Best Study Tips for ADHD!
Hi everyone! I worked with students with ADHD and other SEND needs, and here's what I did for those learners! If you have ADHD or relate to some of the traits (as I do), here are my best tips:
Motivation to do things typically comes from three things typically with ADHD:
1) Competition
2) Interest
3) Time Pressure
If this sounds like you, I'm going to break them down below, as well as what you can do to motivate yourself!
1) Competition- Do you find that that an English question you just weren't interested in is suddenly way more do-able when you're in a class and hoping to perform well as one of the best students? ADHD can mean big dreaming, but also tasks can be overwhelming and difficult to complete. Set your goals that you can reasonably achieve for the day - can you challenge your friend to see who asks the most questions in today's lesson or who will get the most marks in this practice question. Make it a game and keep it lighthearted!
2) Interest -Do you find that when a topic fascinates you, you can read for hours about it, but when you're being told to study it you find it hard to focus? Interest can be a great tool if you can harness it properly. For example, if you're hyperfixated on a film or game, could you apply your task to that interest? You could play the music of the film and pretend your task is related to the film, as if you're in the story! Use your imagination!
3) Time- If you just can't get yourself to open your textbook and you're spending all of your time feeling guilty about the amount you're NOT doing, this may apply to you. Double points if you find yourself doing your homework at midnight or just before class in a scribbly hurry. For this, see if you can set a timer and see how many flashcards you can go through in ten minutes. Or try looking up the Pomodoro method on YouTube, so you have a clearly defined focus time. Reward yourself with moving around afterwards like going on a quick walk or making yourself a nice drink such as a tea or sweet treat.
I hope this helps!
Please add anything I've missed and what works for you, and lets make this a positive place to start discussion about what helps us.
Motivation to do things typically comes from three things typically with ADHD:
1) Competition
2) Interest
3) Time Pressure
If this sounds like you, I'm going to break them down below, as well as what you can do to motivate yourself!
1) Competition- Do you find that that an English question you just weren't interested in is suddenly way more do-able when you're in a class and hoping to perform well as one of the best students? ADHD can mean big dreaming, but also tasks can be overwhelming and difficult to complete. Set your goals that you can reasonably achieve for the day - can you challenge your friend to see who asks the most questions in today's lesson or who will get the most marks in this practice question. Make it a game and keep it lighthearted!
2) Interest -Do you find that when a topic fascinates you, you can read for hours about it, but when you're being told to study it you find it hard to focus? Interest can be a great tool if you can harness it properly. For example, if you're hyperfixated on a film or game, could you apply your task to that interest? You could play the music of the film and pretend your task is related to the film, as if you're in the story! Use your imagination!
3) Time- If you just can't get yourself to open your textbook and you're spending all of your time feeling guilty about the amount you're NOT doing, this may apply to you. Double points if you find yourself doing your homework at midnight or just before class in a scribbly hurry. For this, see if you can set a timer and see how many flashcards you can go through in ten minutes. Or try looking up the Pomodoro method on YouTube, so you have a clearly defined focus time. Reward yourself with moving around afterwards like going on a quick walk or making yourself a nice drink such as a tea or sweet treat.
I hope this helps!
Please add anything I've missed and what works for you, and lets make this a positive place to start discussion about what helps us.
