How to Create a Structured Schedule: Strategies for College Students with ADHD
For college students with ADHD, managing time effectively and staying focused can be particularly challenging. However, creating a structured schedule tailored to your unique needs can make a significant difference. Developing a daily routine that includes set times for classes, study sessions, meals, and breaks can help improve focus and time management. Here’s how you can create an effective structured schedule that works for you.
1. Establish a Basic Framework
Start by outlining your daily commitments. List out all the essential activities, including classes, study sessions, meals, and breaks. This basic framework will serve as the foundation for your schedule. Keeping it simple and clear can prevent overwhelm.
Example:
Morning (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM): Wake up, breakfast, and prepare for the day
Mid-Morning (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Classes
Lunch Break (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM): Lunch and a short rest
Afternoon (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM): Study sessions
Evening (4:00 PM – 6:00 PM): Exercise, club or hobby time
Dinner (6:00 PM – 7:00 PM): Dinner and unwind
Night (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM): Relaxation, light study, and bedtime routine
2. Use Visual Aids
Visual aids can be extremely helpful for students with ADHD. Use planners, calendars, or scheduling apps to visually organize your time. Color-coding different activities can make your schedule more engaging and easier to follow.
Example:
Classes: Blue
Study Sessions: Green
Meals and Breaks: Yellow
Physical Activity: Red
3. Break Tasks into Smaller Chunks
Large tasks can be daunting, leading to procrastination. Break down your study sessions and assignments into smaller, manageable chunks. This makes tasks seem less overwhelming and helps maintain focus.
Example:
If you have a research paper due:
Day 1: Research and gather sources
Day 2: Outline the paper
Day 3: Write the introduction and first section
Day 4: Write the second section
Day 5: Write the conclusion and edit
4. Incorporate Frequent Breaks
For students with ADHD, frequent short breaks are essential to maintain focus and productivity. Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break.
Example:
– 1:00 PM – 1:25 PM: Focused study session
– 1:25 PM – 1:30 PM: Short break
– 1:30 PM – 1:55 PM: Focused study session
– 1:55 PM – 2:00 PM: Short break
5. Create a Distraction-Free Environment
Minimize distractions by creating a dedicated study space. Use noise-canceling headphones, keep your study area organized, and limit access to distracting websites and apps during study sessions.
Example:
– Study Space: Desk with minimal clutter, comfortable chair, and necessary study materials
– Tools: Noise-canceling headphones, website blockers like StayFocused
6. Schedule Regular Physical Activity
Physical activity can help manage ADHD symptoms by reducing hyperactivity and improving concentration. Include regular exercise in your daily routine to enhance overall well-being.
Example:
Afternoon (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM): Go for a run, attend a workout class, or play a favorite sport
7. Use Reminders and Alarms
Set reminders and alarms to help you stay on track. These can prompt you to start or switch tasks, ensuring you follow your schedule and don’t lose track of time.
Example:
Alarms: Set alarms for the start of each class, study session, and break
8. Regularly Review and Adjust Your Schedule
ADHD can make it difficult to stick to a rigid routine, so it’s important to regularly review and adjust your schedule. Identify what’s working and what isn’t, and make necessary changes to better suit your needs.
Example:
Weekly Review (Sunday Evening): Reflect on the past week’s productivity, identify areas for improvement, and adjust the upcoming week’s schedule accordingly.
Conclusion
For college students with ADHD, creating a structured schedule can significantly enhance focus and time management. By developing a daily routine that includes set times for classes, study sessions, meals, and breaks, and incorporating strategies tailored to ADHD, you can create a balanced and productive day. Remember, consistency is key, but don’t forget to allow for flexibility and regular reviews to keep your schedule effective and manageable. Start today, and experience the positive impact of a well-structured schedule on your academic and personal life!
Written by Jordan Yanoshik, Associate Director and Learning Specialist for Students with Disabilities, Weingarten Center
Accessing Disability Services: You Are Not Alone!
You may be asking yourself, “am I the only student receiving accommodations?” — the answer is no, you are not. Disability Services supports all 12 schools at the university and each semester hundreds of students are registered and approved for accommodations. We want students to feel comfortable connecting with us to request accommodations. Unfortunately, there may be students that do not feel comfortable requesting accommodations due to stigma that still exist around disabilities and accommodations. Our hope is that through educating mores students, faculty and other campus partners that we de-stigmatize asking for accommodations due to a disability.
Academic accommodations are meant to give you equal access. They do not guarantee success, but they do provide a level playing field in courses to better align all students. Disability Services welcomes students to connect with us at any point during their time at Penn. We support students through every step of the process and advocate for them when they are not able to advocate for themselves. Stigmas are not going to go away over night, but we can continue to work together towards chipping away at them little by little until we reach a point of more understanding and acceptance. Our dream is to have a more inclusive universally designed society, so that one day you will no longer have to ask for accommodations because they will already exist and be in place for everyone!
Written By Sabria Kegler, Associate Director for Disability Services, Weingarten Center
Neurodiversity at Penn
Imagine that you’re working on a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. You start with a pile of individual pieces. The box shows you the completed picture, but it’s going to take some work to fit the whole thing together. Maybe your first instinct is to notice the colors and group the pieces into piles of a similar shade. Or perhaps you ignore the finished picture entirely, and just focus on the shape of each individual tab.
If you work best by seeing the bigger picture before getting into the details, you prefer a top-down approach to processing. On the other hand, some people default to bottom-up processing- they need to understand how all the tiny pieces fit together before mastering the overall concept.
Everyone’s brain works a little differently. This is fundamental to the concept of neurodiversity, a term coined by autistic self-advocate and sociologist Judy Singer. Singer saw neurodiversity as “a biological truism”- since no two human nervous systems can ever be exactly alike, humanity as a whole is neurodiverse. She also saw this concept as a tool for intersectional analysis and advocacy. Neurodiversity offers a way to talk about neurological differences, especially for groups who have been marginalized or given medical labels (such as the autistic community), without shame or stigma. The idea is to acknowledge and value our cognitive differences instead of treating them as a deficit.
If you’ve heard about neurodiversity, you’ve probably also seen the term neurodivergent. Neurodiversity refers to groups of people. Neurodivergent refers to individuals whose mind or functioning falls outside of societal norms.
Neurodivergence is considered an umbrella term, since there are many different labels and conditions that fall under this category (see the above examples in the diagram, created by Sonny Jane Wise @livedexperienceeducator). One neurodivergent person may be diagnosed with ADHD and autism. Another person may have epilepsy or OCD. (And, not everyone has a specific, formal diagnosis.) We are grouped together by our common experiences of living outside what society expects a standard mind to be like.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint how many neurodivergent students are currently enrolled in higher education, we do know that the number of students with a disability has been increasing over time. More than 20% of undergraduates in the 2019-2020 academic year reported having a disability (National Center for Education Statistics). This statistic includes all kinds of disabilities, including those that fall under the neurodivergent umbrella. As awareness of neurodiversity grows, so do the resources available for advocacy and support.
Whether you’re a first-year undergraduate or a doctoral candidate writing your dissertation, the Weingarten Center is here to ensure you have equal access to academics and campus life. Weingarten also offers academic support resources for all kinds of learners. If you identify as neurodivergent, you may be interested in connecting with the Disability Services team to talk about accommodations. A Disability Specialist can also provide guidance and resources if you’re seeking a formal diagnosis. If you’re looking for support with building academic skills, you can schedule a Learning Consultation. A Learning Specialist will give professional recommendations about things like time management, tackling academic reading, or even STEM-specific study strategies. Weingarten Center staff will give you individualized support, so advice and guidance will be tailored to your learning and access needs.
An inclusive campus environment is about more than academics, too- it includes social spaces that are welcoming and accessible to neurodivergent students. Take some time to consider your needs for social support and community in addition to your academic development. Student groups like the Advocates for Neurodiversity and NeuroQueer provide a space to connect with peers who may have similar experiences.
If you have any questions about the Weingarten Center and how we can support your journey at Penn, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Written by Emmett Binkowski, Disability Services Specialist, Weingarten Center
Sources:
Singer, J. (n.d.). Neurodiversity: Definition and discussion. Reflections on Neurodiversity. Retrieved June 20, 2024, from https://neurodiversity2.blogspot.com/p/what.html
National Center for Education Statistics. (2023, TBA). Table 311.10. Number and percentage distribution of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions, by level, disability status, and selected student characteristics: Academic year 2019–20 [Data table]. In Digest of education statistics. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 5, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_311.10.asp.