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some (hopefully) helpful tips from a formerly exhausted adhd student

ADHDer here who has tried so many different methods (and medications) over the years. what works for me doesn’t always work for my friends who also have ADHD, which means it’s kind of a treasure hunt to figure out what works best for you. i especially struggled a lot with executive dysfunction in college and had trouble forgetting basic homework and turning in writing assignments days or weeks (and, once, two months) late. there are a lot of simple tips that non-ADHD people will try to give you that can potentially help, but it’s not a cure-all for executive dysfunction. the big ones are planners (i have like 3-5 planners/calendars and todo lists which can help me keep on track at my current job, but that hasn’t always worked for me) and “have better time management” (and of course they never expand on that supposed advice). i’ve been diagnosed with ADHD since i was 7 years old, so i’ve heard and tried it all… here’s what works for me now as someone who works 40 hours/week and when i was in school: • BREAK DOWN TASKS INTO SMALLER BITS. this is my #1 go-to for any work or assignments involving writing. outlining, Extremely Rough drafts that i can tinker for a few minutes at a time when i’m feeling motivated, messy bullet points and half-baked opening paragraph sentences. even if i’m scribbling stuff that won’t end up in the final product, but you’re getting your brain in the habit of thinking about and planning your writing earlier in the assignment process. • LETTING GO OF IDEAL PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFECTION. this is more of a personal tip, but i think some of my procrastination and executive dysfunction when it came to assignments came from anxiety around how i was expected to perform productivity in a neurotypical fashion and my own crippling anxiety around perfectionism. this may not apply to you, but i think it’s always helpful to remember that you do not have to adhere to society’s ideas about what productivity “should” look like. this is also why the tip of trying to manufacture urgency or deadlines doesn’t work for me. • PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BRAIN. learn what cues you to feel motivated. adjust your environment to incorporate those cues even more and reduce distractions or executive dysfunction. (for me, that includes having a clean workspace and some headphone or earbuds in even if nothing is playing. if i am playing something, it’s usually non-lyrical music at a low volume or a video essay i’ve already listened to 200+ times.) • TAKE A WALK. this is something that i started doing recently and i’ve found that it helps me feel more alert and my brain less muddled/unable to focus. • finally: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. i definitely made my executive dysfunction worse in college by not eating well or—more specifically—not sleeping enough. speaking from experience, the psychological connection between your brain and body is critical in how effective these tips for dealing with executive dysfunction can be. this may not be as simple as you’re hoping for, but i do hope that this helps. ❤️

@eiza

Mar 23, 2025

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meds and going with the flow

Real talk? ADHD meds work great but obviously not always what suits the situation best. What works best for me is making lists, setting timers and going with the flow. Kinda depends on what flavour of ADHD you have but with me I noticed that my executive functioning improved once I stopped trying to force it and started making the most of the productive energy bursts I felt. Not a perfect method though and meds were definitely easier.

@jahnneke

Sep 16, 2024

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adhd brains are different, so they need different advice!

i relate to almost everything u said, i was unable to do anything until literally an hour before the due date. one thing i’ve learned over the years is that normal advice like “make a schedule” and “develop habits” do not work at all for adhd ppl, bc our brains are not made to do those things. this makes things difficult, but it doesn’t mean achieving our goals is impossible. here are some things that have helped me personally: - pomodoro method (there are timers on youtube). sitting down and actually timing myself has helped me a lot. also it helps me feel better with just how fast time goes by. working very hard and getting the notification that 15 minutes has passed, helps me to remember that sometimes small steps are easier than they feel like. - my therapist told me that instead of worrying so much about how much work i could be doing all the time, i should just work on it when i actually feel like doing it. so if i only have motivation an hour before, that’s when i would do it. the stress i used to feel a month before an assignment was due, significantly decreased bc of this new mindset, and it actually felt like my ability to do things increased. it’s not a good long term solution, but when ur in a tough spot, allowing urself to sacrifice some late time in order to not feel as much mental stress is worth it for ur mental health. - realizing that a lot of my motivation was based on what i thought would please others. i feel like this isn’t commonly talked about among ADHD circles, but once i learned about it, it kind of changed my life (fr). i realized that i couldn’t work the most productive way i could, if i was being watched or within someone‘s sight. i also procrastinate a lot in order to avoid being judged by others for how slow or disorganized i work. even then, procrastinating causes me to feel more judged by others bc im scared they are thinking im being lazy. so to avoid this, i try my best to work alone or ask someone to do parallel play instead of help me directly. however, i know some ppl benefit from the opposite, having someone around to keep them accountable. it all just comes down to personal preference. - making sure my needs are met. did i get enough sleep? have i eaten recently within the last 4 hrs? have i drank enough water? did i take my medicine? do i feel too overstimulated; if so, how can i change my environment? do i need headphones? do i need to wash my face or take a shower? do i need to change the lighting? is the temperature too hot or too cold? are my clothes too overwhelming / scratchy? these are some of the things that can keep me from working productively, so i have to keep track of these questions whenever i feel distracted. - don’t beat urself up. giving into shame and causing urself mental distress will only increase ur anxiety and make u more unable to work. remind urself that ur just now figuring urself out and u are trying ur best. plus, u have good intentions. ur just trying to figure out how to work better and more productively! i think thats all anyone can ask for. anyways i hope this helps maybe. everyone has a different way of getting things done, so not all things will help or apply to u (which doesnt mean something’s wrong with u, just that the advice wasn’t meant for u!). also seeking specifically adhd related forums / groups / blogs / youtube channels / etc. helps a lot when trying to find different types of advice other than “work harder” lol. good luck and u r not alone! 🫶🐛

@urbfbear

Mar 23, 2025

Top Recs from @blixagirl

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These are my slower ones

Husker Du ‘Don’t wanna know if you are lonely’ Garbage ‘Breaking Up The Girl’ or ‘Cup of Coffee’

@blixagirl

Apr 11, 2024

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Timebomb - nick barker

I’m having eye issues and no one knows what they’re doing, it’s incredibly frustrating. I left my new surgeon SO mad no one had told me I need 2 surgeries and 6 months between and MAYBE it’ll be ok .. maybe another ? The urge came from nowhere ~ I angry walked uphill for a while and it’s my rock angst go to again (first time I heard it live I thought it was ‘I’ve been taking Prozac on the hour’ - and it’s actually cold bath)

@blixagirl

Apr 13, 2024

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avocado toast with cracked pepper

I’m off wheat for a bit, and eating rye bread. It’s creamy, crunchy and the pepper gives it bite

@blixagirl

Jul 26, 2024