Studying can be hard, but studying with a focus disorder is even harder.

If you have ADHD, you know that studying with ADHD can be a tall order. ADHD literally stands for “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”. That basically means that people who have it have trouble focusing, paying attention, and getting tasks done. These are all things you need to be able to do in order to study. So, how do you study with ADHD?

In this blog post, I’m going to go over some of the ways that I study with ADHD, and how you can too.

Pomodoro Timers

Discovering Pomodoro changed my studying life! If you don’t know what Pomodoro Timers are, it’s basically just an amount of time where you focus for say 45 minutes and then take a break for 15 or so. You can break it up any way you want, but the idea is to have a longer focus time with smaller breaks.

You can easily find Pomodoro videos on YouTube that have set timers and play Lofi music during the focus times, or you can manually set up Pomodoros yourself with the timer on your phone (which I don’t always recommend because this could lead to being distracted by your phone, but I digress).

In case you were wondering, my favorite Pomodoro channel on YouTube is called Pomodoro Cat. They have tons of videos and playlists split up into different lengths of time. They also play Lofi music in their videos, which also helps with focus. And! They have cute little pixel cats on screen at all times. How do you beat that?

Coworking Streams

If you want to kick Pomodoro timers up a notch, I suggest tuning into coworking streams. It’s like body doubling — if you don’t know what that is, let me tell you real quick! So, body doubling is a technique for ADHD people (or just people who have trouble focusing in general) where you have two people in a room, and both are doing separate tasks. But, the presence of the other person helps both people work because they are inadvertently holding each other accountable.

I find coworking streams on Twitch. Twitch doesn’t have a coworking category (yet, hopefully this will change soon), so here is where I find coworking streamers. They help so much!

Reward Yourself for Your Work

For me, it’s always easier to do something when there is a reward waiting for me at the end. This could be absolutely anything — from getting your favorite food for lunch to buying yourself something small as a treat. This works so well because, well, it just does! If we work on a reward system, we are more likely to accomplish whatever it is we’ve set out to do.

Think of work, for example. Not all of us work just because we love it — we work for the paycheck at the end of the tunnel. That keeps us motivated to continue, even when we feel like giving up. Studying is the same way. If you know you have something fun like a shopping trip or a nail salon appointment waiting for you, all of a sudden, studying because MUCH easier to undertake.

Another way to reward yourself while you’re working is to already have something there with you that is rewarding for you, just a coffee, matcha, chai, or whatever your favorite drink is. I HIGHLY recommend that you keep a special drink on board while you work. That way, each sip of it reminds you to keep pushing forward. You can also do this with snacks, like gummy bears, chocolate, or chips.

Put Away All Distractions

This is one of the biggest things you need to do in order to study with ADHD. Only you know what distracts you the most. For most of us, it’s our phones. This is why I don’t use my phone as my Pomodoro timer and use videos or coworking streams instead. This way, I don’t end up on my phone when I should be working on something else entirely. I think we all know what that feels like. So, how do we prevent it? The best way is just to limit our distractions as much as we can. Turn off your phone or put it on silent, bookmark and close those fun tabs on your computer, and get to work.

If you still have problems doing this, maybe try putting your phone in “phone jail” like you are at school or work, and you are not allowed to get your phone out of jail until you’re done with your study session, even on your break. That way, your phone will be put out of your mind, and for your breaks, you can get up and stretch or make yourself a snack (though I highly recommend already having a snack while you study).

Get Out of the House

Go study in the library, or at your favorite coffee shop. Going to places like these makes it easier to focus because you aren’t in a place where you are used to not being focused. For example, if you try to study in your bedroom or living room, your mind recognizes these places as places of rest and not of work. If you take yourself out of that restful place and go out in public, you are giving yourself an edge by being somewhere where you have to do something and complete tasks.

Another tip that falls under this umbrella is to always study in the same place. If you can’t make it a habit to go out, designate a specific area of your place to study and study only. Don’t study in your bed — that’s where you sleep and relax. Study at your desk instead, because that’s a place where your mind recognizes that you are supposed to be productive.

Find an Accountability Buddy

One of the best ways for me to make sure I get anything done is to tell other people that I’m doing it. It automatically gives me a sense of urgency surrounding the project, because the stakes are higher. Someone else knows that I’m supposed to be working on this, so they expect me to finish it. It’s all about expectations. This works wonders for how to study with ADHD.

Maybe someone in your life is also neurodivergent like you, and they have something they have to get done in their lives as well. The two of you could come together and tell each other about what you have to do, and then throughout the time you’re working, you can send them updates on your breaks, and they can do the same with you. That way, you both are holding each other accountable and it gives you more motivation to get things done! It’s like body doubling, like I mentioned in the coworking streams section.

Use Different Study Methods

When I was in school, I used to switch between study methods. I’d use repetition, which is writing things over and over again, and I would also use flashcards. Doing this kept my mind engaged enough to focus on what I was doing. There are a lot of different study methods out there — it’s time to put them all together! If you can switch between tasks, your ADHD brain will be able to stay engaged, and studying will be made easier and more productive.

Here are some examples of different types of study methods:

• Color Coding
• Repetition
• Flash Cards
• Mind Mapping
• Teaching Someone Else

These are all ways that you can make studying an active process for you, instead of just reading a textbook. Not only is that super boring, but it also just isn’t studying to the best of your abilities, even if you have ADHD — maybe especially if you have ADHD. We need to be actively participating in whatever we do, or we get bored of it.

Multitasking

I know I said distractions aren’t a good thing for ADHDers, but sometimes, they can be (if you utilize them correctly). By “multitasking” I mean doing multiple projects at once, and not watching TV while you study. Say you have two papers due, write a little bit of this paper and then a little bit of that paper. Switching back and forth will keep your brain engaged, just like switching between study methods.

If you can do this correctly and efficiently, it will be really good for you. However, if you find that your mind is getting too jumbled, then forget it! If you can lock in and focus on one thing at a time, by all means, do that! I just know that, for me, I have to do this often. When I write these blog posts, it is NOT a linear process. I go back and forth, up and down, and left and right so many times that it would make a neurotypical’s head spin, but for my ADHD brain, it just works.

In Conclusion…

Studying with ADHD can be hard, but there are plenty of ways to make it easier or more productive. Don’t get down on yourself if nothing in this post works for you — there is something that works out there for everyone. These are just the methods and techniques that work for me.

I hope you found something here that works for you, thanks for reading!

— Bee <333