Mastering ADHD: How To Study And Succeed
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Andrew from Brainscape challenges the conventional view of ADHD as a hindrance, instead presenting it as a potential advantage for success. He offers strategies and cognitive 'brain hacks' to help ADHD individuals excel in studying and life. Andrew emphasizes creating a distraction-free environment, planning study tasks in detail, matching study activities to attention spans, and maintaining healthy habits for better focus. The video also celebrates famous individuals with ADHD who have achieved greatness, inspiring viewers to see their condition as an asset rather than a liability.
Takeaways
- 🚀 **Reframe ADHD**: Stop viewing ADHD as a weakness and start seeing it as an advantage that can contribute to success.
- 🎓 **Strategic Studying**: Use brain hacks and strategies to make studying more effective despite ADHD challenges.
- 🧠 **Cognitive Science**: Leverage cognitive science research to understand how to learn better and perform at a higher level.
- 🌟 **Famous Role Models**: Recognize successful individuals with ADHD, such as Walt Disney and Will Smith, to inspire overcoming challenges.
- 🏛️ **Evolutionary Advantage**: Understand that traits associated with ADHD have been beneficial to human evolution and survival.
- 📚 **Environment Matters**: Create a study environment that minimizes distractions to maximize focus and learning.
- 📅 **Plan and Prioritize**: Use a checklist to break down study tasks into manageable milestones to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
- ⏰ **Match Study to Attention**: Align study activities with the attention span available at different times of the day.
- 💪 **Physical Health**: Maintain good sleep, diet, hydration, and exercise habits to support brain function and concentration.
- 🌱 **Long-Term Destiny**: View studying as a means to an end, with the ultimate goal being to fulfill your larger life purpose and potential.
Q & A
What is the main perspective the video aims to change about ADHD?
-The video aims to change the perspective of ADHD from being a weakness that holds people back to being an advantage that can help them be more successful in life.
What is the role of Brainscape in the context of the video?
-Brainscape is an adaptive flashcard study app built on cognitive science research, which the speaker, Andrew, uses to provide strategies for studying effectively despite ADHD.
Who are some famous individuals mentioned in the video as having overcome ADHD?
-Famous individuals mentioned include Walt Disney, Will Smith, Simone Biles, Emma Watson, and Richard Branson.
What evolutionary advantage does the speaker attribute to people with ADHD?
-The speaker attributes the evolutionary advantage of being creative, thinking outside the box, and having heightened awareness to people with ADHD.
Why does the speaker suggest that traditional schooling might be particularly challenging for individuals with ADHD?
-The speaker suggests that traditional schooling, with its requirement to sit through long lectures and readings, is challenging for individuals with ADHD because they are not equipped to handle such monotony.
What is the first tip provided in the video for someone with ADHD to improve their studying?
-The first tip is to put oneself in an environment that minimizes distractions, such as a quiet corner in the library or a cubby without a phone.
Why does the speaker argue against studying in a noisy coffee shop or in front of the TV?
-The speaker argues against it because scientific evidence shows that humans cannot multitask effectively, and such environments lead to a lack of focus and require more study time later.
What does the speaker suggest as a method to combat the feeling of being overwhelmed by too much to study?
-The speaker suggests creating a written checklist with bite-size milestones to break down tasks and make them more manageable.
How does the video recommend matching study tasks with available attention?
-The video recommends creating a checklist of short-term, shallow, and deep tasks to allocate study activities appropriately based on the time available.
What are some of the life habits mentioned in the video that can support better concentration for individuals with ADHD?
-The life habits mentioned include getting enough sleep, eating right with limited sugar and processed carbs, drinking plenty of water, and engaging in physical activities that work the core and glutes.
What is the final message of the video regarding individuals with ADHD and their potential?
-The final message is that individuals with ADHD have an evolutionary gift and should view studying as a means to achieve their greater destiny in fields like entertainment, teaching, managing, creating art, and more.
Outlines
🚀 Embracing ADHD as a Strength
The speaker, Andrew from Brainscape, challenges the traditional view of ADHD as a hindrance and instead encourages seeing it as an advantage. He acknowledges the difficulties ADHD presents in focusing and studying but introduces the idea of using brain hacks to enhance studying efficiency. Andrew shares his personal experience and admiration for successful individuals with ADHD, such as Walt Disney and Will Smith, who have made significant contributions despite their condition. He emphasizes the evolutionary benefits of traits associated with ADHD and suggests that the modern educational system is not well-suited for individuals with these traits. The speaker advocates for a change in attitude towards ADHD and offers practical tips for managing it effectively in daily life and studying.
📚 Study Strategies for ADHD
Andrew provides actionable strategies for individuals with ADHD to improve their studying habits. He advises creating a distraction-free environment, such as a quiet corner in the library or a home study space with minimized distractions. He stresses the importance of setting up for success by eliminating potential interruptions. The speaker debunks the myth of multitasking, asserting that it is scientifically proven to be ineffective and that focusing on one task at a time is crucial for learning. He also suggests planning study sessions during periods of high focus and creating a detailed checklist to break down tasks into manageable milestones. This approach helps in overcoming the feeling of being overwhelmed and provides a clear path forward, making study sessions more effective and less daunting.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡ADHD
💡Brain hacks
💡Cognitive science
💡Distraction
💡Study plan
💡Flashcards
💡Milestones
💡Multitasking
💡Circadian rhythms
💡Nutrition
💡Exercise
Highlights
Reframe ADHD as an advantage for success rather than a weakness.
Use brain hacks to enhance studying efficiency for those with ADHD.
Andrew from Brainscape shares insights based on cognitive science research.
Famous individuals like Walt Disney and Will Smith overcame ADHD to achieve success.
Human evolution has been influenced by the creativity and non-conformity of 'daydreamers'.
ADHD individuals struggle with traditional educational settings like lectures and readings.
Seek professional help if ADHD severely impacts life and relationships.
Create a distraction-free environment for studying to set up for success.
Avoid studying in noisy coffee shops or with the TV on to prevent self-deception.
Acknowledge the inability to multitask effectively and focus on one task at a time.
Use peak focus times for planning study sessions and creating a detailed checklist.
Break down study tasks into manageable milestones to combat overwhelm.
Match study tasks with available attention spans to optimize productivity.
Prepare study materials during focused times for easy access during distracted periods.
Ensure good sleep, diet, hydration, and exercise to support concentration.
Embrace the unique strengths of ADHD and view studying as a means to a greater destiny.
Subscribe for more advice on building attention span and habits for success.
Transcripts
I'm gonna go ahead and guess that if you clicked on this video title,
you may be someone who struggles with ADHD.
Well today is the day that we're gonna stop thinking of ADHD as a weakness that's holding
you back and instead as an advantage that can actually help you be more successful in life.
Yes, ADHD happens to be annoying when it comes to studying or focusing in general,
but we're going to give you some strategies to help you crush your
studying with a few brain hacks that will help you get the most out of studying,
get it out of the way, and apply your gifts to what you were meant to be doing in life.
I'm Andrew with Brainscape, an adaptive flashcard study app
built on decades of proven cognitive science research into how we learn and perform better.
And not only have we at Brainscape suffered from attention problems ourselves, but we've worked
with thousands of students with ADHD which has only increased our admiration of all
the famous people that you might not have known had ADHD and overcame it.
Like Walt Disney, Will Smith, Simone Biles, Emma Watson, Richard Branson,
and other hugely successful people who didn't let that scary diagnosis label them as unproductive.
The truth is that human civilization itself have evolved because of,
not in spite of the brilliant work of people who are daydreamers, who are creative, who hate rules,
who think outside the box, who don't accept the status quo, and who are easily distracted
by saber-toothed tigers wrestling in the bushes so that they survive because of that awareness
and pass on that evolutionary advantage to their offspring.
It's only in the last few centuries that the confines of school have been
voiced upon us in childhood and we ADHD people are just not equipped
to sit through boring lectures and readings.
Now all of a sudden if we can't sit still through 30 minutes of geometry, society decides we're just bad at learning without doing much to help.
Please! Yes, there are doctors and there are medications and I should say that if
your attention problems are severely affecting your life and relationships,
please do seek professional help.
But when it comes to your attitude and your, your day-to-day activities, we can give you some tips for working with
and around your ADHD so that you can focus on your studying and actually make
all that knowledge stick, make that study time worth it.
This first tip might sound like a no-brainer, but if you struggle with concentration, put yourself
in an environment where that's just not gonna be an issue.
I'm talking basement of the library, in a cubby facing a corner with white walls without your
phone even on you or if that cubby in the library basement is impossible, at least something like
studying at your kitchen table with your phone set to airplane mode, the tv off,
music off preferably and nobody else around.
Set yourself up for success and not for distraction.
I can't tell you how many people with ADHD I see go to a noisy coffee shop to try to study.
Or who study in front of the tv, maybe taking breaks from their studies from,
for Instagram and text messages along the way and saying things like, “Oh,
I need the tv on to study, I need the distractions of a coffee shop to study.”
No you don't.
I promise you if that's you, you're lying to yourself.
It is scientifically proven that we cannot multitask effectively as we could focus on one thing.
The truth is that you just want to watch tv, that's okay.
But admit it to yourself and understand that if you do, you're just gonna have to end up spending
more time studying later and kind of relearning the stuff that was only
surface level uh deep there.
I've learned this the hard way myself.
Seriously, even just knowing that your phone is on and that you might have some shiny notifications
waiting for you if you were to look at your phone can be occupying valuable mental bandwidth
and preventing you from really devoting your focus to that work.
If you can keep your mind concentrated on the task at hand,
then you will both learn faster and you'll get this studying over with more quickly.
Our second tip is to use that time when you're most focused.
Not necessarily to study but to actually plan the things that you're going to do to study.
Really review that study plan, make an
actual written checklist and break your tasks into as many bite-size milestones as you can think of.
I know we've talked about this same concept in our videos on motivation
and procrastination but the same principles work here and they're really important.
The biggest blocker of our ability to start focusing,
that can be that overwhelming feeling that I have so much to do and I don't know where to start.
So once you've made that checklist with the individual items for say, reread chapter three;
download the lecture notes for chapter five; make flashcards for chapters three, four, and five;
study those flashcards while finally doing my laundry for the first time this month.
Whatever the tasks are of the big homework project or study project that you have in front of you,
you need that measurable milestone that is always just in front of you, keeping you
focused on moving forward toward that next goal and earning that next little reward for yourself.
Which brings me to the next tip, which is to match your studying with your available attention.
And your checklist is really key here.
You need to have a list of all the different short term, shallow, and deep tasks that you need in front of you in order to allocate appropriately.
For example, let's say you have a half hour or more right now to devote your
attention to studying. Well if you have your book and a computer,
that's a great time to, to dive in.
You have 30 minutes, maybe you know make a bunch of flashcards in Brainscape that you can study later.
In other words, you're using this focused time now to organize your flashcards.
Think about what may, might make good questions and answers so that
future you who is distracted, who only has a couple minutes to concentrate in between shows
on tv or conversations with friends or whatever, can easily whip out your phone, study a few
flashcards in Brainscape, rate your confidence and how well you knew each one so Brainscape can
work its magic to help you increasingly focus on your weaknesses and then you put your phone away.
Future you is distracted so set up all the things that future you will need
to do those bite-size study sessions.
Whatever tools you're using. Because the better you're able to sneak in the right study activity at the right
time in your life, the less of a chore it will ever feel like to start studying.
The less you have to think, “Hmm, what should I study now?” because
that occupies too much brain power, thinking about what you want to study.
You need to be able to match the study task to the time you have available.
Our final tip is to make sure your other life habits aren't
sabotaging your ability to concentrate.
We've got tons of literature on brain health and habits over at the Brainscape Academy, but the big ones that are important
for your ability to focus are: number one: get some sleep.
I know this is hard for some of us including me, but preferably get some sleep before the
sun starts coming up again and you will be aligned with your circadian rhythms
and able to crush the task at hand.
Number two: eat right.
The most important part of which being to limit sugar and processed carbs.
Sorry. I love those oreos, too. I know.
Number three: drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Your brain needs those nutrients that you
just ate to circulate and good hydrated blood is the best thing for that.
Number four: move your butt especially things like squats or jumps or lunges or or
planks or other things that really work your glutes and core because that's where all your
posture and your power and your confidence comes from, is your core.
The more confident you are, the better you're gonna be able to focus.
At the end of the day, if you have that evolutionary gift that modern society calls ADHD,
you probably aren't meant to be studying for your whole life anyway.
So just think of all this studying as an inconvenient means
to a more exciting and that is your destiny.
One day you're gonna be entertaining people or or teaching or managing or creating art or producing or starting companies or treating
patients or winning cases or designing or building things or saving lives or leading countries or any
number of bigger things that you were made for.
If you like advice like this, please remember to subscribe to this channel.
Check out the Brainscape Academy especially all those articles that help you build your attention span
and build great habits like a warrior and get ready to rise to your challenge.
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