I am a college student and am just learning that I have ADD. One of the problems I have that led me to look into this is that I do not get all the things done during the day that I want to (school stuff is the biggest), mainly because I am too concentrated on one or two items (I think the ADD world calls it "hyperfocusing"). My school life is suffering terribly and I do not know what to do. What suggestions do you all have to give?
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Help with ADD
- Thread starter danmpem
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Hi, I may be adult ADHD - diagnosis pending. To deal with the hyperfocusing i have small activites to act as "vents" throughout the day...forums, a dictionary becasue i am socailly dysfunctional 
, housechores, walk my dog, water the garden.
I study on my own in a low stimulation environment - i am now very minimilistc with material things in my house, i found that this dampens my peripheral vision distractions.
I write a list in the morning (well, it is scribble across the page, so i number items to keep track of priorities); as i complete something i check it off. Sometimes i have to limit myself to part of a task, and do something else, so that item on the list gets another number in order of priority.
I try and be flexible with my time limits on each item. I slow myself down iwth breathing and try to realistically estimate how long a task will take, then add up the time...realising i've assigned myself an 18 hour day, now i can easily go back to my list and delegate things to the next day/week. 6 hours study/writing in a day, leaves time for dramas, distractions especially when stressed, eating, maybe a sleep cause my brain's exhausted, time for my pets and family, and of course me!
I make it sound easy, but tonight i am still at work (i work from home) and it is 8:30 at night and i started at 7 this morning. ..
I use art and creativity as i study and these go on the walls to save study time. I have lots of paper about and an open blank word doc so that ...ok i just stepped out to a dictionary sorry...so that when ranom thoughts won't let go i can jot them down and then get back to what i am supposed to be doing.
Anything that is important that doesn't get done on the assigned day, gets assigned to the next day as the first priority.
When i was at uni i took the bus and got in an extra hour-hour and a half study time each way.
hope this helps,
pm anytime
, housechores, walk my dog, water the garden.I study on my own in a low stimulation environment - i am now very minimilistc with material things in my house, i found that this dampens my peripheral vision distractions.
I write a list in the morning (well, it is scribble across the page, so i number items to keep track of priorities); as i complete something i check it off. Sometimes i have to limit myself to part of a task, and do something else, so that item on the list gets another number in order of priority.
I try and be flexible with my time limits on each item. I slow myself down iwth breathing and try to realistically estimate how long a task will take, then add up the time...realising i've assigned myself an 18 hour day
, now i can easily go back to my list and delegate things to the next day/week. 6 hours study/writing in a day, leaves time for dramas, distractions especially when stressed, eating, maybe a sleep cause my brain's exhausted, time for my pets and family, and of course me!I make it sound easy, but tonight i am still at work (i work from home) and it is 8:30 at night and i started at 7 this morning. ..
I use art and creativity as i study and these go on the walls to save study time. I have lots of paper about and an open blank word doc so that ...ok i just stepped out to a dictionary sorry...so that when ranom thoughts won't let go i can jot them down and then get back to what i am supposed to be doing.
Anything that is important that doesn't get done on the assigned day, gets assigned to the next day as the first priority.
When i was at uni i took the bus and got in an extra hour-hour and a half study time each way.
hope this helps,
pm anytime
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UnicornsAreRealToo
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Hyperfocusing is a tough one. If you can manage to get focused on something that you actually need to do then it's great, but more often it'll lock your entire being onto one small, generally unimportant piece of the larger task.
Personally, I think it's a defense mechanism. If you have a large, complex, multi-step task to preform then your ADHD mind will just go bonkers, snapping from piece to piece, never really seeing anything, and just generally creating a ton of stress. Hyperfocusing allows you to escape that by shutting out the overwhelming stimuli. The problem is that once your mind finds a comfort zone it tends to dig in and resist any attempts to force it to come back out.
Anyway, all of that is beside the point since you wanted suggestions, not whatever thoughts happened to pop out of my head.
So:
1. Try to find a study partner who can help you with organizing and pacing your study time. Then just try to follow their lead. Don't get mad at them, either. If you feel rushed, pressured, and generally aggravated then you're probably working at a productive, though unfamiliar, pace.
Alternatively, there are lifestyle coaches (or something like that) who can help you with that. But not for free.
2. Make lists of exactly what you have to do that day, being careful not to hyperfocus on the list.
3. Use an egg timer or something like that to help you keep track of time. If you figure you can do the task in 15 minutes then set the timer and try to get done before it goes off.
One of the ADHD things I've noticed is that we often have an extreme difficulty hurrying. We pace ourselves the way we feel comfortable pacing ourselves, and then we get all snappy and twitchy when people try to rush us or move us on to another task. So try to be concious of that. Consider the possibility that the jerk that keeps bugging you to hurry up and get the task done is right, and that your irritation with him, while real, is misplaced. Then take a deep breath and move on.
4. Unless you have some irrational christian bias against meds (oops, did I editorialize?) you might want to try some. Personally I've made a ton of progress since I started taking Adderall. It's not a miracle pill or anything, but it helps me focus, which reduces my stress level, which helps me focus even more, which reduces my stress level even more, which leads to increased social awareness, productivity, and general happiness, assuming that I work my ass off for all of that.
5. Don't wait until the last minute like almost all ADHD people almost always do. I've managed to practice what I preach on that one several times in my life, and I must say it was pretty rewarding, though entirely contrary to just about everything that makes me me.
6. When you finally manage to get things somewhat squared away, complete the big task, and get the great grade, expect to feel depressed. That's normal for us. Once we get into the swing of things we kind of get off on the stimulation. When it ends there's a letdown and, perversely but typically, the lack of the same stimulation that was just overwhelming and stressing us half to death is suddenly depressing. Who knows? We're a bit mental I guess.
Anyway, there's some random stuff to chew on, as well as my second post. Ninety-eight to go before I can finally dive into the debate forums. SPOON!!!
Personally, I think it's a defense mechanism. If you have a large, complex, multi-step task to preform then your ADHD mind will just go bonkers, snapping from piece to piece, never really seeing anything, and just generally creating a ton of stress. Hyperfocusing allows you to escape that by shutting out the overwhelming stimuli. The problem is that once your mind finds a comfort zone it tends to dig in and resist any attempts to force it to come back out.
Anyway, all of that is beside the point since you wanted suggestions, not whatever thoughts happened to pop out of my head.
So:
1. Try to find a study partner who can help you with organizing and pacing your study time. Then just try to follow their lead. Don't get mad at them, either. If you feel rushed, pressured, and generally aggravated then you're probably working at a productive, though unfamiliar, pace.
Alternatively, there are lifestyle coaches (or something like that) who can help you with that. But not for free.
2. Make lists of exactly what you have to do that day, being careful not to hyperfocus on the list.
3. Use an egg timer or something like that to help you keep track of time. If you figure you can do the task in 15 minutes then set the timer and try to get done before it goes off.
One of the ADHD things I've noticed is that we often have an extreme difficulty hurrying. We pace ourselves the way we feel comfortable pacing ourselves, and then we get all snappy and twitchy when people try to rush us or move us on to another task. So try to be concious of that. Consider the possibility that the jerk that keeps bugging you to hurry up and get the task done is right, and that your irritation with him, while real, is misplaced. Then take a deep breath and move on.
4. Unless you have some irrational christian bias against meds (oops, did I editorialize?) you might want to try some. Personally I've made a ton of progress since I started taking Adderall. It's not a miracle pill or anything, but it helps me focus, which reduces my stress level, which helps me focus even more, which reduces my stress level even more, which leads to increased social awareness, productivity, and general happiness, assuming that I work my ass off for all of that.
5. Don't wait until the last minute like almost all ADHD people almost always do. I've managed to practice what I preach on that one several times in my life, and I must say it was pretty rewarding, though entirely contrary to just about everything that makes me me.
6. When you finally manage to get things somewhat squared away, complete the big task, and get the great grade, expect to feel depressed. That's normal for us. Once we get into the swing of things we kind of get off on the stimulation. When it ends there's a letdown and, perversely but typically, the lack of the same stimulation that was just overwhelming and stressing us half to death is suddenly depressing. Who knows? We're a bit mental I guess.
Anyway, there's some random stuff to chew on, as well as my second post. Ninety-eight to go before I can finally dive into the debate forums. SPOON!!!
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UnicornsAreRealToo
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By the way, is there any way to turn off all of this scrolling, blinking, sparkling, flashing crap? This form is an absolute nightmare for anyone with ADHD/Dyslexia (or at least for me...).
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Maramixi
Happy caffine addict
Hmm...
The smilies don't bother me.
I don't know if this will help you or not, but I have found that drinking coffee helps me with my ADD. Just be sure to drink lots of water too because coffee can dehydrate you if you have too much. I learned that the hard way.
hehe.
The smilies don't bother me.
I don't know if this will help you or not, but I have found that drinking coffee helps me with my ADD. Just be sure to drink lots of water too because coffee can dehydrate you if you have too much. I learned that the hard way.
hehe.
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I cut a class once, a couple of years ago, because I was hyperfocusing on something I was doing in Photoshop. That wasn't a good day.
Coffee and tea both contain caffeine, obviously, and since caffeine is a stimulant like most ADHD medication, it can help you focus. I remember when I had to deal with all my term papers I went through an entire tin of Earl Gray tea in a week... I probably went through two or three cups of really strong tea a night, and it did help. But the medication is easier to deal with oftentimes, and it does help. It might take a while to figure out which one works the best for you, however, once you do figure out what works, it's indispensable.
Lists do help a little bit--break down what you have do to into tasks and make sure you actually get on those tasks. If you do a little bit each day it would probably work better. That's the conclusion I reach every single time I sit down at midnight to write a paper due the next morning, at least. Like, if you're working on a lit or history essay, gather together and mark off all your sources one day, outline/plan your essay the next (figuring out a good way to plan a paper is something else that varies from person to person--I use a combination of bulleted lists and concept maps) and do a rough draft two nights before, edit the night before it's due.
It's really important to have a good organizational system. I was pretty terrible personally, then I started using my computer nearly exclusively for notes, which had some pitfalls of its own (unlimited distraction in classes) but I've found that i can organize files a lot more efficiently there.
Coffee and tea both contain caffeine, obviously, and since caffeine is a stimulant like most ADHD medication, it can help you focus. I remember when I had to deal with all my term papers I went through an entire tin of Earl Gray tea in a week... I probably went through two or three cups of really strong tea a night, and it did help. But the medication is easier to deal with oftentimes, and it does help. It might take a while to figure out which one works the best for you, however, once you do figure out what works, it's indispensable.
Lists do help a little bit--break down what you have do to into tasks and make sure you actually get on those tasks. If you do a little bit each day it would probably work better. That's the conclusion I reach every single time I sit down at midnight to write a paper due the next morning, at least. Like, if you're working on a lit or history essay, gather together and mark off all your sources one day, outline/plan your essay the next (figuring out a good way to plan a paper is something else that varies from person to person--I use a combination of bulleted lists and concept maps) and do a rough draft two nights before, edit the night before it's due.
It's really important to have a good organizational system. I was pretty terrible personally, then I started using my computer nearly exclusively for notes, which had some pitfalls of its own (unlimited distraction in classes) but I've found that i can organize files a lot more efficiently there.
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