Long-time lurker, encouraged by this community to get properly diagnosed recently (Thanks!).
Ok, to the point: I know taking longer to reach a college degree is normal, and I should just make peace with the fact that it might take me an extra year or two. But two whole years into college, trying hard and never being enough (to prevent failing subjects & falling behind) is …just sad.
Studying feels like trying to make the stars align. I will have to be in the library, with minimal smart devices (Laptop + MP3 player at most), properly prepare for what I need to study (The correct textbooks, maybe a calculator, the right notebook, etc…), in order to have 90% chance of studying.
(Basically the good ol’ “For the next 3 hour I am holding you hostage” way)
This works… but it is really slow and takes a lot of time for average amount of studying.
I would love to experiment with other methods, and hope to hear about how other people manage their studying.
I achieved a lot in terms of studying and failed a lot in other areas.
Ask yourself: Counting only focussed, undistracted studying, do you achieve significantly less IN THE SAME STUDYING TIME than your peers? If the answer is “no”, improve your method. If “yes”, you will need to put in a few extra years, but do keep going!
Hit that problem with methods. There are tons of methods that work for some, don’t work for others. Pomodoro, X-effect, habit building, Leitner system etc.
Some things are completely uneffected by ADHD, for example building habits. The prefrontal cortex is not involved in that.
I use pomodoro, and I’m super strict about it. Here is my old comment: https://lemmy.ml/post/24026788/15853247
It’s good that you have that method in the library! I’d say keep it as it is, don’t water it down. Those special focussed sessions will help you a lot. But it should not be an excuse like “I can’t do the library thing today, so I do nothing”.
Instead, for situations where you can’t, maybe try my method. Think of it like squid game: Players have 10 minutes to study as hard as they can, then the ones with the lowest relative gain are culled. You’d rather pee in your pants than go to the toilet, and you’d not look at your phone when it makes a noise during that time. Maybe you can start with 25 instead of 10 right away, up to you.
Don’t get put off by false perfectionism. There was a group fight in the barracks last night, you haven’t showered in days, you didn’t drink enough, you got hit on the head and feel dizzy - better put those 10 minutes to good use anyway and survive another game!