Education
People with untreated ADHD may face challenges in education, including difficulty focusing on longer or repetitive tasks, trouble meeting deadlines and staying organised, managing distractions, maintaining motivation and emotional struggles such as frustration or anxiety.
Study strategies
Try some of the below study strategies, don’t worry if one doesn’t work for you, try the next one and see if that helps.
- Break work into tiny steps: "open document", "write title", "find three sources"
- Use checklists, crossing off small wins triggers dopamine and keeps momentum
- Try the 'one-step rule': if a task feels impossible, ask "what's the very next physical action I can take?"
- Use structured work blocks, you could try using a timer - 25 minutes work, 5 minutes rest (Pomodoro system) or the 52/17 system (52 minutes work, 17 rest)
- Build 'transition rituals' before work, this could be music, getting a drink and tidying your desk
- Give 'body doubling' a go - study with a friend or online focus group, this social presence helps accountability
Time, organisation and executive function
Try some of the below strategies to keep organised, don’t worry if one doesn’t work for you, try the next one and see if that helps.
- Externalise your memory by using digital planners (apps like Google Calendar, Notion, Todoist, TickTick) so you do not have to rely on remembering
- Colour-code events and tasks by type (for example, lectures = blue, deadlines = red, social = green)
- Schedule 15/30 minute reminders before each task
- Try routine scaffolding by keeping consistent wake and sleep times, ADHD brains often struggle with variable rhythms
- Stack habits - "after I brush my teeth, I'll pack my bag"
- Use automation where you can, so meal prepping, having laundry days, subscription refills
- Use artificially early deadlines, so try setting your work deadlines three days before
- Reward progress, not perfection - "I worked for 30 minutes" is worth celebrating
Environment, focus and energy
Try some of the below strategies to stay focussed, don’t worry if one doesn’t work for you, try the next one and see if that helps.
- Study in low-stimulus spaces — libraries, “quiet” rooms, or cafés with white noise
- Use apps including Forest, Focusmate, or Freedom to block distractions
- Keep a “parking lot” notebook: when your brain throws a random idea, write it down and come back to it later
- Regulate your energy by noticing your natural focus times - work with your brain, not against it
- Alternate focus and movement: stretch, stand, walk between study blocks
- Eat regularly, hydrate, and watch caffeine
- Noise-cancelling headphones or brown noise playlists can help block overstimulation
- Fidget items (rings, putty, pens) help regulate focus, for example in lectures
- Adjust lighting - too dim or harsh light increases distractibility
Wellbeing, self-advocacy and support
Try some of the below strategies to help with your wellbeing, don’t worry if one doesn’t work for you, try the next one and see if that helps.
- Connect with the disability or inclusion team at your place of education early
- Join ADHD and neurodiversity societies - many universities or colleges have them
- ADHD often comes with rejection sensitivity and emotional swings - therapy or counselling helps
- Use grounding techniques (deep breaths, 5-4-3-2-1 sensory check) before panic spirals
- Schedule “recovery time” after exams or intense days - rest is part of productivity.
- Remember: ADHD isn’t laziness — it’s about how your brain processes motivation, reward and focus
- Build a strengths-based mindset: creativity, hyperfocus, empathy, and problem-solving are your ADHD superpowers