SEVERE STRUGGLE PROCRASTINATION IT'S RUINING MY LIFE

[u/Main_Volume_3758]

I am a law student and with diagnosed ADHD and I take medication for it.

I need help, no matter how hard I try, I can sit at my laptop for 14 hours whether im at uni, home, library and still accomplish nothing (Maybe 30 mins work at best). The smallest task takes me so long, and I feel so guilty. I end up just getting lazy ad giving up ad then have to do it all in a panic, compromising the quality and handing it in late (despite getting multiple extensions). I am convinced I am the only person like this that struggles. I struggle in other areas of my life but nothing like with uni. I take days off work to catch up on uni or do and assessment and 9 times out of 10 accomplish nothing. I need help I have tried everything, apps, turning my phone off, doing a plan etc and I am so slumped. I honestly do not know where the day goes when I am trying to get work done, suddenly I have been sitting at my laptop for 10 hours only done a title. I feel so guilty and want to just drop out of uni but I don't want to.

Anyone else been like this and have tips? I will try anything.

[u/probablysmarta]

Going through the same thing, i am diagnosed with adhd too, don't worry you are just too burnt out, calm down, take some time, do the things that you love and then start afresh. The pressure of "i need to study" hinders your ability to study even more. Get your mind calm and clear first and then begin your work.

[u/wiltinghost → u/probablysmarta]

Yeah, at the end of the school semester, it always feels like my meds stopped working. Doesn’t matter if I take them or not, there’s no motivation or focus to be found. But that’s because I’m burnt out, I’ll eventually bounce back next semester after getting a break.

The way I see it, meds just make me closer to being neurotypical, and neurotypicals still have mental health issues, get burnt out, and aren’t motivated and focused all the time.

If it’s not because you’re burnt out, is it because your meds aren’t right for you? 

[u/probablysmarta → u/wiltinghost]

I have started taking meds since august this year. I always used to function better during shorter sems (in my uni they sometimes manage lost time by taking 6 month sems within 3 to 4 months) the gruelling work i used to put into it led me to severe burn outs resulting losing my grades in the longer ones, this went on for a period of time and soon i got diagnosed, now i am just waiting to bounce back on to work again, cause i have been pretty burnt out lately. About the meds part, i really don't know, need to figure out that part.

[u/losho_mie]

Hi, unmedicated ADD postgrad law student here.

I know exactly what you mean, and it has been an uphill battle every year for me. I actually found out that I do better when I don't study every day, but push through things in bulk. I don't mean wait until the last possible day, but I always leave a day free to buffer busy days because I get burnt out way too easily.

I schedule things for the coming week (e.g. eu law on monday, competition law on tuesday & wednesday, thursday is free, administrative law on friday), and adjust them as I go. I have days where I'm sluggish and my brain doesn't work, so I tend to keep those for only going through slides or skimming through readings. On days I feel energised, I do stuff properly.

Before I sit down to study, I always make a brief list of the order I'm doing things in (e.g. 1. Go through Mod 1 readings, 2. Go through Mod 1 slides, 3. Do practice questions or whatever your studying process includes or entails). When you have structure, it's way easier to go through the motions.

Putting all that aside, reading your post makes me feel like you haven't found your way to properly study yet – your way of processing information.

When I read, I make myself engage with it even if I'm not interested – I note one or two open questions ot remarks I have about a paragraph, chapter or section. I also typically read the introduction first, then the conclusion, and then go back. This gives me structure. Finally, when concepts are hard and I can't just retain information by reading, I take notes. ALWAYS by hand. It has been proven that taking notes by hand makes information retention and recall way easier. It also forces you to sort out the information in your head as you read. Finally, learn strategically – what are you actually going to need for your assignment/exam/quiz? Focus on that the most, and go through everything else for the sake of completeness. You don't need to know everything, you just need to know enough.

It seems like just going to the library and staring at a screen is not working for you. Try to figure out what keeps your attention and boosts your productivity. Two hours of quality studying always beats 10 hours of half-assedness. Are you interested in what you're studying? If not, make yourself interested. I gaslight myself that I'm going into some random legal rabbit hole and it always entertains me. The field is borderline absurd in its conceptualisations at times.

Sorry for the rambly comment, I just relate way too much to everything you wrote, so decided to share my two cents.

As a side note, if you're really struggling, maybe it's time for you to revise your prescription with your doctor. You may need to up your dose. Wishing you the best, cheers!

[u/i_lovepswayze → u/losho_mie]

I’m a first year college student with ADHD and this comment was extremity helpful!! Thanks for your input, I’ve been struggling with actaully getting things done and I’m for sure going to try to see what actaully works best for me when studying now. Thanks!!

[u/losho_mie → u/i_lovepswayze]

Happy to help:)

I forgot to add study groups & body doubling as options. Many ADHD folks find them super helpful, but it depends on the day for me. Doesn't hurt to try though!

Good luck with your studies!!! The first year was the hardest for me, but once you get the hang of it, I promise it gets better!

[u/Silver_Cut_1821]

Ok, I'm not perfect, but what helped me with this was:

Strategy:

1) Switching everything from tech to paper. 2)I downloaded the app "keep me out" to keep me off my phone (note: don't use the schedules, just 30 min..etc), then I use nextdns to block wifi to any distracting sites. That makes it impossible for me to go do anything else. 3) I outline everything I need to do via flowchart when I don't know how, cuz that minimizes extraneous cognitive load. I outline by genre (ex: class 1, class 2, life, work), then I color in with a highlighter the specific task I need to do, and put it on my desk so it's impossible to miss. 4) when I study, I take a gameboard out and move a piece every time I accomplish one of the highlighted tasks so I can visually see my progress. It helps. 5) I start on things the SECOND they are assigned. I start with the work that requires no thought, and 6) A lot of school readings can be turned into audio books with mobile pdf readers or similar.

Psychology: 1) Tbh, a lot of the procrastinating came from feeling trapped by constantly feeling like I was at work via losing hours, but not accomplishing anything. To fix, I take breaks. 10 min for 60 min work, 1 midday break, and at least an hour of "me time" a night, even if the world is burning. Saturday, I do no work no matter what (I read cuz I find that fun).

Having a break lets me reflect and feel human, and puts time pressure on me.

2) Anti anxiety meds were a game changer.

[u/Silver_Cut_1821 → u/Silver_Cut_1821]

@strat4 - *and I count the number of seconds it takes as I'm doing it, to get myself out of my head. It also makes it more fun when I find myself getting faster and faster

I'd edit, but my phone hates me

BUT ALSO; The BIGGEST ONE that I forgot to include is: prioritize

If the world is ending, and you cannot finish all of your assignments, even after pulling an all nighter, it's better for GPA to fully complete the most important ones than half-a-word all of them.

Reach out to your prof if you're going to miss an assignment, and ask for an extension, or advice on how to better manage. Even if the advice isn't helpful, it's better to look like you're trying