What tricks have you done to stay motivated?

[Monkeyman55]

Hello everyone,

I am going through school right now and now and with ADHD school was going awesome and I was getting A's on everything that I was turning in. Then I got a B on some of the stuff I was turning in then B- then I slipped up and did not turn something in. Got a D- then motivation just left. Now with the last few weeks I have no motivation. Like. None. Just because I failed and with ADHD my mind tells me "oh wElp just give up". So what tricks have you done to stay motivated during times like these ? (I also work full time and my schedule is all over the place)

Thank you all

[BlessedLady]

My faith in the Lord helps me manage.

[UhNonImus in reply to BlessedLady]

then you don’t have it

[NYCmom2]

You’re attending college AND working full time AND hopefully enjoying a social life. That’s a lot and can lead to burn out if you overcommit. You are capable of getting high grades but the balance might be cutting back on work.

You’re in a phase of life where you’re learning to manage and balance your priorities. It’s a constant rebalancing act.

Does your school have a support team you can meet with regularly to help with executive functioning and planning?

[Jozlynn]

Hi Monkeyman55! Great question! NYCmom2 had a great question about whether the school has a support team - that would be an excellent place to start.

I'd also like to suggest that you look into co-working or body-doubling groups - or even just a single person to body-double with. Having someone working alongside of you, either in-person or online, while you tackle the tasks/assignments that you're otherwise avoiding, provides motivation and accountability. We offer a co-working group every Wednesday and people come to the group with something specific to get done - usually something they've been putting off doing on their own - everyone talks about what they're going to work on, then we go on mute and work together while on a Zoom call. This ranges from folding their laundry, cleaning the bathroom, or working on a report - the task can be literally anything. It's like cleaning your kitchen...it's so much easier to accomplish when someone is there hanging out with you while you do it. Having to do it on our own can lead to just walking away from it. I would imagine that if you were to Google co-working groups for your university, there are probably groups of other ADHD students gathering. If you need help finding a group, I would be happy to assist.

[StoneJeweler]

A lot of schools have assistance available for those with disabilities. This includes ADHD, when I was in school I got help with taking notes, given more time to finish tests, writing papers, being able to tape record my classes (I never knew how much I missed until I listened to my tape recorder.)

[Ash_tree]

I did the same thing - worked full time while going to school. It was hell! And I did the same thing with a few classes - messed up and just. Could. Not. Care about the class anymore.

There are a few things that helped me:

1. I would put on my Student Cap: before I started school work I would sit and imagine what it would look like if I were playing the role of Diligent Student in a movie. What would it feel like to be Diligent Student? This helped a lot for transitioning from a work day to a night class or something.

2. I would trick myself into starting an assignment by saying I only had to work on it for 30 minutes or whatever and then, if I really wanted to, I could stop. Usually I’d get going enough in those 30 minutes that I wanted to finish.

I did all this before I even got diagnosed, I had no idea I had adhd - so I hope they help even though they’re just my weird brain tricks.