How to Study with ADHD, for God’s Sake?

Disclaimer: I’m skipping all the clinical psychology talk on ADHD. Sorry, but it’s way too easy to get diagnosed these days (been there, done that). Instead, I see the whole “epidemic” as a common side effect of being raised by the Internet. If your ADHD is on the heavier side, this POV might make you feel less special.

Chasing Through Brain Fog, Not Alone

Every time you unlock your phone, someone profits. This is the Attention Economy, where your focus is the ultimate currency. Decades ago, the Nobel-winning economist Herbert A. Simon saw this coming: “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” And yet, here we are, drowning in notifications and treating our brains like trash cans.

Meanwhile, positive psychology, with all its ‘just do it’ mantras, tricks us into thinking our struggles are only personal. It ignores the bigger, messier picture — where we’re all stuck in a system that profits off our burnout society. Living on the Internet distorts the very basics of things.

When we started working on the brand platform for Noji, I had this moment of clarity that both excited and terrified me: ADHD isn’t just a diagnosis turned meme — it’s a market condition. On one hand, it felt like something finally real, like we could connect with people who’ve been craving something different. On the other side, it was a disturbing feeling of staring into a mirror.

So, we’re in this together, navigating the brain fog, time blindness, phone addiction — and other interesting symptoms of having too much fun online. But the feeling is very real: it’s time to take our post-internet brains seriously and become the #adhdelite.

7 Strategies for ADHD Study

Don’t let the list of tips below make you anxious. Those are just friendly ideas to reflect upon and see what sparks hope (if anything.)

📝 Master the Art of Note-Taking

You’ve seen your messy notebooks, heard of bullet journaling, and maybe created some chaos in the Notes app. But actually, there are so many inspiring approaches to taking notes:

• the Cornell method,
• Boxing method,
• T-Notes, etc etc.

But the key here is to create your own little system and stick to it religiously. You can even name it after yourself for a little extra fun — who doesn’t love a bit of modern-day narcissism?

📱 Hide from Your Own Phone

Sounds funny but we’ve reached that point.

Recently I tried an experiment: I left my phone in the bedroom while I worked. Then I left it in the living room when I went to bed. The idea? Out of sight, out of mind. The reality? Negotiating with myself every single time but every time I noticed a difference in my ability to focus.

Science backs this up: the mere presence of your phone sucks your cognitive power dry.

🍅 Try Guided Pomodoro Videos

It’s a cliché recommendation to just “try the Pomodoro technique,” so here’s a twist. Experiment with following prompts in video format to take the pressure off managing time yourself.

You’ll typically get 25 minutes of full focus, followed by 5 minutes to rest. It’s a simple way to stay on track without constantly watching the clock.

💻 Use Minimalistic Study Tools

When asking users what went wrong with other apps, the word “overwhelming” kept coming up. I get it. We can’t handle tools that fight for our screen time in true Attention Economy style. Instead, there are study apps that feel essential, breathable, and utilitarian. You can try:

• Noji for microlearning with flashcards and spaced repetition;
• Notion for taking and structuring notes during lectures;
• Today habit tracker for ticking off tasks without any other features;
• Are.na for deeper research by subjects or niche topics;

Fun observation: all the apps I listed above embrace a black-and-white design. It seems our visual senses are more overloaded than ever.

🫂 Create a Study Group

Studying with an ADHD brain can feel so hard when you’re doing it alone. But you could get proactive and organise a study group!

Some ideas on wtd as a study group:

• Prep for exams by working through the same flashcard deck together;
• Hop on Zoom calls to stay accountable (even when working in silence);
• Meet a few times a week to get assignments done in-person, talk about ADHD and support each other;
• Share quick check-ins or reminders in a group chat to keep each other focused.

🎧 Block the Noise by All Means

I’ve experimented with the Endel app and tried working to those Slow Focus infinite mixtapes by NTS Radio. But curated soundscapes don’t work if your brain tends to wander hard. Neurodiverse minds often need something simpler and less distracting.

Consider investing in noise-canceling headphones or even those earplugs everyone seems to be talking about lately. Complete silence might be your secret weapon for focus (if not peace of mind.)

💬 Talk About Things

Institutions don’t adjust their idealistic methodologies to accommodate our shrinking attention spans. However, talking about mental health can lift some of that weight off your shoulders.

A clear sign of having a problem is feeling ashamed about it. You might think you’re lazy or crazy for struggling with simple tasks, but you’re so not alone. Probably, your professors feel some brain fog and time blindness, too. Just know you have every right to bring it up, even seek professional counseling help, instead of accumulating problems and negative emotions.

Bibliography

How cruel is it to recommend real books under an article on how to study with ADHD?

• “The Attention Merchants” by Tim Wu discusses how companies have been capturing and selling our attention for over a century, from early print ads to today’s algorithms.
• “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari examines how modern tech has “stolen” our ability to concentrate and how this is reshaping society, especially for younger generations.
• Herbert A. Simon’s writings on attention scarcity laid the foundation for understanding the value of focus in today’s digital marketplace.
• N. Katherine Hayles’ “Hyper and Deep Attention” explores how different cognitive modes are shaped by media environments and technological changes.
• “The Shallows” by Nicholas Carr argues that the internet is changing our brains, making deep thinking harder to achieve.