Fox

The “getting it done in an unconventional way” method.

The “it’s not cheating to do it the easy way” method.

The “fuck what you’re supposed to do” method.

The “get stuff done while you wait” method.

The “you don’t have to do everything at once” method.

The “it doesn’t have to be permanent to be helpful” method.

The “break the task into smaller steps” method.

The “treat yourself like a pet” method.

The “it doesn’t have to be all or nothing” method.

The “put on a persona” method.

The “act like you’re filming a tutorial” method.

The “you don’t have to do it perfectly” method.

The “wait for a trigger” method.

The “do it for your future self” method.

The “might as well” method.

The “when self discipline doesn’t cut it” method.

The “taking care of yourself to take care of your pet” method.

The “make it easy” method.

The “junebugging” method.

The “just show up” method.

The “accept when you need help” method.

The “make it into a game” method.

The “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method.

The “trick yourself” method.

The “break it into even smaller steps” method.

The “let go of should” method.

The “your body is an animal you have to take care of” method.

The “fork theory” method.

I think I might be a bit autistic as well? Maybe?

Things that might be autism that I recognize are:

- getting really frustrated when people are being vague about plans

- I have a hard time catching sarcasm and it has lead to a lot of situations where I'm very confused or reply with a serious answer and people laugh :(

- remembering people by smaller details, like a mark on someone's face, their hair, eyebrows or a piece of jewelry

- sensory issues like not being able to dry myself off with a towel because my hands are dry and I get overstimulated way too easily

Idk man it doesn't really matter. I'm doing fine with meds and tools I got from coaching.

(for reference, i'm still only a first year and this is just what i've found works for me. im also in humanities, and don't write any exams, so my advice might not work for everyone.)

1. don't even look at supplementary readings. write them down or save them somewhere along with what topic/module they're related to so you can use them as references if you have an essay on that topic. a lot of the time you probably don't even need to do primary readings; the lecturer will go over the most important stuff in the lecture.

2. make a list of the bare minimum you need to do each week. for me this is attending tutorials - because of covid everything else is still asynchronous for me, so for participation marks i just need to show up to tutorials and do the weekly questions. i can catch up on other stuff when i need it for assignments.

3. take your meds (if you have them). set alarms, set multiple alarms, ask a friend to bug you about it, whatever. i have too many times fallen into the trap of forgetting my meds because i feel like i don't need them, getting too depressed to take them, and then getting even more depressed, and having no motivation to work. my meds always help more than i think they do.

4. get a study buddy. this doesn't even have to be someone in the same courses as you! they don't even have to be a student. just get someone to sit in a room with you, or be on a video/voice call, and hold you accountable. for adhd people this is like a hack to our brains! no clue why, but for many of us it seems that just having someone else in the room (or on a phone call) makes it way easier to avoid procrastinating.

5. water and food! especially if you're on adhd meds, make sure to eat before you take them, or have something to snack on while you work. i often forget to eat and then wonder why my brain feels like slush. (also, have a big water bottle so you don't have to fill it up as much).

6. don't worry about your notes looking pretty. this has honestly been one of the hardest things i've had to get over, for some reason. i really enjoy making pretty notes, but they just aren't practical for my brain, especially now i'm in university. because of adhd, my brain doesn't remember shit if i just wrote it down once. instead, i've started focusing on just getting down key words and phrases, with a simple two-colour highlighting system (colour 1: main heading; colour 2: subheading; colour 1: key words/definitions). this way i can easily find what im looking for when im referencing my notes for an assignment. (NB: since i don't write exams, i don't need to memorise anything - if you do need to do this, i recommend flashcards; either physical ones or quizlet).

7. talk to your lecturers/tutors! not all of them are gonna be nice, but more often than not, i've found my lecturers and tutors to be very understanding and accommodating (although i might just be lucky). if you can, ask older students about which lecturers and tutors are lenient and if there are any you should avoid. i've found that especially since tutors tend to be younger (and often are students themselves), they're very understanding with mental health. if your university has a disability service, sign up with them if you can, and inform your professors at the start of the semester that you may need extensions on assignments due to [insert mental illness/medical problem]. if you tell them in advance, they'll probably be more likely to hand out an extension or give you leeway.

How to study a subject when you have an unqualified teacher:

This is something that has happened to a lot of us and will keep happening, now while it’s tempting to slack off because: hey, if my teacher won’t do her job properly, why should I? (My case for the most part). However, if you want to do well in school and haven’t taken your external exams yet then you will need to study well, and to do that you will most likely end up having to teach yourself. But FEAR NOT! There are things you can do that’ll guarantee you to learn all the required topics and ace your exams. It won’t be easy, but without further ado, here’s how:-

Use a proper source.

Your textbook is the usual source of information, and while it won’t always explain things to you thoroughly it does provide crucial information that you will have to memorize. When you go home take out your textbook and go to the lesson you “learned” in class today. Read each text thoroughly and try to understand the contents, highlight what you deem important.

Look up videos on Youtube.

More often that not, you will find that the textbook can only do so much for you, and you will need a teacher or someone to explain what’s in it, and to add additional notes you’ll need to pass. Don’t worry, there are plenty of channels online that can help with that. Some of those are:-

Crash Course (There are multiple playlists on the channel that provide a wide range of subjects and topics for you: Chemistry, Biology, History, Physics, Geography, Zoology, linguistics, etc. etc.)

Melissa Maribel (A channel I found recently run by Melissa that teaches Chemistry, it covers a wide range of Highschool topics and teaches them thoroughly. Pay attention to certain details).

Tyler DeWitt (A channel I discovered in Grade Seven when I need help in balancing equations, he teaches Chemistry very well and does it in a fun and simple, step-by-step manner).

Khan Academy (They teach everything from basic algebra to complex physics equations, and they do it throughly as well).

The Organic Chemistry Tutor (they cover more than just chemistry btw, much like Khan Academy they cover topics from simple math to complex equations and in basically the same style).

These are just SOME youtube channels you can learn from, sometimes you might have to do some digging to find a suitable video. Next point:-

Take notes.

Sometimes, your teachers don’t really allow you to take notes. They teach you like your in the sixth grade “Here are things you gotta memorize from the book and good luck!”.

Whatever video you find? Take notes from, re-explain the lesson in a notebook and add any additional but crucial information you may or may not need. Rephrase some things in the book to make it easier for you to go back to. This will be helpful in the future.

Find a tutor.

Eventually we get past the age where we can learn things ourselves from youtube videos and a book, so you need to find someone to teach you.

Find a syllabus.

Sometimes your teacher is so unqualified she isn’t even teaching you the required topics you need to know. Ans that’s why you should find a syllabus online and follow it, if there are lessons you should’ve taken but you haven’t even though you should’ve. You at least know now.

Ask questions!

1. Take a deep breath - Let out all that anxiety over the project you’re doing so you can think clearly

2. Pull up a clean sheet of paper and something to write with - You can use a fresh word doc, new page in your journal or planner or whatever else works for you, the idea is that after this you will have a physical list to look at to help keep you on task.

3. Identify your obstacles (i.e. What is keeping you from doing this task?) - For example: Is it scary? If so, why? Does it feel too hard? Is there something else that you feel needs to be done first? Write these down!

4. Plan how to overcome your obstacles - This can take some creativity and some thinking to best figure out how to overcome the obstacle. I’ve included examples below for potential plans.

Example 1:

Obstacle: I don’t know the best way to approach this task.

Plan: Brainstorm on paper ways that you might be able to approach this task. Google ways to accomplish this task. Review lecture notes or example homework problems on how to accomplish this task. Ask a friend/coworker/classmate how they might start the task. Write down everything you feel might be relevant until you feel like you know where to start and where to go.

Example 2:

Obstacle: This feels too big and overwhelming so I don’t want to do it.

Plan: Break down the tasks into smaller, tiny tasks. Make them as small as you need to make them feel manageable. Write down all these tasks check them off as you go. 

Example 3:

Obstacle: I’m waiting for someone to get back to me with comments on this project but they’re taking too long.

Plan: Follow up with this person and identify what you can do without their comments. For example, if you’re waiting for someone to sent you a section of a project or paper, write your section to the best of your ability. Can you have someone else review this project and still get good feedback. Or tell yourself you’ll revise/edit your project and integrate their comments later when you get to them. Often when I identify what feels out of order, I can move past it or put it farther down my list so I’m no longer just stuck waiting.

5. Encourage yourself and commend yourself for filling in the gaps actively that your brain couldn’t do on it’s own today. - You’re doing a great job!

Sincerely,

originally a text post by @adhdpie

link HERE

ADHD can make it difficult to figure out how we are feeling physically, mentally and emotionally. Commonly it is due to difficulty with self awareness caused by our executive dysfunction.

This is a checklist I go through mentally to try and figure out why I might be feeling off. Referring to it helps speed up the process.

I feel off..

Am I sitting funny/ have I been sitting in this position for a period of time?

Am I mentally drained?

Have I been working on this task for a long time?

Have I eaten/ drank anything recently?

Have I been eating properly? Am I craving something specific?

Have I gotten enough sleep recently?

If not, am I being kept up by any specific thoughts/ worry?

Have I socialized recently?

Have I forgotten to hang out with my friends?

Have I spent time with my family?

Is how I’m feeling positive or negative?

If negative, have I experienced anything recently that I haven’t processed?

Have I fought/ argued/ had disagreements with people close to me?

Is there anything coming up that I am worried about?

Have I been making a lot of small mistakes recently?

Have I felt that I lot of things have been happening to me that I can’t control?

If positive, have I let myself enjoy the feeling?

If don’t know, has anything happened recently out of the usual?

Have there been any changes in my life, big or small?

Have I done my usual relaxing activities/ hobbies?

Have I been unable to follow my normal schedule due to any reason?

You light up the room

You have the best laugh

You inspire me

I love how passionate you are

You make the world better just by being in it

You make me feel comfortable being myself

You make this world so much more beautiful just by being in it.

You’re an amazing friend and you always support me

I love hearing from you! 

* I love seeing you get excited about your interests.

Getting the creative juices flowing…

I do! I have plenty of pep-talks and resources for this sort of thing, so I’ve organized them here by method (prompts/playlists/advice/inspiration/etc)

Articles

Coming Up With Scene Ideas

Coming Up With “Original” Ideas

How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story

How To Motivate Yourself To Write

Reasons To Improve Your Lifestyle

Tips & Advice for Aspiring Authors, Writers, and Poets

Healthy Forms of Motivation

How To Have A Productive Mindset

How To Fall In Love With Writing

Writing Through Mental Health Struggles

Why “Burnout” Is Oay - The Creative Cycle

How To Actually Get Writing Done

Playlists

Things To Listen To When You’re Working

Classical & Instrumental

Ambient

Sad Scenes

Chase Scenes

Epic Scenes

Fight Scenes

Angst Scenes

Fun Montage Scenes

Climax Scenes

Calm Scenes

Resolution Scenes

Romantic Scenes

Action Scenes

Science Fiction

Our Day Will Come

Contemporary Poetry

MORE

Prompts, Prompt Lists, & Writing Challenges

Dark Quotes & Prompts

Challenges For Different Types of Writers | Part II

Angst Prompts

31 Days of Prompts : January 2018 Writing Challenge

20 Sentence Story Prompt

Dramatic Prompts

Suspenseful Prompts

Sad Prompts

Romantic Prompts

31 Days of Horror : October 2019 Writing Challenge

31 Days of Fantasy - December 2020 Writing Challenge

Fake Relationship Alternate Universe Prompts

Assassin Alternate Universe Prompts

Soulmates Alternate Universe Prompts

Advice & Pep-Talks

Restarting Your Writing Passion

On Hating Your Old Stuff

Depression As An Inhibitor

Dear Writers Who Are Hesitant To Start Writing

“All First Drafts Are Crap” – My Thoughts

Getting Back To Writing After A Long Hiatus

Wanting To Finish A Story You’ve Fallen Out of Love With

Getting Motivated To Write

Getting Burnt Out Near The Finish Line

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Masterlist | WIP Blog