people here with ADD

[SketchyRollin564]

so this isnt car related but whatever i figured theres atleast a couple people here who have this problem and worked around it lol

so ive had ADD since i was a little kid, and havnt grown out of it one bit. its kinda fun to have somtimes, but it gets annoying as hell when im trying to be serious and focus on somthing that im not naturally interested in (like cars or girls or food)

when im actually in school it isnt that hard for me to concentrate half of the time cause i have friends or people i talk to in all my classes, so i dont feel like im sitting there doing nothing but boring work, and i can balance between talking and messing around, and then doing my work

the other half of the time its just really bad and i have the attention span of a lunch box

i take ADD medicine for that (when i remember), and it helps alot, but by the time im done with school and if i have homework, the medicine wears off

also when im home, its just straight up impossible for me to do my work. Atleast when im in school, im stuck there and im there specifically to be at school, if that makes any sense. When im out of school, i always want to go out and have fun.

what really sucks is sometimes ill tell myself im staying home and not going out untill i finish my homework. I do that, i stay home, and im about to start my homework, but then i say f*** it im hungry, so i grab somthing to eat. then i get back home, and im about to do hw again... then i see a cup in the kitchen and think "omg i really want chocolate milk right now"

so i go make chocolate milk and in a matter of 5 minutes i ilterally forget that i was supposed to do HW and i go do somthing else

i could go on and on but this is getting long and i think you guys get the point

im wondering, for the people here who have, or used to have really bad ADD, what methods did you guys use for doing homework or not procrastinating on things that you have a week or a few weeks to do?

i bought a little tiny whiteboard i have in my room right by my door that i write down all the stuff that i cant forget, and it works, but it still doesnt help me actually sit down and focus when i go to do whatever it is if its school work

the other thing is, somtimes i will sit down at the table for 2 hours looking at my books and trying to do homework, and i work so slow because my mind is in so many places at once, that i get done in two hours what usually takes people 10 minutes to do

is this normal for people with ADD or do i just have serious problems here lol

any help really appreciated

[hitbychance]

fun to have somtimes, but it gets annoying as hell when im trying to be serious and focus on somthing that im not naturally interested in (like cars or girls or food)

[etschell]

anyone with add wont have the patience to read this long post

[Encryptshun]

What were we talking about, again?

[lets_GET_it_ON]

well my adderall is still in affect so my ADD allowed me to read my post. im actually diagnosed with ADD ADHD and ODD ( Oppositional defiance disorder ) and i have the same exact problems, only theres times when i cant even do work at school. when im at home, there is NO work getting done. if you get some sucessful advice, please do share, cause i need it to my man.

so what meds are you on?ive got adderall (60mg) and Strattera (120mg)

[r34 gtr]

I always just did it before school, at school. I had the first two periods free every day, so I could either show up for homeroom and leave for an hour and a half, or I could just go to the library and do my homework. Got me through high school in style. Doing homework at home is for chumps.

[IanS]

ADD is a hell of a drug.

I was diagnosed in middle school, but I haven't taken any form of medication for it in years.

[Scuffed_ChukiCoupe]

anyone with add wont have the patience to read this long post

and thts why i skipped it all and quoted this post ftmfw.

[dickie]

ADD is a hell of a drug.

I was diagnosed in middle school, but I haven't taken any form of medication for it in years.

mom looked at the teachers and the counselors funny, then we walked out of the school and i got smacked in the face.

i can smack you if you want?

[SketchyRollin564]

well my adderall is still in affect so my ADD allowed me to read my post. im actually diagnosed with ADD ADHD and ODD ( Oppositional defiance disorder ) and i have the same exact problems, only theres times when i cant even do work at school. when im at home, there is NO work getting done. if you get some sucessful advice, please do share, cause i need it to my man.

so what meds are you on?ive got adderall (60mg) and Strattera (120mg)

i took both back in middle school and freshman year

right now im on focalin and only 20mg

for some reason it seems to work, but i JUST started taking the medicine again, and its only when i remember lol

im gonna try constantly taking medicine to see how that does it for me

[MagikDragon]

you described my life growing up, but I wasn't diagnosed until college. Now I can't remember to take my medicine so a lot of good getting diagnosed and having medicine I never use.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

IB4 gheyler!

ADD sucks though. Idk if I have it but I also find myself just about to do something, then completely going off track and forgetting to do what I was going to alltogether.

EDIT: WTF? ghey is filtered?

[Otto.]

I was diagnosed with it when I was like... 8 or something. The test was like, impossible... especially since I was so young. Yet, everyone I have asked says I dont have it... WTF is up with that? I havent ever taken any medicine for it either.

[Bmore-coupe]

anyone with add wont have the patience to read this long post

yup. just skimmed it and got the basic gist of it. as long as i was medicated in school, i was always fine. since i left college, I stopped taking meds, had problems at first, then just learned to live with it.

Take breaks whenever you become overwhelmed with something, but not so long that you forget what you were doing. Thats the only advise I can give on living with it.

[SketchyRollin564]

actually two things that i found that work for me

one of them is if im doing hw, to work half an hour at a time, and take 10 minute breaks... just somtimes the 10 minute breaks turn into 2 hour breaks, or just totally forgetting to go back to my work

and the other thing which isnt exactly a tip to help you focus, but i learned this a couple times and even though i still always wait till the last minute to do projects in school, if you work on it a little bit each week, it makes it a HELL of a lot easyer to finish the last bit right before its due

i noticed when work is overwhelming its really easy to just give up or to just not be able to focus on it because your just focused on the fact that its so much work

if you do it a little bit at a time, its alot easyer to approach beacuse your not thinking of it as being so overwhelming

its like reading an idiot post somthing thats 25 lines long without and periods or spacing, as opposed to the same thing thats divided into paragraphs

[themadscientist]

ADD is a made up malady. They tried to put me on Ritalin when I was a kid.

I do fine, if my attention drifts it isn't because I have some disorder it's because whatever it is is friggin boring.

[snwbrdr435]

ADD is a hell of a drug.

I was diagnosed in middle school, but I haven't taken any form of medication for it in years.

I hate the meds makes me a zombie

[SketchyRollin564]

yeah, honestly i dont like taking the ADD medicine for some wierd reason, but at only 20mg it helps me keep focus on things im not the least bit interested in, meanwhile i still keep my personality without being so damn serious

[MinisterofDOOM]

I have the opposite of ADD. I'm ALWAYS paying attention to multiple things. It makes it appear as though I'm not paying attention to any of them, but that's not the case. I tend to piss people off when having conversations because I don't only invest myself in that ONE thing like they expect. But I'm still paying attention. I'm just paying attention to other things, too. Makes me pretty observant.

BTW, Sketchy, most of your school/homework symptoms sound exactly like the way I was. And I don't have ADD. I don't really have any helpful advice, though.

I do fine, if my attention drifts it isn't because I have some disorder it's because whatever it is is friggin boring.

Werdly. ADD isn't an issue with attentiveness, it's an issue with having the willpower to make yourself pay attention to the same stuff everyone else is also being bored by. School is boring to everyone. Of course, I didn't always pay attention either but I didn't blame it on ADD. I blamed it on me not caring, which is the truth.

[Razi]

ADD is a made up malady. They tried to put me on Ritalin when I was a kid.

I do fine, if my attention drifts it isn't because I have some disorder it's because whatever it is is friggin boring.

Quoted for the truth.

[ADDirishboy]

IB4 gheyler!

Like TMS said, ADD is complete crap. It's so over-diagnosed. It's amusing to me that I have it. It's completely controllable, but parents get fed up with their kids and make doctors give them meds.

[avendi]

I personally got tired of all the side effects of adderall and forced myself to get around it.

For me, listening to some form of non-lyrical music (Trance for example) tends to keep me focused.Caffeine always helps.Also, your environment has a lot to do with it. Keep the area that you work separate from where you spend the majority of your down-time (probably why you can focus better in class rather than home). Also keep your work area very clean and organized. The fewer things out of place, the fewer things that can distract you.When in lectures, I find that drawing and random note taking will let me retain the majority of what I hear.Get a planner and freaking use it. Religiously. You WILL forget if you don't, but you'll forget LESS if you do. Plus it's just a good habit.

And of course the most important and probably the HARDEST part of all. DO IT EVERY DAY!It will all eventually become a habit and over time make life much easier for you.

[numbnuts240]

ADD is a made up malady. They tried to put me on Ritalin when I was a kid.

I do fine, if my attention drifts it isn't because I have some disorder it's because whatever it is is friggin boring.

what he said. and btw, adderol is awesome

[frapjap]

I personally got tired of all the side effects of adderall and forced myself to get around it.

For me, listening to some form of non-lyrical music (Trance for example) tends to keep me focused.Caffeine always helps.Also, your environment has a lot to do with it. Keep the area that you work separate from where you spend the majority of your down-time (probably why you can focus better in class rather than home). Also keep your work area very clean and organized. The fewer things out of place, the fewer things that can distract you.When in lectures, I find that drawing and random note taking will let me retain the majority of what I hear.Get a planner and freaking use it. Religiously. You WILL forget if you don't, but you'll forget LESS if you do. Plus it's just a good habit.

And of course the most important and probably the HARDEST part of all. DO IT EVERY DAY!It will all eventually become a habit and over time make life much easier for you.

All good points.

I was diagnosed when I was in my sohpomore year in college (long story short, my mom didn't believe in it, or pills or anything and as a result, I HAD to study my rump off and apply myself hardcore for those younger years), but by the time I was Dx, I already had things that worked for me. I was medicated for an extremely brief period of time and HATED it (I am not an on/off switch kinda person) and I also don't care for drugs, no matter what they are. So, heres a few things that work for me in no particular order:

1. rewards system. chocolate, ice cream, gold fish, whatever for when you have accomplished something up to your standards. Can be as small as an M&M for a math problem. I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE math.

2. PLANNER. Multiple calendars. one at work, one at school, one at home, ALL with the same info. WRITE IT ALLLLLLL DOWN! Bills, HW, Tv Shows, whatever! Also, set your alarm on the phone for the really important stuff, you'll train yourself to look at it and go "ohhh yeah! I have to do that!"

3. Reptition. repteition. repetition. Of daily actvities. I'm not saying get into a rut, but at least a routine for small parts of your day. Like the order of how you get ready in the morning. And if youre going to be adding something to the routine, write a sticky note and put it on or near the normal routine spots so you don't forget. IE- I dont always bring lunch to work, but when I do, I take it out of the fridge and HAVE to put it ON my bag/gloves/shoes/coat/whatever so I don't leave it on the damn counter. Back to repetition, no matter what it is, work on memorizing things. I like to do songs and/or license plates while I drive and see if I can't recall them a few minutes later. It works on that forgetfull short term part of the brain. When someone talks to you, repeat everything that they are saying in your head as if you were reading it in front of your eyes. Picture yourself as seeing what a Terminator sees in its ocular display. Use your imagination to make it more fun, especially if you don't care all that much about what is being said.

4. Focusing on something I suck at focusing on. 3 things work for me.a. classical music that I like. I don't like it all, but a mix cd or a mid on your ipod can help. I've found that it helps to occupy one part of my mind with something else, in this case a sound, so that I am still running on mutiple brain tracks but am not noticing it as much or getting distracted.b. music I have heard a million times and I won't be tempted to listen to intently. For me- old Green Day, Blink, something I have heard a million times and I can tune out and stay on track. c. talk yourself through the entire process of what you're doing as if you're reading or narrating a story. This helps me when making samples of a product I've already made 287473856276 of but am changing ONE LITTLE THING

5. Have some relax time. Do nothing. For me, the ADD stresses me the screw out. I have to remind myself to caaaaaallllllmmmmm the fudge down. Whether it be a shower where I can't do anything but stand there (and thats hard!) or laying in bed and looking at the ceiling. Find an outlet. Alcohol helps too.

I have a few more, but only limited time to write right now. I'll add more later.

Caffiene works great for me, but I HAAAATE the crash. Caffiene and I DO NOT get along. At all. And I don't like being dependent on certain things. Thats one of them.

[RobPaulson]

mom looked at the teachers and the counselors funny, then we walked out of the school and i got smacked in the face.

80% of diagnosed 'ADD' is just a parents excuse for bad parenting. Lets drug our kid so hes numb and submissive. Yay.

f*** society and their drugs.

[HashiriyaS14]

MOST ADD is nonsense diagnosis.

That said, it isn't entirely made up.

I'm pretty confident that I have the real deal. Many people say "focus harder" to those who have ADD, but the way you know you have the real thing is that you can't "focus" consciously, it is entirely impossible. Focus for someone with real ADD is an involuntary function, like heartbeat, rather than a voluntary function, like breathing.

I can no more train my attention on one thing in particular than I can slow down my heart rate. If 10 things are going on, I'm paying attention to 10 things, period. I've got no say in the matter.

That said, ADD is NOT, functionally, a disability. Everyone I know who has the real McCoy, myself included, has the ability to focus continually on multiple things at the same level most people can focus on one. It isn't that I'm not paying attention to X, it's that I'm also paying attention to Y, Z, A, B, C, and so on, all at the same level.

I've actually found it to be a boon, professionally. That said, it can strike some people as irritating, as they don't THINK they have my full attention even though I'm retaining and processing everything that's being said.

ADHD is an entirely seperate malady and it bears essentially zero resemblance to normal ADD. It is medicated entirely differently, you don't give a hyperactive kid stimulants like Ritalin.

[frapjap]

x2, Chris

I get the "are you listening/paying attention/whatever" all to often. Like you, it is possible for me to have a number of things going on at a time. Multi-tasking is easy for me. I may lose some detail along the way here and there, but I still do it much better than most others can. I use it to my advantage. I need to brush up on talking quicker though. Sometimes with to much going on I can't answer as fully as I should or as quickly (if I'm getting my balls busted with the guys or something). Thats the only real drawback for me. That, and settling down.

[HashiriyaS14]

That, and settling down.

Highly overrated. Don't rush it.

[bloodspread]

iv never been diagnosed with ADD although in the past its been suggested (elementary school, middle school) but I do have issues with concentrating on things and doing Hw, school work, and my attention span is short. I get easily distracted at home and in most locations I could study, so I end up in my car studying. that usually works since theres no tv or roommates to distract me. or somtimes I go over to a friends house to study since they don't have any tv but I end up talking to them for a while .

[frapjap]

Highly overrated. Don't rush it.

Wrong settling down- my fault for bad choice of words. I meant chilling out on the couch and watching some TV with some wine.

But yes, I'm beginning to learn that settling down isn't as high up in my list of priorties at the moment. Always on my mind for a relationship of some kind, but not necesairly a marriage as of yet (or any time soon!).