adhd study/classroom tips (from an actual adhd person)
((this is what works for me!))
●take notes!!!!!!!!! i know it can be hard but writing it down helps with remembering it!!!!
●that said, do NOT just copy notes from the board. unless it's a definition ot something your teacher says you need to know exactly the way they have it, put it in your own words.
●also, 👏 make 👏 your 👏 notes 👏 funny 👏
not only does this help me remember things, it also makes it more bearable for me to go back and re-read my notes (i.e. study)
examples from my notes:
○"joint stock companies were collective sugar daddies"
○"indentured servants had one sugar daddy"
○"the ohio river valley is for the navive americans -> people still go there anyway -> 'what's the king gonna do? not shit'"
○"england be broke (in debt)"
○"cherokee sue for removal acts -> supreme court rules in their favor -> AJ tells sc to suck it"
○"henry motherfucking clay -> daddy compromiser"
○"leads to the mexican-american war -> proves we're willing to throw hands over land"
○"kansas + nebraska act -> yeets the missouri compromise"
○"john brown - abolitionist - chaotic good"
○"1860 election - lincoln won -> south was triggered"
○"andrew johnson - daddy veto"
○"they crave beef"
○"CATions are PAWsitive"
○"glucagon -> glucose gone"
○"repolarization -> yeets potassium (k+)"
there's more but!!!! you get it!!!!!!!
●find a shorthand that works for you!!! if ik i'm going to be using a phrase a lot, i'll make an acronym/shorthand for it and put it in parentheses next to it like the first time i write it. (in my notes, "ohio river valley" became "orv", "photosynthesis" became "psynth" or "photosyn", and "constitution" became "cons't")
●find a bullet system that works for you!!!!!! i use a dash for the main thing, a full circle for a sub-thing that's important, an open circle to expand on the sub-thing, an asterisk to expand on the expansion, and then i repeat if needed
●color!!!!! very important!!!!! but, you don't necessarily have to take your notes in color. sometimes i do, but other times i go back to my notes and underline or circle connected or important ideas in different color. i also tend to go through with and underline especially important vocabulary in one color.
●if your teacher posts their powerpoints online, write down especially important slides!!!!
●if you know sitting by your friends will lead to you being distracted, don't sit by them!!!!!!!!! or make it clear what you need them to do so you can focus!!!!!
●trying to study or do homework but can't focus for more than a few minutes at a time? try changing your location. for example, on the rare occasion that i actually do homework, i tend to do it on my bed. but when i can't focus, i'll move downstairs to the dining room table. or one time i moved to my roof bc it was a nice day. if that's not an option for you, try laying on your floor and doing it!! just change it up somehow because obviously where ever you are isn't working!!!!!!
●i swear by listening to music while working. ik a lot of posts say it's okay as long as it's instrumental but i personally have never had a problem listening to music with lyrics and focusing because i don't even really listen to it, it just blocks out every other possible distraction
●try to sit either near the teacher's desk or near the board in class
●before you start working on homework or studying or whatever, make sure you have everything you need to get it done. i'm really bad about starting things and then having to get up every 5 minutes to get my pencil, or extra paper, and oh yeah i need my calculator, and then i need that one specific note sheet, and oh shit now it's too late to start, oh well guess i'll try again tomorrow.
●this includes everything you need to be comfortable!!!! wear comfy clothes and warm socks and have your preferred drink and/or snack nearby!!!!
●👏 explain 👏 your 👏 situation 👏 to 👏 your 👏 teachers 👏. one of my now-favorite teachers and i didn't get along for a bit because she believed that i was smart but that i didn't do my work out of laziness, as opposed to not doing my work because of my executive dysfunction. when i explained to her that i was adhd, she understood me better and she was able to work with me better than before.
🌸 feel free to add your own 🌸













