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Hi ladies!
I have some major examinations coming up next year, but I find myself struggling to stick to a study routine. The syllabus is tough and requires focus that I simply do not have! Plus, I lose a major chunk of motivation when I don't get things on my first try (which is inevitably going to happen every single time lol!) These exams are important and a major career boost. Here is my dilemma- I have to somehow make studying this tough STEM subject stimulating and fun for a routine to be sustainable
I came across these tips from my own research and I'm implementing them but it still is not working:
Exercise and sleep well
Stop trying to think yourself into finding motivation- just physically vote with your body and begin doing it (works for physical tasks but not for studying)
Make it easy and small (cannot always do that since I am constrained by an objectively tough syllabus that is slightly beyond my comfort zone)
Medication is not an option, unfortunately
Do any of you ADHD ladies have tips on how to study tough things consistently? Thanks a ton!
Make it more challenging! Aim to explain the material to others. Set timers and challenge yourself to answer as many practice exam questions in 30 minutes as you can. Imagine you'd have to create a presentation on your study topic. I also like to blast music. Our brains need the right baseline of stimulus so it's not bad to have some things neurotypicals would consider "distracting". Use lots of fun and colorful pens when writing notes. Make up funny songs about the topic. I find approaching studying from our naturally curious and creative side makes it a lot easier. Get rid of all ideas of how studying "should" be done.
You don't need a study routine. You need to learn how you learn best.
How other people work is not how you work. Nr 2, just do it, doesn't work for ADHD people.
As a fellow ADHD person these are my tips:
1. Make studying a game with rewards.
2. Flashcards in stead of reading.
3. Give yourself questions to answer in stead of just reading.
4. Figure out what you are most interested in and start with that.
5. I can't study at home. Can you? Figure out where you can study best.
6. You don't have to be consistent. I managed to get good grades on my bachelor while starting to read two weeks in advance of the exam.
You need to figure out how you work and how you best learn.
Good luck❤️
If you have an official diagnosis talk to your university!
At least at my old university, students with disabilities that could affect them during exams (including things like ADHD, dyslexia etc.) had a right to accommodations. A lot of students don't know that and a lot of professors don't know either (or don't bother to mention it because following it could mean more work for them).
A common accommodation for students with ADHD at my university was allowing them to write the exam alone in a quiet room to minimize distractions and to give them a little more time to complete the exam. It obviously won't solve all your problems but at least it's something.
All the other comments have much better advice than I'm able to give, so instead I will share with you how I was able to graduate my program with a 4.0 (I also am diagnosed with ADHD but choose to be unmedicated). Instead of putting me on medication like I had initially asked for, my therapist suggested that I self-medicate with caffeine for a while first. I did, and although it isn't the healthiest avenue it was the only way I would have been able to perform. Trying to wean myself off of it now that school is over has kind of sucked, but it's not impossible. It's much less potent of a stimulant than amphetamines and much easier to get yourself off of. I guess what I'm saying is- don't feel bad if you need to lean on external sources of dopamine to get through your studies. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to do it without. School is extremely demanding- even on people who don't have ADHD. If it makes your life easier for the time being, why not?
Have you asked for accommodations and counseling through your school?
honestly, i have great focus for things like reading, research, sports, music, art and cooking, but machine learning and certain programming specializations are ridiculously complex with huge swaths of information required to be assimilated quickly. it’s almost comical, but it actually just makes me cry.
i once asked a client who’s a software developer how he got into his field: he said he started it as a hobby when he was 14. htf can i compete with that?!? i said, “wow, you must have dazzled your current employers with an amazing portfolio!” he just kind of laughed nervously and looked confused.
oh…kay….
well it’s mutual, STEM just confuses me. i feel like my physiology rejects the material if i sit in front of a computer screen for longer than 25 minutes. seems fitting that this is the top career choice at a time when women are losing their rights … as the world denies their existence + contributions, and the fertility of the planet disappears.
guess i’ll be in poverty forever.
anyway, coding projects seem to call for a lot of making mistakes and then asking people (and by people i mean dudes) for help in online forums. yikes.
have fun.