Thread: Tips on Writing with ADHD?

Last couple years (I'm 19), my ADHD has recently become visible. I have had my IQ tested at 142, so my ability to focus is clearly offset by the disorder.

Anyways, the deal is I've grown up being able to compensate for my ADHD with my IQ, but now that my degree requires more focus, I can't apply myself as I wish to or should be able to.

Just wondering if there's anyone out there who has developed skills to work with ADHD or an organizational process in order to get these things done?

If there's anything I missed, feel free to add.

Thanks,
Devon

If you're 19, then there are likely other factors--besides ADHD, which a friend of mine calls "ADD but in high definition"--preventing you from the laser-like focus you wish for. Just sayin.

I will leave it to others to recommend drugs. You may have already considered those anyway.

If pills aren't for you, then something I recommend is having a study partner or a tutor who can keep you directed toward your goal. Sure, sometimes a study session might deteriorate into a TV-watching session or a let's-go-to-the-bar-and-drink-until-we-fall-down session, but the adage "two heads are better than one" definitely applies here. Your study partner or tutor does not have to be someone who is a whiz at whatever you're studying; it can even be someone with the same set of problems as yourself.

Anyway, good luck!

You have been labelled - Tear up the label, throw it away and ask yourself this question "If I have an attaention deficit disorder, how did I concentrate long enough to complete an IQ test...?"

I have no idea what my IQ is, I don't care, but having my brain is like sitting in front of half a dozen televisions while they play different channels, randomly switching on and off for a few seconds at a time. I think A and a bit of C creeps into my peripheral vision which instantly takes me to last weeks K but before I can lock onto K pesky B reminds me that I hadn't finished a previous conversation; Q? Q? What's Q all about, never been there before - Hold on, let me get a handle on Q before you start talking about T - Oh! Tea, yes, I'd love a cup..... (Actually I wouldn't, I'm a coffee drinker, but you get my drift). When I was young it was described as "Having a butterfly mind", but nobody made an issue of it, turned it into a "Mental condition", I suggest that you don't either, view it as a useful tool, it allows you to think of far more possibilities in 60 seconds than than those who are mentally nailed to the floor; they may always cross the i's and dot the t's in the right order but their organisational ability may mean that they never write a Catch 22...

Has it affected my life, of course it has, it is who I am; does it bother me? No. Do I spend any time worrying about it? Well, I suppose about 10-15 minutes of my 66 years. Do I have ADHD? No, because I was an old(ish) man before it was invented. Would I take pills for it? Not on your nellie, because I don't believe that I have any kind of condition, I just know who I am and use my brain for what it is good at and work round what it's not good at. If you consider your unique brain an obstacle, it will be; if you use your ability to think quickly in several directions at once to advantage, it can be a boon; yes, you will have to work harder at the routine stuff, but then everybody does have to work harder at the processes which are not their strong suit, so devise a way of managing the bad bits and use the good bits to create insights which others don't have. Dwelling on it is a bigger problem than "It" - Ignore it, don't talk about it, don't use it as a prop for failure, rather regard it as a hill somewhere on the route from here to there.

Do you drive a car? Do you keep crashing into fire hydrants and other cars? Do you average one pedestrian run over per day? Are people willing to be driven by you or do they leap screaming from the car at the first traffic light? Did you make multiple attempts to pass your driving test? If none of the above then you have the ability to concentrate fully on one thing to the exclusion of all others, so work on that.

You are not ill, you are just you and not the same as the common herd, make use of it, don't regard it as a handicap.

Originally Posted by Bloggsworth

having my brain is like sitting in front of half a dozen televisions while they play different channels, randomly switching on and off for a few seconds at a time. I think A and a bit of C creeps into my peripheral vision which instantly takes me to last weeks K but before I can lock onto K pesky B reminds me that I hadn't finished a previous conversation; Q? Q? What's Q all about, never been there before - Hold on, let me get a handle on Q before you start talking about T - Oh! Tea, yes, I'd love a cup..... (Actually I wouldn't, I'm a coffee drinker, but you get my drift). When I was young it was described as "Having a butterfly mind", but nobody made an issue of it, turned it into a "Mental condition", I suggest that you don't either, view it as a useful tool, it allows you to think of far more possibilities in 60 seconds than than those who are mentally nailed to the floor; they may always cross the i's and dot the t's in the right order but their organisational ability may mean that they never write a Catch 22...

Has it affected my life, of course it has, it is who I am;

Been there, done that, worn the T-shirt.

I too have ADD and, like Bloggy, never knew it since there was no name for it when I was in school. I am as far as one can get from being a multi-tasker, just the opposite. The only way I can concentrate is to go to a quiet, dark room with just one light by my work. By my computer the window blinds are always closed so I don't see the squirrels outside. I am actually lucky that I can't hear without my hearing aid, for I can close my ears to all distraction too, just by taking it off when I'm really having trouble focusing.

So, that's what works for me, which is one reason I sit here in the dark late at night (it's nearly 4 AM now) with just the glare of the screen for light and quiet dogs sleeping nearby. During the day, there are usually too many distractions for me to focus on writing, or even reading.

It never worried me that there wasn't a name for IT, as I never considered that there was an IT to name, I just considered my self to be normal.

Interesting - If I go somewhere quiet it merely allows me more opportunity to let my mind wander; I need something to concentrate through, so tend to write in front of the television, or sitting in Starbucks (Though I can't do it listening to the radio) - If I am sitting in silence with no distractions my mind is like a pinball machine pinging from one bumper to the next.

Originally Posted by Bloggsworth

It never worried me that there wasn't a name for IT, as I never considered that there was an IT to name, I just considered my self to be normal.

Interesting - If I go somewhere quiet it merely allows me more opportunity to let my mind wander; I need something to concentrate through, so tend to write in front of the television, or sitting in Starbucks (Though I can't do it listening to the radio) - If I am sitting in silence with no distractions my mind is like a pinball machine pinging from one bumper to the next.

Even when you have something to occupy your mind, and idea to concentrate on, you still find your mind wandering if there are no distractions? That's a new one! Guess the term is just a catchall for alot of different kinds of concentration problems. I know I could NEVER get anything done if I had the TV on or was in a noisy coffee shop, though I am able to block out such stuff if I'm really wrapped up in what I'm doing. Depends on degree of interest in my case.

In your case, at age 19, you must have discovered what works best for you by now. If you want suggestions though, try googling your question. Surely there are dozens of good sources online.

My advice is, read this book:

Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood

A few key bits from reviews:

"Although ADD can generate a host of problems, there are also advantages to having it, advantages that this book will stress, such as high energy, intuitiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm, and they are completely overlooked by the 'disorder' model."

"Although they warn against overdiagnosis, they also do a convincing job of answering the criticism that "everybody, and therefore nobody" has ADD."

"Although written by physicians (who themselves are sufferers), it does not shill for medication management at the expense of alternative treatments that have been scientifically validated as effective."

It's all a very practical and common sense take on ADD. I read it, and mostly base how I deal with it on the information provided.

Good luck.

Bloggsworth is right. Rip up the label. If you need to focus on something in particular then just make the effort to do so. Most people do not focus well on things. Last year a doctor recommended to me that I read a book about Aspergers Syndrome, which I did. I could see a lot of myself in it and have found it more helpful than anything else. It allowed me to concentrate on my strengths. Your IQ is your strength so focus on that fact.

What exactly is your degree? I did a degree in computing and sailed through it, and I think my so called AS was a strength in that.

The only piece of advice I have for anyone with ADD is don't take op a career where somebody else's life depends close attention, like brain surgery, train driving...

ive got add, im 18, and i simply do important things either in a quiet environment, with no disturbances etc etc.
or(!) i do them with environment i like, for instance i like to study with music - so thats what i do. i cant explain it cuz i should be distracted when hearing something and studying cuz of my add, but somehow i do not. ive learnt to control my attention-splits. it takes practice and every person has his own favorite envo for studying -simply find yours.
hope it helped.
by the way - even though i have add(and i take concerta!) i can read books for hours. training is the solution

p.s.:!!! boom,baby!!! so i geuss youre afetr one of our wars?

I suggest that you experiment with many different ways of writing and change it up even after you have found a way that works for you. I found a way that works for me then it changed and it changed again. Currently I can concentrate better on writing when I am watching tv while I do it. Then when I think about not focusing on writing I can focus on the TV but still get a little bit of writing done then vice versa. There are only certain shows I can do it with though, for example it works great when I watch Star Trek while I write.

I completely agree that you should rip up the label. You are you. Appreciate being who you are and learn to live with your strengths and weaknesses. As for tips, different things work for different people, and ADHD/ADD (and many other "disorders") lump together a lot of concentration/thought patterns only because they differ from the more common experience. Finding what works for you may mean experimenting with a lot of different methods. I'd suggest "personalizing" your study methods to flow with your attention as much as possible. I don't know what the subject is, but maybe you could try using multiple senses simultaneously? Like audio in addition to visual reinforcement--either by audiobooks, having someone read to you, or even reading out loud--and putting what you learn to practice, or watching examples of it.

You might try books like The ADD Hoax by Craig Hovey for more tips. Last time I was at the library, there were a ton of them.

Also, keep in mind that many kids diagnosed with ADHD/ADD turn out to be gifted. (I believe IQs of 115 and up are included in this group, though it varies from district to district.) This makes it pretty clear that it's just a matter of the schools not knowing how to deal with "different" kids. After all, Einstein and Edison were considered "disruptive" too--what if they'd been drugged? (Well, OK, maybe no atom bomb...or maybe he would've used it on his hometown!