College is difficult, especially for those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). As colleges moved classes online, students suddenly faced new learning challenges. For some people with ADHD, online school meant increased disorganization, time blindness, and decreased accountability. For myself and other students, the transition to online learning was almost too unmanageable that I debated taking the year off. However, I chose not to take the year off for many reasons, which was a blessing in disguise.
I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past year, including that online school is possible with ADHD. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still challenging, and I’m still struggling, but I’ve learned skills and tips that have helped me stay grounded and productive. I have so much more to learn, but here are some things that I have learned from my experience with ADHD and remote learning. ADHD is not a monolith, and these tools will not work for everyone. These are tools that I have found to help me be productive and manage online school.
Focus on Organization
Procrastination is extremely common for those with ADHD and is not the result of being lazy or unmotivated. Fortunately, procrastination can be helped with organization, creating a schedule, and sticking to a routine.
If you have trouble visualizing your day and your commitments, try to create a weekly schedule. I use Coursicle and create two schedules. I created one with my class schedule and weekly commitments and the other that includes specific work time. I have found it helpful to have a printout hanging on my wall in front of my desk.
If you have trouble with getting things done, having daily to-do lists can help.
I find that having a to-do list based on urgency and ease is helpful. My to-do list used to have so many tasks that it was overflowing. I didn’t know where to start, which ended up me doing things that were not urgent. This path often led to me feeling more stressed when deadlines came up.
The urgency and ease to-do list comes in here and helps you organize your tasks. Get out a notebook and make three columns. Label them essential, important, least important. You can do this weekly or daily. I prefer to do the essential and important columns, daily and the least important column, weekly. Once you have these columns, it can be easier to visualize the tasks you have ahead of you. Try to do the jobs that take the most time first. If you get tired, exhausted, or fidgety, do one of the small tasks. This method won’t work for everyone, but I got so much more done by starting this method. And it feels satisfying to cross things off physically.
Different forms of organization help other people, and it may be a process of trial and error to find what works for you.
Set Goals and Be Accountable
With online school, it can be difficult to become motivated and get anything done. Something that has helped me tremendously during the pandemic is creating accountability partnerships. There are many ways to do this, but I have found two specific ways to be helpful.
If you have a friend or family member you feel comfortable with, ask them if they will keep you accountable. You can hold each other accountable, or they can keep you accountable. Each week, I send my to-do list to my friend, and she checks in on how I am doing at the end of the week. Knowing that someone is holding me accountable, even if there are no consequences, encourages me to get more done for fear of failure. It comes from some backward thinking, but it has helped me a lot.
Secondly, if you have problems focusing or getting things done, you can start a Zoom or FaceTime workgroup. About once a week, a friend and I FaceTime and work on articles. I work best in coffee shops because of the energy, typing sounds, and the feeling that someone is watching me. While I cannot go to coffee shops, I have found that these work sessions have been a good placeholder. My friend and I set a timer for 30 minutes and write. At the end of the session, we share what we have accomplished and decide if we want to add another 30 minutes if we both are not swamped.
Attend All of Your Classes and Build Relationships with Professors
With online classes, it can feel easy to skip classes and watch recordings later. With my ADHD, I know that if I don’t attend a class, I will not learn anything, and there is a 90% chance that I will not go and watch the recording. I have prioritized attending all of my classes and taking extensive notes to actively pay attention and learning. I have also found that when I actively participate, I end up learning much more.
Not only will attending your classes and participating help you, but it will also show your professors that you are dedicated to their class. Participating in class will make it easier for you to build relationships with your professors, which can come in handy when you need assistance with school work, or depending on the professor, life questions. You can also attend office hours to clarify class material and to talk to professors about work that they are doing that interests you.
I’ve found that professors tend to take me more seriously than some of my peers because I am actively participating, and when something goes wrong in my life, I can explain it to them without fear of seeming like I am slacking off.
If possible, it can also help to try and get accommodations from your school’s accessibility center. These accommodations can range from allowing you to record classes to giving you extra time on tests.
Get Workona (Or Similar Computer/Chrome Extensions)
Do you have 50 tabs open and refuse to close any of them? I did too until I discovered Workona, a Chrome extension that allows you to create multiple workspaces (groupings of tabs) and close the ones that you are not using at the time. Workona made it easier for me to access everything I need and have a cleaner desktop, but it has allowed my computer to work faster, which is critical during online school.
Do Things That Interest You and Learn How to Say No
When the pandemic began, I was filled with all of this unused time previously used to commute, see friends, and engage with the world. I am not a person who enjoys (or can manage) sitting still, so I decided to fill up my schedule as much as I could. Big mistake.
I started a large number of passion projects as well as joined the board of some university-affiliated clubs. I loved the clubs I was involved in when we met in person, but I felt disconnected and disinterested online. Throughout the year, I made subtle hints that I didn’t want to be part of these clubs anymore and couldn’t handle my responsibilities. What I didn’t do, however, was outright say, “I want to quit.” My tasks for these clubs were small, but since I was disinterested in the club, I noticed that the tasks took a lot of time and energy.
I began to notice that when I was doing things that interested me and brought me joy, tasks were so much easier and more enjoyable to complete. I’ve learned that with ADHD, it is important to do things that interest you and know how to say no to things that don’t, even if you think you are letting someone down. If you say yes, you will likely end up letting them down anyways while also letting yourself down. When you do things you are interested in, the results will show. I’ve gotten many comments from co-workers, friends, professors, and others noting how well I did on the projects I cared about. So doing things that interest you will not only help you, but it will allow those around you to see your passion and hard work that they may not have seen if you were doing something that brought you no joy.
Find Creative Forms of Fidgeting
I realized early on in life that I could not just focus on something. I needed to be doing something else at the same time. When I’m in classes, this means taking constant notes, but that doesn’t work for everyone.
Last semester I took a class where we had to watch a film every week. I was nervous that if I tried to sit down and watch it, I would end up on my phone the entire time. Instead, I decided to make clay earrings while I watched the films. Not only did this allow me to create products for my earring business, but it gave me something to do with my hands where I knew that I would still be able to focus on the main task at hand, watching the film.
If you also have problems with fidgeting but don’t want to make jewelry, that is okay. There are so many creative fidgeting forms, such as knitting and doodling, so find one that works for you!
Practice Self-Care
You may be thinking, “DUH, of course self-care is important,” but sometimes life can feel so overwhelming that we forget to take care of ourselves (I am incredibly guilty of this). Self-care can mean many things to different people, so try other forms of self-care and see what works for you. The most important thing is that you are taking care of your mind and body. Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s essential.
Online school can seem difficult with the times now, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Find ways that can help you stay on top of your work and keep going.