ADHD and Studying
If you have ADHD and you have difficulty studying, this post is for you! There are 4 main reasons the ADHD brain has difficulty with this task:
- It can be boring, and the ADHD brain has difficulty paying attention/focusing on less interesting tasks.
- The benefits of studying are often not seen until a later date in the future, so your brain may have a hard time focusing on this task in “the now.”
- Effective studying requires us to analyze what material we need to focus on, and break down the material into manageable chunks: and this can be difficult for the ADHD brain.
- ADHDers often have difficulty with time management and may have difficulty estimating how much time a task will take. This often results in underestimation of how long a study block should be, and if there is not enough time allocated to study the material, you may not be prepared.
Now that you know why it can be hard, let’s talk about some strategies you can use to accommodate for these challenges:
It can be boring, and the ADHD brain has difficulty paying attention/focusing on less interesting tasks.
- Can you make the studying more interesting? Try changing the location of where you study … maybe your brain can focus better at a coffee shop than a library, or visa versa.
- Add some more stimulation for your brain. Perhaps there is a type of study music that helps your brain focus: you can try classical music, binaural audio, or familiar music that you like.
- Try body-doubling with a friend or another student. Working beside someone can help increase focus, and you can even plan breaks together as a reward for hard work!
The benefits of studying are often not seen until a later date in the future, so your brain may have a hard time focusing on this task in “the now.”
- It can be helpful to have regular check-ins/goals along the way. Plan a study date with other students where you agree to have studied certain material before meeting. This can increase the urgency of the task to bring it into “the now.”
- Imagine your ‘future-self’ doing well on the test/assignment. Imagine how this would feel and how the benefits of working hard paid off. The ‘future-self’ technique can help increase motivation.
- Use a visual to help you. Perhaps a picture of an A+ on your mirror or a post-it note with a positive affirmation such as “I am determined. My hard work powers my success.”
Effective studying requires us to analyze what material we need to focus on, and break down the material into manageable chunks: and this can be difficult for the ADHD brain.
- It can be helpful to use different types of studying techniques such as: re-writing information learned on cue-cards, teaching a fellow student, and/or making a concept map.
- It can also be helpful to do a thought download to review the week, identify the top 3-5 things to focus on, divide those into smaller tasks, and estimate how much time each task will take.
- Notice when you are getting side-tracked by information that is more interesting to your brain - but perhaps not the most important thing to spend your study time focusing on. It can be helpful to have goals of topics/info you will study for each study session.
ADHDers often have difficulty with time management and may have difficulty estimating how much time a task will take. This often results in underestimation of how long a study block should be, and if there is not enough time allocated to study the material, this will impact the outcome.
- When you start preparing for an upcoming test, start by summarizing the steps you need to take to feel prepared. Break down the study material into manageable chunks, and then estimate how much time each step will take.
- Once you have your study steps, schedule work blocks into your weekly calendar to ensure you are carving out enough time for the test.
- Use visual timers or the pomodoro technique (https://pomofocus.io/) to help track time and schedule in breaks.
- Use small frequent rewards to keep you motivated (e.g. one m&m for each page studied!)
Good luck with your upcoming test!
