Tips for doing homework

[Mia001]

Hi!

I am struggling with trying to do my homework at home. When I worked, I would make sure to finish all my work at work and my home would be a place of relaxation. Now, I'm having trouble bringing my homework home and getting started on it as well as remaining focused. I'm doing my masters and there is so much reading and writing papers. I am trying out not being on medication right now but it's been incredibly difficult. I have an office space to try to create an environment for work, but I find myself avoiding it. Any tips?

[cjnolet]

My wife & I went through a declutter marathon last Fall. I got rid of many distractions around my side of the bed as well as in our home office. I found that even little things around me when I'm attempting to study or concentrate on my schoolwork can distract me and cause me to completely lose what I was working on.

I also got off social media because I found that to be quite a distraction as well and I try to do as much of my work away from the computer as possible.

Finally, I found that I have to force myself into being excited over the material sometimes. Kudos on working on your masters! By this point, you have generally chosen your field of interest and you should be craving to be better in the field- which means you should have a pretty high interest in the major, at the very least. While I know not all courses that are forced in graduate curriculums are the most exciting, I've found that when I can relate the material to my daily life or to other interests that I have I am able to tear through the class with A's. On the contrary, when I'm only perceiving the material as a burden and I'm forcing myself to do it (without attempting to find interest in it), it becomes grueling and I don't end up doing as well.

Hope this helps!

Also- Einstein had the same issues. He had to be completely secluded in his office because little distractions would completely throw him off course. The best thing I did was to declutter my living spaces.

[dgs2018 in reply to cjnolet]

Thank you for bringing up the subject of decluttering. I have often found that after physically clearing out a space in my room or other, my brain seems to have more focus and there's less a sense of disorder. This is an excellent reminder of how those of us with ADHD seek out distractions when we really need to focus on a task. Sometimes distractions are good and can bring release, but to persevere on a task that's not always exciting, cleaning up is the right strategy.

[MK084]

I can totally relate. I personally have a hard time even checking my personal email at home. With regards to studying, the only way I could study at home was if I experienced the anxiety-driven adrenaline rush I would get if it was crunch time a few days (24-72 hrs)before a big exam, paper or project was due. I pretty much always had to go to the library or a coffee shop to study, and even then it was hard to motivate myself to really focus until I had the pressure of a due date.

Tips that worked for me:

#1: I would set timers on my phone for 45-55 min of non-interrupted, focused studying and give myself 5-10 minutes of every hour for a mental break. When I told my psychiatrist that this is how I got through my masters, he thought it was sad that I never experienced the enjoyment of learning and studying. To me, despite loving to learn, enjoyment of studying is a foreign concept because I struggled so much with learning and studying. I was not diagnosed with ADHD until a few months ago (4 years after completing my masters). If I had been diagnosed earlier, I believe I would have been far more successful in my studies with treatment, would have had far more confidence in myself and my capabilities (as I do now), and likely would have applied to vet school rather than pursuing the "practical" healthcare choice (occupational therapy) that I had talked myself into being a good fit for me. I know it's not too late for vet school, but I really need to figure out if it's worth the time and financial investment at this stage in my life before I pursue that route.

#2: Decluttering/cleaning my environment (as mentioned below) before sitting down to study. Minimizing my environmental chaos would create a sense of calm and peace in my mind and help me focus. Look up Feng Shui for ADHD - it's actually very powerful.

#3: Prioritizing exercise like air, water and food. Either before sitting down to study or during a break. It doesn't have to be a huge time commitment - even a jog around the block or a 15 min YouTube workout video you can do from your living room.

Good luck! If you find anything else that works, please share!

[CrazyPuppy]

I have the same problem. The best solution I have found for myself is to not try to do work at home. I found a place that was just ascioated with work and did it there. I found the library worked because it was quiet with not many distractions. Also I would go straight from working on your classes straight to this environment and have it as close as possible so as to not get out of that work mindset.