HOW DO YOU STUDY?
 

I have ADHD and I get easily distracted. I always end up doing something else than I am supposed to, specially when the computers on.
Then when I turn the computer off I have music on, and I'll space out into my imagination and start imagining things.
The only problem is that I can't concentrate without music on THEREFORE I HAVE TO HAVE IT ON

OMG ITS SO HARD TO STUDY! AGHHHH D:
And I end up drawing on the side of my notes too ARGHHHHH

SO HOW DO YOU STUDY SO I CAN LEARN A BETTER WAYYYY FFFFFF!!! *explode dies stabs self impllodes dies*

What are you studying for? If it's anything besides math, I'd suggest buying a shit load of flashcards. I have an issue with focus as well, but with flashcards it's not such a bad thing. Anyway, seriously, buy a lot of notecards and more or less re-write any vocab words/important points/whatever onto the cards to make some flash cards. That's half your studying right there. After that it's just sort of repeat repeat repeat. It's boring but it's effective, at least for me. And talk to yourself while you do it, come up with ways to remember whatever your studying. It's even better if you can relate it back to ANOTHER thing you're supposed to be studying. But if you can relate the points/vocab to something you do know, make a joke, or anything like that from it, it really helps.

My answer to the topic: Badly. To the point that my counselors actually think i might have ADD.

Could you incorporate your notes into your drawings, or draw what is written in your notes?

Oh I didn't quite mention. It's not bad with flash cards even if you zone out or whatever for a minute or two, you can go right back to where you were.

I also found, personally, that it helps me to focus if I'm having a hard time sort of drawing a circle with my finger around the word/phrase or whatever that I'm trying to remember. (Like, if I'm studying kanji, I move my finger in circles around the kanji with my finger while I try to recall the readings). It kind of focuses me in on what I'm supposes to be paying attention to.

Thanks guys, I will try to try that when I study >W<

When I want to study first I pay attention in class. I know its boring and sometimes you may not feel like it but it helps. When you know it in class it gets easier to study it because you'll be all "Oh that sounds familiar I know that already". Then take notes in class so you dont forget anything later. And finally when you get home just read it over.:p Dont put any pressure on yourself or you'll forget everything alot easier. Relaxing is the key or at least for me it is. Hopefully these simple steps will help you too. :)

I study when I'm stoned. I know it sounds weird, but when I smoke weed and study, I somehow seem to make jokes about the material I'm reading. Then, when I take the test, I remember the jokes, and they make me remember what I read about the subject. I ace my test every time. Obviously I'm sober for the test though. OTL

I'm ADHD as well. And like you, I focus best when I can have music playing, because that helps filter out any other stimuli that might impinge on my concentration. I find caffeine helps, too. But as for how to keep focused when I CAN'T have either of those... it can be hard sometimes.

Thats silly. But I am not a smoker so thats out for me.

@Booga- my teacher is a good teacher. He makes things funny so I did pay attention in class and took good notes so I understood things better :>

@Coda- Trust me, caffeine doesn't help (depending on the amounts)) I once drank a shit ton of green tea (with real green tea leaves, I stuffed it with like..half the glass of real big ol leaves) It made me so jitterish rushes of ideas came to me and I could do nothing but draw out ideas for a MMORPG that I wanted to make.
I never go to studying...but after the caffeine rush left I crashed so hard My head pounded and just smelling green tea made me feel sick and I could do nothing but sleep.
I still can't drink green tea to this day because of it. I get sick from the smell
XD

Also, despite what my psych teacher said, listening to music -for me at least- isn't always too bad as long as it is quiet. If it's quiet, sometimes I notice the song while I'm studying and it helps me recall the information during the test if I remember the song. Not often or always but it doesn't /hurt/ at least.

And depending on what you need to study for, browse online a little bit to see if there's any games involving the information you need to study. That's a great way to remember.

@princeofrose: Ah, hmm... That's interesting. Most ADHD sufferers experience a benefit from stimulants. Either that or maybe you just overdid it that time, or perhaps you need to build up a tolerance to the side effects.

Still, music helps me because it's predictable (meaning it's not new stimuli that attracts my attention) and it helps block out other sounds so that those sounds can't attract my attention either.

The association effect is a convenient bonus.

@Princeofrose: I absolutley love teachers like that XD They make lessons much easier to learn without a teacher frowning at you all day.

I don't remember how I studied. all I knew was that as long as I read the reviews then I take the test or most of the time I don't study and then I somehow pass the test better than when I studied XD

I was the queen of flash cards, heck I still have a loooooooot of mine. If I couldn't put it on a card I would make up silly sayings to remember long lists of information(thank you science classes). If I couldn't do either I would set myself down and reread the information until it felt like it was spilling out of my ears. And I used to do it all with music on, so it's not like you can't have sound in the background. As you've found out it can help you focus even better. AND it's been proven that if you listen to that same song while applying the information you'll remember it better! Obviously you can't take music into tests, but you can hum it or recite some of the lyrics to yourself and it really does help.

When I ACTUALLY study...I put on my headphones and blast my music pretty loud. It doesn't matter what I do, my mind will drift and I will totally forget what the hell was I doing. But, with music only in a quiet place it is much easier to get my mind back on my work after I'm done spacing out. :X

It also helps that I really only cram. I don't do the drawn-out study sessions that deprive me of my sleep...that's just a recipe for disaster and I'm guaranteed to remember even less than I would cramming. I do it right before class usually, unless I have shit loads of reading...like today. I need to read a whole book before tomorrow >.>;;;;

I honestly have the same problem as you, I can hardly concentrate when there are just so many distractions, but i try to block them out as much i can and settle down at a desk with no clutter, try to make sure your space is as clean as possible ... i don't know why but it helps me concentrate more and just make sure you're well rested and have all the right supplements to get you through :D I always like to have some candy or something sweet to make me feel awake...

In high school, I only ever studied for Math, since I had a very good memory for everything else, and sucked at math. I don't suggest this though, if you need the study time for tests/quizes, you should be studying.

Lots of highlighting and lots of notes.

Having someone there to quiz me on the material and keep my attention focused also helped a lot.

And talk to your teacher. If there is something you don't understand, they are the best people who could possibly explain how to works.

I would try explaining the material to someone else. you know you know it best if you can teach it.

Nothing wrong with listening to music while studying, especially if it seems to help. I have difficultly focusing sometimes and there are a number of methods I use depending on what the issue is or how I feel at the time. I underline or reread things, or if I'm really having trouble I read chapters aloud to myself. I snack like crazy while I study or when I'm working on a paper. You use more calories than you think when thinking hard. (Apparently blueberries, trail mixes, and dark chocolate make for good study food. I go for chips and salsa too. :))

Talking with people helps, and I find so does 'translating' an idea or concept into something more to my own thinking. I wrte a lot of stuff out too, even if it's not entirely legible, since I have a good memory for things I read. I think a good approach is to learn what helps you retain information the best (reading, hearing, seeing, etc.) and work around that.

Oh god yes COLOURS. I don't particularly use it to study in it's own, but I write all my notes in separate colours because it's more organized and easier for me to understand when I do go back to study for them. >3<'

So while it's not a study tip in it's own, it does help when you go back to study to have all your information separated by colours and such.

I colour co-ordinated my courses so I could tell my mass note stacks apart because I never bothered carrying my binder around, just a clipboard. I had highlighters that matched sticky tabs and even found some paper with coloured edges. :). Basically the same each year: Red/pink was the most important course for the symester; blue was for literature or english; green was for whatever passed as a science or was closest to the idea; Yellow for whatever counted as social based; and Orange for whatever was left over.

I usually do better with someone to help me... I usually get distracted when it comes to studying though. I'm gunna have to start trying to take it serious though T_T cause soon imma be taking my GED calsses...

Actually, I don't study. I can't really remember a time I did, besides homework. This may, in part, be to a photographic memory of written words so as long as I actually saw the notes and wrote them down I could remember them without having to refer back to them. Except Math equations. I always had to refer back to them because I would forget which one went to which kinds of problems. But other than those I didn't really study. It also helped that i drew all over my notes and that teachers didn't seem to mind much. In my last year of high school I started to switch up sections in my note with black and sharpie blue so I would pay attention better during math.

These days though I don't really take notes since I don't have alot of GE classes.
I also listen to music and movies while I do projects and art homework. And lots of caffine late at night, that always helps a bit.

Well...what would you infer if I told you I'm supposed to be studying right now?

Join the club, luff x.x'

I'm trying to but I keep getting distracted...

I don't have any work to do anymore since I'm on summer break already >_>
Want something to do x.x

Dude...I'm so bad at focusing that my counselor thinks I might have ADD. x____X And my head feels like it's about to implode.

TAKE ESPY'S COMPPROG FINAL FOR HER :D

Only if I'm allowed to do it in Expressions =D !

I study with music on in my room, it helps me remember things :D

music helps me a TON. especially for finals. I listen to a different artist while studying each topic, so I can keep the information straight. we're allowed to listen to iPods in the testing center, so I listen to the same music while I take the test and it helps me remember.

Music helps me most of the time.. unless its something thats i REALLY like then end up dancing to it xD

By getting a friend who actually does their work. Works everytime >D

Well, I kinda just go with the learning in school... Sometimes I will do extra little practice problems for math and when it comes to memorizing words or for my spanish class I use flash cards. :3

I attempt to study with facebook on D:

I... don't study. Never have. It's not that I'm a genius, I just get no benefit from studying for some reason. I take in information fairly well at first brush, though, so I usually don't do too badly on tests and exams.

I've had several teachers keep me after class to ask why I never take notes. They always seem to get the wrong idea when I try to explain and it adds pressure come time for tests when they're expecting me to do amazing since I don't "need" to study.