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Hi
I have a voice recorder that I take into seminars, meetings etc. I then put the recordings on software that allows me to add my notes and slides to the recordings.
I rarely get round to actually putting my notes, slides and recordings together to be honest but I do listen to the recordings again when I am working on a paper.
I don’t try to do one thing at a time. My supervisor helps me focus in on one point, but even then my thoughts spider out all the time and I tend to be writing several paragraphs at once, jumping between them as the thoughts come to me.
I find trying to work in a linear way doesn’t work for me and so I try to work with the ADHD rather than against it.
I also need noise when I’m working so I tend to have netflix on in the background – something I’ve seen a bunch of times that won’t disturb me with anything new or interesting but that give me a hum of familiar conversation round me that tends to take the edge off sudden noises that might make me lose track of what I’m doing.
I have a sand timer on my desk too. I keep track of time that way. (Once I got past the staring at the thing as the sand trickled out stage anyway!) I can see how long I’ve been working on something but it doesn’t distract me by making a noise when the time is up, so if I’m in the zone I just keep going.
Do you have a short acting pill for the days you don’t want to take it all day? If the long hike can help you focus, can you go out before class and get some exercise?
Also, are you entitled to disability support in your college? I have an hour a week with a mentor that helps me keep organised. We set targets together for the week, as it’s something I can’t do on my own. (Who actually manages to tick off everything on a to-do list anyway?! If I have actually written anything useful on it, I’ve lost it already before I begin anything on it!)
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