7 Study Tips for People with ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, and for some people, hyperactivity or impulsivity that make it hard to function. So let’s be real — having ADHD can throw you a few curveballs with schoolwork, especially when it’s time to study. Your brain’s wiring can make focusing, motivation, and staying on track feel like climbing a mountain where you’ll never reach the top. Here’s a little secret: understanding why studying is a struggle will help you work with your brain instead of against it. Keep reading for some study tips for people with ADHD.

Common roadblocks ADHD throws in the way of studying

As you read this list, if you find yourself nodding “Yes” in agreement, no worries! Lots of people with ADHD have similar challenges. You’re definitely not alone.

• Focus feels impossible. You know that feeling when you want to pay attention in class or while reading, but your mind wanders off on its own adventure? Or those slow, repetitive tasks, like French grammar drills or math equations, feel like torture? That’s a pretty common experience with ADHD.
• The procrastination monster. Putting things off because you “work well under pressure?” You’re not the only one! Sometimes when a topic feels boring or too overwhelming, your brain says, “Nope, not today,” and suddenly, you’re giving the dog a pedicure or going down a rabbit hole about spelunking. 
• Where’s the “Go” button? ADHD makes motivation kinda tricky. Your brain may need an immediate sense of reward to kick into gear. It's hard to find that initial push when studying feels like a long-term “thing” with no quick payoff.
• Time? What time? Ever feel like time just… slips away? ADHD can cause 'time blindness,' making it tough to calculate how long things will take. Maybe you underestimate study time or can’t decide what homework to prioritize first, and you focus on what grabs your attention now instead of a looming deadline or something more important, leading to panic (and maybe even self-recrimination) later.
• Brain fog and forgetfulness. Remembering dates, projects, deadlines, or even what you just read, like, five minutes ago, can feel like trying to grab smoke. ADHD can affect how your brain assimilates and remembers information.

Identifying your personal study struggles is a huge first step. It’s like a map — once you find the rough terrain, you can start planning better routes to navigate where you want to go. Understanding these challenges will help you build a toolkit of strategies that work for you. Keep reading for a few of our favorites.

Behold! Our (non) definitive list of study tips 

Ok. We need to start with a big caveat: whether you have ADHD or not, there’s no one right way to study. Just like we all learn differently, whether we’re visual, auditory, reading/writing, or kinesthetic (hands-on) learners, how we process and retain information differs from person to person, too. Here are some tips and tricks that work well. Try them to see which ones you can add to your toolkit.

1. Find a distraction-free study zone.

Some people need absolute silence to focus. Others prefer having something to ignore. If you’re one of the former, create a study zone where you can zero in without distractions. Perhaps it’s a desk in an area of your bedroom or tucked away in an alcove in your finished basement. If you don’t have the luxury of a designated spot, you can use noise-cancelling headphones.

Can you resist the temptation to check your phone every time it vibrates? If not, cover or hide it so it’s out of sight and out of mind. If that’s not enough, you can install a website blocker or app on your phone (or your laptop if you need it for studying) to prevent you from scrolling social media. Do you feel like the world is closing in when you’re surrounded by clutter? Take a few minutes before you settle in for a study session to put things away or move them to the side.

2. Stimulate your senses

ADHD brains need more stimulation to focus than non-ADHD brains, so lean into it by using color-coding when you’re taking notes. Listen to white or brown noise in your headphones. Have a handful of snacks nearby to munch on. Or if you’re watching a video for class or doing a listening exercise, hold a fidget toy or walk around while you listen.

3. Establish a consistent routine

It may take a while to create a system that works for you and helps you stay on top of things, even when your brain feels uncooperative, and that’s okay. Try these ideas:

• Map out your day. Writing down your “daily missions” keeps tasks from getting lost in the shuffle. A checklist reminds you of what needs your attention.
• Find your power hour. Everyone has different times of the day when their brains feel “on.” Are you a morning person or do you hit your stride after 8 p.m.? Work with your natural energy flow when you can.
• Life happens (and it’s okay). Spoiler alert: not every day will go exactly as planned. Acknowledge that things might go off the rails (you needed a nap after school, worked an extra shift, or had to babysit a younger sibling unexpectedly), and that’s normal. Don’t beat yourself up about it; just get back on track when you can.
• Maximize your morning. Mornings make great prep times, so even if you’re not a morning person, take five minutes to review what you need to study and prioritize what’s most important. Setting your intentions is a great way to start the day. 
• Take breaks! Studying for hours on end? Probably not the most effective strategy. Schedule (and take!) short breaks to help you recharge and refocus and give your brain a chance to breathe a bit, too.
• Nightly recap. At the end of the day, take a quick look to see what worked and what didn’t. If something’s not helping, zhuzh your plan accordingly. If you have to make a few tweaks, that’s fine. After all, the goal is to find what works best for you.

4. Chunk your study sessions

Few people want to sit and stare at notes for hours on end. Long study sessions are usually counterproductive, especially for people with ADHD, and can cause anxiety, especially if you feel like you’re not getting anything done. There’s a wonderful time management tool called the Pomodoro Technique specifically designed for breaking work into smaller (and much more manageable) chunks. It’s a great strategy for anyone with a limited attention span.

• Write your to-do list.
• Set a timer (preferably something besides your phone) for 25 minutes
• During this block, choose one task to focus on
• When the timer goes off, you’ve completed one Pomodoro
• Set it again for a five-minute break
• In five minutes, set the timer for a second 25-minute block and repeat the process

Once you’ve completed four Pomodoros (100 total minutes of studying), you can take a longer break. A couple of caveats: It may take you longer than 25 minutes to shift into “focus mode” — if so, adjust accordingly. Likewise, tweak your timing if your brain decides to peace out after 15-20 minutes. Play around with the time blocks until you find one that feels comfortable.

5. Try active learning strategies

For most people, reading a textbook chapter over and over isn’t super effective for committing information to memory. It’s also especially boring for folks with an ADHD brain, because they tend to do better with stimulation. Try one (or more) of these techniques instead.

Flashcards. These can help you recall specific information, like vocabulary, math and science formulas, grammar concepts, and other factual knowledge. Try sites like Brainscape, Canva, Anki, Knowt, or Kahoot! to create digital flashcards (or do it the old-fashioned way with index cards and different colored pens or markers).

Spaced repetition. Does your brain ever feel like a sieve, where you learn something and it immediately slips right out? Spaced repetition strategically plugs those holes over time so the information sticks. Instead of cramming right before a test (which, let’s be honest, often leads to stress, instant forgetfulness, and panic), you revisit the material at increasing intervals.

Here’s a typical scenario where this strategy works well. Imagine you just got a new list of vocabulary words. With spaced repetition, you might:

• Learn them today
• Quickly review them later today — or tomorrow (just a quick check to see if they’re starting to stick in your brain)
• If you remembered them, great! You could delay a few days and review them again.
• Each time you remembered them, you’d space the next review out even further.

You’re nudging your brain to remember things, but doing it at about the time when you might naturally start to forget. Believe it or not, this approach strengthens your memory over time. And it’s helpful if you’ve got ADHD because you’re breaking everything down and not trying to learn it all at once (which is overwhelming). You’re spending more time on what you’re starting to forget — a much more efficient use of your study time. And it builds long-term understanding, so you’re not just memorizing for a test (and promptly forgetting everything).

Retrieval practice. For this technique, you actively pull information from your brain rather than passively reading text or your notes. Essentially, you test yourself on what you remember from your reading. While it sounds simple, retrieval practice is really effective! When you actively try to recall something, even if it’s challenging, you’re strengthening the connections in your brain related to that information. You’re creating muscle memory — the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

Feynman technique. If you process and learn information better when you talk about it, try the Feynman technique! Named after a brilliant physicist with a reputation for explaining complex ideas more simply, this strategy boils down to this: If you can’t explain something clearly and simply, you may not understand it very well yourself.

Imagine you’re teaching your topic to a younger person (though you can also ask an older sibling or parent to be your audience, too). Use plain language and avoid jargon. As you explain it, note where you stumble and can’t quite articulate what you’re trying to convey. If you struggle with an area, make a note and then review your textbook or notes to review the information.

The best thing about this strategy? You’re actively engaged with the material by trying to explain it. It’s a way to test your understanding in real-time. If you can explain it clearly, you’re in good shape. If you can’t, you know exactly where you have to go back and review.

Mind mapping. Visual learners with ADHD take note! Mind mapping is like a structured brain dump. Instead of taking linear notes, a mind map helps you see the bigger picture and how different bits of information relate to each other. It’s a flexible tool often used for brainstorming, planning, note-taking, and yes, studying!

Start with your topic in the center, whether it’s a key concept, chapter title, or even “physics exam.” Write it down, draw a circle around it and then draw lines (or branches) radiating outwards. Label each branch with a key subtopic related to your main idea. Add branches to your subtopic branches, with supporting details, examples, or definitions. You’re growing a “tree” where the main trunk (core concept) leads to bigger branches (subtopics) that lead to smaller twigs and leaves (the details).

A mind map is very visual, so use different colors, short keywords, and simple drawings to make it more engaging, interesting, and easier to remember. It’s a game-changer for showing connections between concepts and breaking complex topics into more manageable, bite-sized pieces.

Making up a song or poem. If you can memorize song lyrics after two listens, why not create a song or poem to help you remember information? It’s a surprisingly effective tool for some folks with ADHD because songs and poems engage multiple senses like your ears (hearing rhythm and melody or the sound of the words) and body (tapping a beat, moving while reciting).

The Animaniacs are famous for creating songs to help people remember facts (like all the presidents). If you’ve studied a foreign language like Spanish, did your teacher use songs like El árbol del español - La Cancióne de La Ropa to help you learn verb endings and sentence structure?

Our brains are also wired to remember things with a rhythm or rhyme. Think how easy it is to remember song lyrics from years ago. Why? Because a song or poem’s structure provides a framework to help you organize and recall information more easily. Plus, creating verses or rhyming lines naturally breaks down larger pieces of information into smaller, more digestible chunks, which are much less overwhelming than a dense page of text. So go ahead, try turning your chemistry notes into a song, like Mr. Humphreys or get that quadratic formula into your head with this quadratic formula song.

6. Use technology

A whole world of apps is available for people with (and without) ADHD to use to help them navigate the world, including studying and keeping organized.

• Glean: Note-taking software that can record lectures
• Todoist: Deadline-setting, reminders, to-do lists, chunking big tasks into smaller ones, and more
• Stoic: Has mental health tools like guided and unguided meditation, helps with tracking moods and habits, and awards badges to keep you motivated
• Lumosity: This neuroscientist-developed brain-training app uses games and exercises to improve your cognitive skills

7. Rein in the brain with mindfulness and relaxation techniques

Many people with ADHD feel like there’s a constant parade of thoughts marching through their brains. Sometimes, mindfulness and relaxation techniques can help quiet that parade. Mindfulness allows you to hit pause on all that mental chatter and tune into what’s happening now. It sounds simple, but it can be surprisingly powerful. Research shows that when you practice being present, things like studying can feel less overwhelming and more focused. Weave a little mindfulness into your study routine by:

• Journaling. Sometimes, just getting your thoughts and feelings on paper clears your head and brings some calmness. It’s like hitting “save” on your mental tabs.
• Deep breathing. Taking a few slow breaths can make a huge difference if you feel stress and anxiety building up. Just a handful of deep breaths is a mini-reset for your nervous system. Try these breathing exercises to feel calmer and more relaxed.
• Yoga. Sure, flexibility is great, but yoga offers many more benefits by combining movement, breathing, and focus to help calm your mind and body simultaneously.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Yup, it’s a thing, but it works for some people. Essentially, you intentionally tense specific muscle groups in your body, one at a time, and then focus on letting them relax. This exercise helps you become more aware of tension and how to release it.

Study tips redux

Whew! We’ve covered a lot of ground, exploring different ways to study while navigating ADHD. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What clicks for one person might not work for another, and that’s okay. The most important takeaway is that you’re not alone in facing these challenges, and there are absolutely strategies and techniques to help you thrive. 

Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace as you experiment with these ideas. Some might feel like a natural fit right away, while others take a little more practice. Don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t work perfectly the first time. Your educational journey is more like an ongoing process of discovery — figuring out what helps you focus, remember, and ultimately succeed in your studies. 

You’ve got this! You're already empowering yourself by being proactive and trying out some of these new approaches. Keep exploring, keep adapting, and know you’ve got the potential to achieve your academic goals, ADHD or no ADHD.