Day 43/100 Days Of Productivity

Day 72/100 days of productivity ☕️🌿

Today wasn’t great but I still got a lot done! I finally did some writing that I’ve been putting off but the deadline is in a few days and I’m not sure if I’m going to finish in time... it’s really annoying because I really didn’t mean to procrastinate this long :/

21st July - What is the best vacation you have ever been on? (note: does not have to have been during summer)

Ah, October a couple of years ago we went to America and it was amazing, we went to Disneyland and saw my aunts and uncles that live there. There were so many amazing coffee shops and I tried a cake shake which was literally a milkshake blended with a cupcake 🧁 I really enjoyed myself then 💫✨

Studying with ADHD

Dear God. My activity on here is sporadic, as is fitting with my diagnosis, but I thought maybe this post could help anyone that's been struggling alongside me.

Warning: Long Post

Feel Free to browse the bullet points and stop if something catches your eye!

If you don't like any of these, don't use them! They're based solely off my experience, and everyone experiences ADHD differently <3

Content:

Setting up The Space

Study Snacks!! - No hunger in The Space

Compete with yourself

Ignore Pomodoro

Reverse the feeling of 'not being smart enough'

Active Recall

Unriddle.ai (not sponsored,,,)

Final Tip

Final Note

Here ya go:

1. Setting up The Space

Some sites say to create a 'distraction free zone' to study in. Screw that, it never worked for me.

My brain is the distraction. I'll stare off into space if there's no other option.

INSTEAD:

We set up a study space that both fulfils random urges mid-work session, and limits distractions away from the desk.

I.e. we don't get up until we need the bathroom.

You limit the amount you get up from The Space, you limit the number of things your attention span will switch to.

Snacks, fidgets, drawing, separate screen for watching stuff? Whatever works, stick it on the desk.

Food wise, I try to make a healthy lunch and then eat it at my desk while reviewing stuff, but sometimes I need a longer break.

If I am taking a break, I do it away from The Space. The Space is dead to me now.

Try to compartmentalise your area, work only in these spots, relax only in these, sleep only there.

We're trying to train our brains here, people, simple and clear relations of space to activity typically get embedded easier.

Also: work whenever.

Burst of energy at 9pm? Go for it, we sleep badly anyways.

Middle of lunch? Have a flashcard/ notes app on your phone, do it while you eat.

With friends? See method 5 <3

I'll link a separate post I'll be making on exactly how my space is set up, though most of the key points are in this one :)

2. Study Snacks!! - No hunger in The Space

One. Handed. Food. Only.

Also, food that doesn't get stuff on your fingers.

You can't work if you're constantly wiping your hands to keep going, and you need something you can absentmindedly grab while you keep your eyes trained on the work.

I recommend getting artificial sugar in your system, sweets, chocolate, give yourself a mild sugar rush to keep a bit of a buzz going while you work.

(try to be healthy about it, this won't be sustainable long-term, but I find a shot of sugar to the system can help prevent burnout)

Also caffeine! Please be aware of how much caffeine you're having for health reasons - I need to watch how much I have, since my medication is already bad for my heart, but even just having a coffee and some sugar at the start of the session, I get enough energy to start working

As long as I don't stop until I'm Done, I will be good.

3. Compete with yourself

I don't recommend competing with others, it toes the line of 'feeling like a failure' too much for my liking, but if it works for you, go for it.

Instead, I compete with myself. Mostly quizlet flashcards, but also 'how much of this have I remembered from yesterday?', and 'How much more can I remember today?'

Whether it's personality or hyperactivity, this gives a dopamine hit. Finding ways to make studying something you can score against is one of my favourite methods.

Video games are an ADHD staple for a reason, easily trackable progress and dopamine from rewards/hyperfixations/etc. make them addictive.

Turn the work into a video game (I think at this point I may sound insane to you guys but please trust me)

4. Ignore Pomodoro

ADHD students, we have to think like sharks: we stop, we die.

Once you have found yourself studying with (relative) ease, Do. Not. Stop. You keep that going as long as possible.

ADHD doesn't mean you can't focus, you can, you just have no choice in where that attention gets allocated. So, when a tomato-based timer tell you to turn off your focus and relax, after it took you half the damn time to start the stupid work, it can be a little counter-productive

(I may have some repressed rage for pomodoro, try to forgive me)

Please, ignore the pomodoro stuff. I know it's healthy to regulate the volume of work you do, but I find that once I start working, I can't stop until I run out of energy.

I time or video myself instead, I can track how long I've been working, feel proud of it, and I also can't use my phone during that session.

When my brain stops taking stuff in, I have an hour to 2 hour break, relax (away from The Space) try to reset my brain so it's back to baseline. Then I start again.

5. Reverse the feeling of 'not being smart enough'

I know I am smart, and it's on others if they don't see that, but having undiagnosed ADHD for 17 years did a number on my self image and confidence.

If you struggle with this, it's so, so helpful to try this method, and can start to reverse the negative internal image we've managed to cultivate <3

So, after you've covered a topic: tell someone about it (please make sure they're ready to listen to you rant for half an hour).

Not only are you reinforcing what you've just learnt, but you also get to feel competent, and teaching someone else about your topic helps to raise perceptions (internal or from others) of what you know/what you're capable of.

6. Active Recall

This one goes great with the whole, 'competing with yourself' method (no. 4);

Active Recall is just making sure you're going over old information and recalling correctly, once it's past short term memory. Trying to remember information without it present forces your brain to pull it from Long-term memory and reinforces the information in your brain.

I know it's been said a million times, but this + competing with yourself does wonders for me.

My favourite method is blurting ( read/write notes of one topic, wait ten minutes, do something else productive, and then try to copy that topic from memory. repeat until all key info is correctly recalled)

7. Unriddle.ai (not sponsored,,,)

Okay, this site changed it for me. 5 free uploads, 15 free inputs per month.

Download a copy of the fancy scientific paper/article/book you need to read through. Upload.

Ask unriddle to summarise key points, to re-write it as if you were 7, etc.

This genuinely saved my essays. Suddenly the procrastination of reading my source material was gone. It makes it so much easier to get through dense/boring text and then I wrote everything myself.

Please do not plagiarise, I am only recommending this site to make things easier to read, copying down what it produces is considered plagiarism by my uni, and likely most others.

8. Final Tip

Be kind to yourself.

When I got medicated, my friends were genuinely stressed by how much work I was suddenly doing.

One of them asked me about it, and I realised it didn't feel like I was doing any more than normal. I had always been working this hard, it was just that half the energy going in wasn't being wasted on trying to get myself to focus.

What you put in may not receive the same results as for others, but the reality is that you're likely working harder than they are. The irritating truth is simply that we have to compensate for the different cognitive functioning that neurotypicals get to take for granted

(no hate to the NTs, I'm glad ya'll don't have to think about it, but for someone with ADHD, it can be really tough to realise)

A Final Note:

You are smart. You can do this. We just need to modify the system a little to make it work for us. There is no shame in that, anyone telling you otherwise needs a reality check.

Genuinely though, I've noticed that people telling me I use my ADHD accommodations (required by law) as a 'crutch'.

1. If the world were set up by me, that same person would struggle just as much, if not more.

2. If Rishi Sunak's government is willing to GIVE ME FREE MONEY to access these accommodations, that implies that this genuinely is needed. Not because I think Sunak is intelligent or kind (my own political opinions, please just hear me out), but because there is no way, with the underfunding of the NHS, Public services, etc. that they'd be willing to give me money I don't need to repay if it wasn't a scientific fact that I needed it, and it helped.

Use the inadequacies of the government to your advantage in arguments, make the idiots see how integral our accommodations are. I'd have dropped out of uni by now without them.

For anyone in need of help trying to convince family/friends/teachers/etc. of the struggle with ADHD (or anything else, though I won't have as much experience with it), telling them what you need help with, or any other arguments, send me an ask. I do psychology for my degree, I am used to searching for research papers, and I will help you with the necessary scientific backing for your case.

You are not in this alone <3

Lots of Love!

Coffee + Guitar Strings

@chocolatelandgarden @chaoticstudyprincess

Physics light academia moodboard for @chazza-studies-alevels enjoy! ☺️💫

Send me a request for a moodboard or playlist

Day 15/100 days of productivity

Achievements:

Revised for 5 hours

Completed my Maths 1, Biology 2 and English language 2 mocks today

Made History flash cards

Went over chemistry flash cards

Did a past paper chemistry test

Called out

Chem notes and selfies cos I need validation ☕️

She/her please 💕✨

exam season is just like *pours another cup of coffee* *hasn’t showered* *messy desk* *fogged up glasses* *texts friend to ask if they’re done studying* *pours another cup of coffee* *checks allotted exam room* *double checks allotted exam room because anxiety duh* *all nighters for that ONE subject* *cramming* *mental break down at 2am and then throwing up a peace sign* *pours another cup of c-

Hey guys! So I’m really sorry but I’ll be ending the 100 days of productivity challenge! I’ve been struggling to keep up with it and it adds unnecessary stress that isn’t productive at all. 😅

I will however remain posting other study motivation photos! Don’t think my blog will die because I’m ending the challenge ☺️

Hope you enjoy the next photos I post and feel free to send any asks!! ☺️✨🌿☕️

Ahhh I failed on the 2020 quarantine challenge so here’s to hoping I’ll do better at this!

Hi everyone! I’ve so enjoyed doing my 2020 quarantine challenge and getting to know so many of you (and discovering your amazing blogs) that i’ve decided to create this new SUMMER STUDYING CHALLENGE! i did consider continuing my other challenge but my school year has now ended and the way i study in the summer and my priorities is very different compared to during school time - which i’m sure is the same for may of you! I’ve created this challenge to try and keep myself motivated during the summer (because i am ridiculously busy XD) but i also want to use this time to get to know many more of you and stay motivated together  💕 

(also i know that many people struggle for ideas of what to post during the summer so hopefully these will give you some ideas. 

✨ Info ✨

This challenge will run from Monday 13th July 2020 to Sunday 6th September 2020, which is two months.  However, please feel free to join in and start any time if you come across this challenge after the 13th July because i want this challenge to be accessible for everyone! 

I have daily prompts for each of this entire time. You don’t have to post every day (you could, for example, cover all the prompts in one post at the end of the week) and you also don’t have to post for the entirety of the challenge (for example if your summer break ends before the 6th September). But i will be posting every day for the whole time and want to interact with as many of you as possible!!!

I want to see what you are posting so please use the tag #summer studying challenge and I’ll track this tag and reblog as much as possible!

On this note, I will reblog basically everything even if you don’t think it is ‘aesthetic’ cause I love seeing how everyone does their notes and stuff so please get involved 💕

✨ Prompts ✨

13th July -  What are your plans for this summer?

14th July - Have your plans changed at all because of the pandemic?

15th July - Do you have a specific goal for this summer?

16th July - Do you have a lot of work to do for school or university or your job this summer?

17th July - What is the most important task that you need to complete this summer?

18th July - What do you usually do during the summer?

19th July - What did you do during the summer when you were a young child?

20th July - Do you usually go on vacation during the summer?

21st July - What is the best vacation you have ever been on? (note: does not have to have been during summer)

22nd July -  What is your dream vacation?

23rd July - What is the worst vacation you have ever been on?

24th July - What is your favourite vacation memory?

25th July - What was is your favourite event or day in the summer?   Are you a ‘summer person’ or do you prefer it when it is colder?

26th July - What is your typical daily routine in the summer?

27th July -  Do you stay indoors or outdoors more in the summer?

28th July - How do you stay motivated to study during the summer? 

29th July - Have you done or are you planning to do any activities (such as work experience, summer schools or watching lectures) other than normal work during the summer? 

30th July - Beach or Swimming pool?

31st July - What do you like most about the beach?

1st August - What is your least favourite thing about the beach?

2nd August - What is your song of the summer this year?

3rd August - What is your ultimate summertime song?

4th August - What is your favourite summertime movie?

5th August - Do you read a lot in the summer?

6th August - What book are you currently reading?

7th August - What is your favourite summer ‘beach read’ book? 

8th August - What TV show are you currently watching?

9th August - What was the last movie you watched?

10th August - What is your favourite summertime snack?

11th August - What is your favourite meal to have on the beach?

12th August - What is an unpopular opinion that you have about summer?

13th August - What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

14th August - What is your favourite summer clothing?

15th August - What’s your favourite summer drink?

16th August - Daytime or night time – what’s your favourite time during summer?

17th August - What is your favourite seasonal fruit to eat during the summer?

18th August - Would you prefer your summer to be shorter or longer?

19th August - How does summer feel in your region?

20th August -  If you could make up a new ice cream flavour, what ingredients would you use? What would you call it?

21st August - If there was a tropical island made just for you, what would you find on it?

22nd August -  Imagine that you could fill a swimming pool with anything except water and swim in it. What would your pool be filled with?

23rd August - Do you miss school/university/work during the summer?

24th August - Do you like wearing sunglasses?

25th August - Do you wear sunscreen?

26th August - Have you ever been really badly sunburnt? 

27th August - Do your sleeping habits change during summer?

28th August - Do your eating habits change during summer?

29th August - What is the thing that annoys you the most during summer?

30th August - What colour do you associate with summer?

31st August - When you hear the word ‘summer’, what is the first thing that you think of?

1st September  - Have you managed to complete you main task and goal for the summer?

2nd September - Are you looking forward to returning to school/university?

3rd September - How have you prepared to return to school/university?

4th September - When you remember this summer, what three adjectives will you think of that define your summer?

5th September - What did you learn over the summer? (note: this doesn’t have to be academic-related)

6th September - What was your favourite memory from this summer?

✨ So this is the challenge! I hope that you will join it and enjoy doing it during the summer! please message me or send me asks if you have any questions about it or just want to have a chat <3 ✨

[i am tagging mutuals and others who took part in the 2020 quarantine challenge beneath the cut]

Keep reading

Day 10/100 days of productivity ✨

Achievements:

Did physics revision

Did a workout

Tidied my room a little

Not a lot done but it’s the holidays so I’m sleeping most of the day aha 🥰