ADHD and academic success: strategies for students.
Being a student has its challenges anyway, but dealing with your ADHD while being a student is a different struggle. You may struggle to concentrate on subjects that you naturally have no interest in, and that can lead to a whole other trail of issues. Procrastinating to complete assignments or homework, then it all piles up and begins to overwhelm you. Not to mention the restlessness that comes with sitting down for what feels like an eternity in a classroom/lecture that you just can’t seem to be able to pay attention to, you might even attempt a few all-nighters to catch up with your work, which will definitely reduce your attention span throughout the day.
Our Strategies to manage your ADHD as a student.
First of all, stay organised! But how?
Something extremely useful for staying organised and productive is having a planner to write down lists of daily tasks that need to be completed. Trust me, there is something satisfying about writing that list no matter how big or small the task is, crossing each task off throughout the day, and then looking at it all crossed off and completed. It almost begins to feel addictive to have a crossed off list, and most importantly it shows you how productive you’ve been. It can even be the smallest tasks such as ‘Go to the post office to send parcel’ and complete the small things on your way to work or lecture or whatever you have going on that day.
It also helps you to feel less overwhelmed as you can take it step by step. “Okay, I have to go to the gym… done! On my way home I’ll drop off that parcel… done! Have lunch… done! Now let’s take an hour to work on this assignment!” Then you can take a moment to physically cross these off throughout the day.
Set a timer
It might be difficult for you to focus on one task. Set a realistic timer for each task, try not to make it too long so you don’t end up giving up before the timer goes off, but long enough for you to get at least most of it done.
Don’t force it, take breaks!
Don’t force yourself to keep going if it just isn’t going anywhere. Set a timer to take a break and hopefully, that distraction will allow you to go back to that task with a fresh mind and manage to focus for a little bit longer.
Study buddy
Lastly, why not organise a study session with a friend. Make sure to have these sessions with someone who isn’t easily distracted and that isn’t afraid to remind you to focus when you get distracted, but someone that you also feel comfortable enough with to ask for help.
However, it can all still be overwhelming and discouraging; don’t hesitate to talk to a mental health professional. So many schools, colleges and universities provide mental health support, but if you feel like this isn’t enough, you can contact someone at My Solution Wellbeing for support, where we can find a suitable counsellor to help you cope with ADHD, and the feelings that result from it. We can also assist with ADHD assessments and diagnosis if you think you might have ADHD
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