i used to be so good at writing strong, thoroughly-researched, thoroughly-edited essays.
as a kid in hs, my teacher literally came up to me, holding my 40 page essay on the intersection of the European witch hunts and capitalism/exploitation/gender roles (it was supposed to be 7 pages...whoops) and went like "this is literally a master's-degree level thesis. what are you doing?? you could literally use this as your final dissertation in a master's program, what the fuck."
NOW??? NOW?? you'd think I'd be oh so skilled. but alas. i can barely piece together two ideas. adhd skill-regression is so so real. im SOBBING
From a postgraduate student in her 9th year since diagnosis
(aka things I do regularly that I don't think about anymore, but didn't know about when I was first diagnosed)
Analogue clocks
Put those guys everywhere. One of the best pieces of advice I found early on. Time seems actually real when I can watch it move around the clock! And visualise how long I have by the spaces on the clock face.
If you take medication, consider taking it with cranberry juice (or a cranberry juice mix).
This was a great piece of advice I got from an ADHD nurse (shoutout to Paul). It helps the medication last longer throughout the day!
On a similar note, try to avoid too much vitamin C right around the time you take your medication, as it can make it harder to absorb.
Write everything down.
You will not remember it.
YOU WILL NOT
(As in, you may remember many things, but the exact thing you need to know at the time may not be one of them. Save yourself)
Lists
I love lists.
When I was in the early stages of my recovery and everything felt like too much, I gave myself 3 things to do each day. Sometimes it was just like 1) get up 2) eat 3) read. But it gave me something to tick off and feel like I was going somewhere!
Consider using a diary.
This might not be for everyone, but for me, I really started to get the hang of scheduling things and actually getting my head around how much I could do in a day/week, and when things were happening when I started using a paper diary. Every year I get a 'Season's Greetings' set from one of my favourite kpop groups (whichever has the best diary/calendar setup that year), and that also helps because it adds the incentive of a special interest :)
Consider using a whiteboard monthly planner
I got one of these for the first time during my semester abroad in Korea when it felt like life was moving 200 times faster than it ever had for me and I had very little space to organise in. It was amazing, I could make a note on each day if anything was happening and then refer to my diary for details if needed, and see at a glance what was happening. Also good for pacing because I could see if I was going to have a busy week and try to plan accordingly! I started off with printable ones but now prefer the whiteboard kind because I can keep changing/updating it and it looks less cluttered.
A cute pill case(s)
If you take medication, this is really helpful. I make it a habit now to restock my pill cases at the start of each week (on a Sunday for me). I have 2 pill cases, one that's more travel friendly which holds a weeks' worth of lunchtime doses and lives in my backpack, and a traditional style dossette box that holds a weeks' worth of breakfast medication and lives on the table next to where I eat my breakfast. Since using this system with these particular cases, I haven't been caught short and haven't lost them, which is a minor miracle!
Find your thing
Try to find or think of something that always lifts your mood, even that little bit. For me, it's usually upbeat music. I set my alarm music as my favourite energising songs, and if I'm having a slow morning I like to listen to a morning playlist of similar songs while I get ready. I also play music in the car and it helps me chill out at the start of my day. Personally, I think certain kinds of music can be magic for ADHD brains, but this is just my opinion!
Keep moving
This isn't always straightforward for everyone (and certainly isn't for me), and as much as I would ideally do something energetic regularly, it doesn't always work out that way (if you can do something like martial arts, or dance, that would probably be amazing!) but I definitely find that if I've had a bad pain week and moved less, I feel more restless. When this happens, my go-to is usually just a simple stretching routine. It really helps to ground me and feel more aware of where I am. I still do love higher-energy movement, though, and fit it in when I can!
Be kind to yourself!
This isn't easy, but try to remember that you can't get it right 100% of the time, and it's okay to have bad days. Ask for help when you need it, be patient with yourself, and know that it takes time to understand your needs and build habits around them. You got this 💖
Let me know if you're interested in any more. I might post another of these or write a little more in-depth about some of the points.
Okay I'm gonna share an ADHD hack I know for the ADHDers that lose stuff often, like me. (Or for anyone that loses anything, frankly. I don't gatekeep self help lol)
Get a spool of ribbon or a strip of fabric or string in a colour you like--the shinier and easier to spot the better--and tie it to things you lose often. A good several inches of length for sure. You can even colour code certain objects so you're looking for a piece of ribbon. It's fabulous when stuff accidentally gets covered up but that ribbon is still hanging out or if it gets accidentally lost in the couch cushions or under a table cuz it got knocked off. For example I have a pair of thread scissors I lose often. So I tied some green thread to them and boom. Never lost again. And if they are they're quickly found. You can do it to pretty much any object.
compiling the best tips I've seen for studying with ADHD bc they helped me so they might help someone else
first of all, making a humungous long to- do list of everything you have to do can be helpful, because that way you're not forgetting any tasks if you have it all written down, but don't just stop there & anticipate that it's going to take time to do all the tasks (don't put pressure on yourself to complete it all in one day or some bs)
second of all, you're going to get bored while doing a task. if you're already trying to complete the to-do list, you might find the easiest part is actually jumping to a new task and starting it (because the novelty aspect makes it more doable). SO, please don't feel bad for stopping and starting tasks on the to-do list. Let yourself skip around the list because it's really hard to start a task and see it all the way through without getting bored. It's better to have made some progress on five different tasks than have barely completed one. To summarise, if you start getting bored and struggling to complete a task, literally just move to a different task that you'll find easier. Productivity is often not linear with ADHD.
I actually linked my flashcards to my interests! it is sometimes very hard, but all I did was find a photo of my hyperfixation & print it off to go on the cover of the flashcards. it sounds silly but your brain wants to engage with your interests so taking the time to try and link the boring tasks with your interests actually makes it easier to engage with them
find out what is the best way for you to process information, and exploit it! I find i understand things better when I talk things through & test myself, like have someone ask you questions and verbalising your answers. SO find how out how you process information the best (conversation, writing, visual etc)
Finding a spot to work can be tricky. You probably cannot focus best in bed, even though it is so tempting. Try and work at a desk/kitchen table. When you're taking a break, try to stay in the same place that you're working (eg rather than going to your bed or going to the living room) becuase I find that it's really hard to get back to doing the task if you leave it for too long. Staying seated prevents this
Secondly, if you're studying for exams, PLEASE put them on a calendar so you can visually see how long they are away, otherwise you will most likely overestimate how much time you have to prepare for them
In terms of how much time you spend working, a few things. Firstly, don't feel bad that ppl around you might be bragging about doing ridiculous hours a day. it's not about how much you do, it's about the quality of what you do, and remember that your brain literally works differently to theirs, so you really shouldn't compare your time to their time. If you're going to use a timer to see how much you do, I actually wouldn't recommend using a countdown one, as they are often a bit de-motivating (at least for me). It's probably better to use a stopwatch, because that way there's less pressure, and it feels more like a challenge, like how much work can you get done/how long can you work for, and it feels like you can stop whenever you want to.
I personally try to work in 30 minute chunks, that's just what works best for me. I don't put a timer on my breaks either, because then it just makes them unenjoyable.
I know everyone says this, but have water next to you at all times. I often find myself getting exhausted from working because I will hyperfocus on what I'm trying to do and completely forget about fuelling myself with water/food etc. Having water next to you prevents this, as well as thinking about what time you're gonna eat (maybe set an alarm so u don't forget) otherwise you will just exhaust yourself.
Your brain likes novelty. Buy yourself a new pencil case, new nice pens/highlighters etc.
I saw this one from @aloraofficielle on instagram, PLEASE go follow her because her tips are amazzzinggg, but if you really can't make yourself ready to revise, try "dopamine farming", which can be doing a short exercise, smelling loads of different perfumes, or at least for me lipsynching & dancing to a song i absolutely love to generate enough dopamine to transition easier into doing the task
Pls change your mindset from "can you lock TF in" to "you CAN lock TF in :)" your brain doesn't like commands, it likes encouragement! Be nice to yourself while studying, make yourself a cup of tea and wear comfy clothes like pyjamas.
Also, doing silly things like having your phone screen as your favourite character saying "lock in!" or listening to a soundtrack from your fav game/film while you study can really help with motivation
Finally, if you need to have a youtube video in the background or playing music to motivate you, js do it. I need that most of the time to get shit done, and just because it doesn't work for neurotypicals doesn't mean it won't work for you.
pissing me off that the thing that has helped my executive dysfunction better than anything else is fucking. timing myself.
i don't do it in a competitive way. it's not "let's see how fast i can do the dishes." it started as "i have time blindness, so let's take an active step to fix that! if my frequent problems are thinking i got plany of time when i do not have any fucking time, or thinking i do not have any fucking time when in fact i got plany of time, it certainly can't hurt to try to figure out how long stuff actually takes!" i'm not setting a timer, i'm looking at the clock when i start something and then again when i finish and going, ah, that took about twenty minutes, good to know.
it's helped with time blindness. that's what i expected it to help with and i was right. go me! i've even posted about it before.
i did not expect it to fix the executive dysfunction. i did not expect this to result in me looking at the dishes and going "god i do not have the fucking energy for that bullshit" only to have this fucking voice in my head go "really? it's gonna take what, eight minutes?" and i'm like. "fuckin. listen. it's almost goddamn midnight i'm not doing the dishes right now." and the voice is like "almost midnight eh? how almost? ten of? so it'll still be almost midnight when you're done? it won't even take long enough to meaningfully change your perception of what time it is? you can't do it? not even for tomorrow you?" and suddenly i'm loading the dishes in the dishwasher.
it gets worse, though, because i have a habit of breaking tasks down, of saying "it's okay if i don't do this whole thing but it'll be so helpful for future me if i just do this one step." because that means that not only do i know "this whole task takes half an hour," but also, "step one takes five minutes" and once i've done step one i know "step two takes seven minutes" and i might as well do that too, y’know? and suddenly over the course of a couple months i've gone from "the kitchen is an impossible task" to "well i might as well put away the silverware at least oops i cleaned the whole kitchen" and i'm mad because actually i wanted to spend that time relaxing but also? i don't have to do it later? i can come downstairs in the morning to a clean kitchen? that's so nice? i'm still mad about it though
A hack to make doing dishes (especially without a dishwasher) a little easier for all you fellow neurodivergents: (Not saying this will work for everyone, but it has really helped me so just in case, here you go!)
Get rubber gloves. These really helped me with sensory problems- less "ick gross food on my hands and under my nails" or obsessively washing my hands with a temperature that is way too hot. Plus, the gloves provide a little more heat tolerance, so if you're like me and like the water to be as hot as possible for dishes... well these have prevented multiple burns. ALSO!! Your hands don't get wet... which if you have chronically dry skin this is a hand saver!!
A scrub brush soap dispenser, like this!!
It's incredibly useful- I fill it with soap and dilute it with water before doing dishes and then it's good to go! I found that it really helped me use less soap since I wasn't obsessively adding more every couple minutes. It's also nice as a 2in1 soap and scrubby, which reduces the amount of times you have to switch your focus.
And my favorite tip: Pick a show to watch along with it, and- if this is appealing to you- make it a game; try to race and finish the dishes before the episode ends!! Or just enjoy a nice show!!
Alright, hope these helped someone as much as they have helped me!!
