardy if I don't pick up the pace. Of course they assume that I just purposefully take my time and slack off and that is absolutely not the case. I put my all into everything I do for them, and for everyone I've worked for. The way my mind (and in some cases, my body) works slows me down. I'm incredibly thurough and very much a perfectionist so if something is even slightly off I'm incredibly dissatisfied and want to fix it. Then when I find something I think can be stocked I'll try, which takes more time (rotating for dates and whatnot) and coupled with my poor visual spacial skills sometimes I overgauge what is needed, or how far back or forward the cans or boxes need to be, etc. And then of course my long, awkward, and unsteady hands will knock things over and then I have to go back and fix it. What my boss says should take an hour and a half in the hardest aisle becomes a three hour ordeal for me and I'm still not done.

My saving grace at this point is what is holding me back; how meticulous I can be. I never realized what a perfectionist I am when it comes to appearances. I've also discovered that I'm incredibly good at organizing as well as list making. Scary good. And those are things I can do quickly! I'm in charge of keeping the sell by dates in order for three aisles, one being the refrigerated aisle, and they've started putting me in charge of making shopping lists for various things. But it all doesn't matter if I can't get a good pace going at all of my other responsibilities.

So I wonder. Has anyone else ever discovered they do/don't excell at certain jobs? Have you ever discovered a skill you didn't realize you had before through working? Have your particular skill sets ever saved you in the work place?

And I'm curious, could anyone give me any advice on picking up my speed? And are there any jobs that more suit my skill set that anybody knows of??

 

[Judge]

Such concerns reminded me of a trick question in the insurance business. Where in a preliminary interview you might well be asked whether you would prefer to work on a single important account to a logical conclusion with the utmost precision, or instead juggle ten other accounts in a somewhat less precision fashion. The answer of course was the latter one. No matter how proficient and diligent one was at underwriting, if you couldn't move files you weren't of much value to them.

I can relate. I am incredibly detailed-oriented, apart from my OCD issues. However I clearly understood the corporate mentality of a need for balancing quality with quantity. A dynamic you're likely going to encounter whatever your work may be.

Be organized...but learn to let go of a need to micromanage things. You already know what the problem is. It just sounds like you need to commit to a personal regimen where you don't allow yourself to be distracted by intricate detail which slows you down.

Think of ways to alter your behavior to fit the job rather than the reciprocal. That way you are sure to have more opportunities. As an Aspie, I think it's important to try to embrace the notion that "juggling" similar tasks is not quite the same as multitasking- doing many different tasks at the same time.