College was always a worry for me from wondering if I would procrastinate, to if I would be able to stay focused if I would even be interested enough to try to dedicate myself to what I was doing, etc. As someone with ADHD, sometimes even the easiest tasks become ridiculously daunting – and every day I learn something new about my ADHD because of my late diagnosis. But I want to tell you it’s possible, and here are my best tips of how I’ve survived college classes during my first semester!
Choose What Interests You
If I don’t care about a topic, it’s borderline impossible to force myself to engage with it! Of course, I care about my education, and I recognize that continuing it is a privilege I am very lucky to have. It’s hard to want to dedicate yourself to topics that don’t spark your interest. I know in high school it can be embarrassing to be excited about your work, but in college bring that spark with you! When I write or take classes on what’s new and interesting rather than taking the easy way out, I find my work even easier! Choosing to attend a college without Gen Eds was a great choice for this tip as well. There are schools out there that can cater to you rather than you catering to them!
Create Your Own Study Time
I know I know…I don’t want to study either. But it’s important, especially in college where courses become more rigorous and require more time commitment! Something that’s worked really well for me is to find times to tackle a few daunting tasks all at once. Bringing my laptop to the laundry room and cranking out an essay while I wait for my clothes to be clean makes me feel doubly successful! Or doing some easy homework while I wait for the water to boil! I find myself doing work at random times, and spacing it out but still allowing some leniency if I choose to crank out a huge chunk all at once. Whether it’s at my job when work is slow, on the subway, or even waiting for a friend to get back from the bathroom, making my study time cater to my life rather than stopping my life to study helps me stay active and engaged.
Task Organization
I don’t know about you, but traditional planners and I have never gotten along! I love the idea of them, but I either micromanage too much or just forget about it. Lately, I’ve been flip-flopping through three different organization methods, and keeping them varied prevents me from getting tired of them! Firstly, I’ll make lists on my phone in the Notes app and check them off as I go, but sometimes it’s easier to forget about because of everything going on in my phone! I also have a “Post-It Wall” where I put up things I want to get done with no specific time constraints and I have a sticky note above the light switch that says to check the wall! It’s super satisfying to be able to pull off those sticky notes and feel a little bit lighter. Lastly, there’s this planner I found off TikTok that is specifically dedicated to those with ADHD (not sponsored, I just love it!). It’s called Imperfect Inspiration and you can check it out here! Most definitely worth a try if you can’t find anything else.
How to Start Tasks
This is my biggest roadblock! I feel like I am physically incapable of just sitting down and doing an assignment, and instead, I end up intentionally distracting myself by doing other things and then getting increasingly stressed out from neglecting the first thing. I’ve found that heading out of my living space and into a library (the New York Public Library is SO pretty and makes me feel straight out of a fantasy story), cafe, or even park and studying there prevents me from getting held up. If I really can’t bring myself to do something, I’ll make a rewards-based system with myself like 30 minutes of homework = do something fun! Another specific thing that I’ve found helpful (again, not sponsored I just love it) is this app “Study Bunny.” You set a timer for how long you’d like to study, and at the end – assuming you don’t take excessive pauses – you get coins to buy your bunny hats, food, and more. It’s definitely something small and silly, but feeling like you’re studying to buy something goofy instead of studying to study helps me with my motivation!
Procrastinating…isn’t bad?
Yup, controversial opinion time. I can never remember a time where I didn’t procrastinate – at least to some degree – even if I was truly interested and engaged in whatever I was doing. But some of my best work is produced under pressure, and sometimes I can’t even bring myself to start anything until the very last minute. I’m not saying justify your procrastination and never try to complete work on time, but don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t start until the night before. The best work I have ever done is definitely completed and reworked way in advance, but being kind to myself and understanding that I don’t do something a week in advance doesn’t mean I’m a failure.
At the end of the day, I see my ADHD as a helper, not a hindrance, and at this point, I couldn’t imagine a life without it. There’s always room for improvement and always things I’m going to aim to work at, but there’s also so much to be proud of and recognize. <3