What are some strategies to help me focus?

Question

Homework takes me much longer than everyone else. I have to keep re-reading work over and over again. I get so distracted. Help!

Answer 1

You’re not alone. I’ve dealt with ADHD my whole life, and what you’re describing is exactly how it feels. You sit down to work, read the same sentence over and over, and somehow nothing sticks. It’s not because you don’t care. It’s because your brain just doesn’t grab onto tasks the same way other people’s might.

One thing that helps is breaking the work into smaller pieces. Don’t tell yourself to finish all your homework. Just say, “I’m going to read one paragraph” or “I’ll answer the next question.” When the step is small, it’s easier to start, and starting is the hardest part.

Timers can help too. I like the Pomodoro method: 25 minutes of work, then a 5-minute break. If that feels like too much, start smaller. Even 10 minutes of real focus can go a long way.

Sometimes just changing your environment helps. Try moving to a different spot, turning on music without lyrics, or standing up while you work. Your brain might respond better with a little variety.

Most of all, stop measuring yourself against how fast other people finish things. Everyone’s brain works differently. The goal is not to be perfect. It’s to find what actually helps you get it done.

Answer 2

It can be very helpful to make sure you have a designated study area free of distractions and in a place where you are super comfortable learning. Besides breaking down the assignments and chunking them into groups of 5 questions and taking a break which is great!!! Little tricks to try can be to use a reading strip to focus and it may sound silly but chew gum while you are studying it helps improve focus!

Answer 3

What a great question, homework can be so important! After a long day of school it can definitely be more difficult to study and do homework so my advice would be to have a snack and take a break when you get home from school. Then, maybe after an hour or so focus back on your work but try to "chunk it". Meaning for say 15 minutes "I will work on the first 5 questions in math" and go on from there. Maybe taking a few minutes to break in between areas. Some other things that could be done would be have a fidget toy to help you focus while reading the question or take a movement break between every so many questions. If you are doing an assignment that has more reading set a timer, maybe read it out loud (I find sometimes I have to read something out loud for it to sink in). Depending on the age of the student taking notes on key words or phrases could be helpful too.

Answer 4

This is a common challenge for people with ADHD. There are different strategies to try and not every strategy works for every person. For some reducing distractions as the previous answer suggested can be a big help. See if you can determine what sort of stimulus distracts you the most and do your best to block that out.

For others they need the opposite approach. Can you try something like walking on a treadmill while reading? Or bouncing a ball? Do you have the ability to turn on audio for what you are trying to read? Listening while coloring, jumping, bouncing a ball etc may work better for you. It might also work for you to have a routine like drinking a cup of mint tea while reading. There is some research that shows that mint can increase focus as can being well hydrated. So get a glass of water and a mint and sit down to read.

The other thing that really can help those with ADHD is setting timers to limit your time on any one task. Set a timer for 20 min of reading and then get up, stretch, get a glass of water or a snack and then after a 10 min break get back to it.

You also might find that certain locations work better for you than others. Can you go to the library after school and do your homework there? What about being outside? I know someone with ADHD who is best able to focus when their is a lot of noise going on around him. He tunes it all out and it helps him get into hyperfocus and stay on task. I know someone else with ADHD that never could work like that. We are each unique.

I have worked with many students with ADHD and have worked together with them to find ways to make tutoring work for their attention challenges and given them strategies to help them when they are doing their work outside of tutoring as well. Let me know if I can help you.

Answer 5

Wow! What a great question. I see this a lot with students. There are many things you can do to help you keep track of time and stay focused. One is to find a study space without distractions and use the same space to do your homework every night. This helps to build routine. You might want to use noise cancelling headphones or find soothing music (no lyrics!), white noise, or brown noise. One of the best ways to stay focused is to feel engaged with your work. This means you need to find something interesting about the assignment. For example, use a color coded system to highlight, take notes on sticky notes, doodle your notes, or use pictures to help you form an image of the text. Let's start with those and let me know if you need other suggestions.