disclaimer: these are some things that make it easier for me to study when i can’t take my adhd medication. i have inattentive type adhd, so it might be different for people with combined type or hyperactive type. my experiences are not universal, and what works for me might not work for others.
if you have adhd medication, fucking take it. i know it can make you feel gross and anxious, but if you can, it’ll make studying so much easier
if you don’t have adhd medication, having a cup of tea, coffee, soda, or an energy drink might help you gather the energy that you need to focus more intently. if caffeine makes you anxious and jittery, skip this step. you can’t study if you’re having a panic attack
meditate!! i know, i know, it isn’t going to magically make all of your symptoms go away, and it doesn’t work for everybody, but there’s really no harm in taking five minutes out of your day to try. it might not make it easier to focus, but i personally get a lot less irritated with myself after meditating, which makes it easier to be forgiving when i get distracted
put on clothes that make you feel productive. these vary from person to person. you might feel more comfortable in sweatpants or pajamas, or you might feel more motivated to work in nice jeans and a button-down shirt. socks and shoes are great so that your feet don’t get cold, and it might be a good idea to tie your hair back so it doesn’t get in your face
clean off the space where you’ll be studying. if you don’t have time to organize the room, just take everything off of the desk or table and set it aside. it’s hard to focus when the area around you is cluttered
gather all of your materials. books, pens and pencils, looseleaf or notebooks and binders, folders and classwork, technology, chargers, a speaker to play music if you want, a bottle of water, maybe a snack. you should have everything you need to stay in this space for a few hours without constantly getting up to fetch things
that being said, keep your immediate workspace clear of everything that you’re not using at the moment. minimize distractions in your field of view
try listening to music while you work. it can help you divert some of your excess energy. i like video game soundtracks, because they’re upbeat and fun to listen to but don’t have distracting lyrics
if music is too distracting, white/pink/brown noise can be a good way to block out outside noises and distractions
fidget!! bounce your leg, squeeze a stress ball, play with putty, roll a ball around with your feet, mouth the words to a song or chew gum
make it fun. it’s a lot easier to focus on a subject that you’re interested in. if you don’t care about what you’re learning, have fun making your notes look cool, or seeing how much information you can fit on one page. make a game out of it, if you need to. flashcards are great for this
switch between subjects! once you start getting bored of one, switch to another until you’re bored of that, and keep moving until you’ve finished everything
take!!! fucking!!!! breaks!!!!!
honestly this is what’s saved my life in terms of studying with adhd. there are tons of different ways to do this. you can use a timer, an app, or just your intuition to know when you’re starting to lose focus
if you’re having trouble getting started or getting your words down on to the page, try using a very short cycle of work/breaks. i like to have four minutes and thirty seconds where i sprint to get down everything i can, and then thirty seconds to catch my breath before i start again
for subjects like science and reading, where you might need more of a consistent flow of thought, a scheme like twelve minutes of work, three of break might work better. adjust the times to fit your liking. if you need longer breaks, that’s ok! if you need less breaks, but can’t work for more than an hour without a longer break, that’s alright too
do things in your breaks, if you have enough time! if you need energy, dance around to a pop song or do push ups or jumping jacks. if you need to rest, meditate or just sit and let your mind wander. if you need to keep busy so you don’t lose your streak of productivity, check emails or reblog posts to your queue
forgive your own “imperfections”
i know how frustrating it can be to feel like you always have to put in three hours of work to somebody else’s hour, or like you’ll never be able to focus as well or as long as they can. don’t beat yourself up for this. give yourself time to be annoyed, and angry, and sad and hopeless and lost, and then get up and give it your everything all over again. everybody works differently, and you bring things to the table that nobody else could. don’t let anybody tell you otherwise
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