Five sentence summary This is my third year participating in this writing marathon, and I've learned a few things about my writing along the way. This is the first time I'm actually going to truly try to write every day. I'm counting on Shut Up & Write writing sessions, my trusty list of low focus/motivation writing tasks, sharing my progress and goals on social media, and having enough papers in progress that are of different topics to keep me interested and motivated. I'm ruling out any sort of shame as a motivator and relying on support and self-awareness instead. What do NaNoWriMo or AcWriMo mean anyways? So NaNoWriMo, AcWriMo, or NaAcWriMo, are all shorthand ways of referring to the month of November where folks write consistently, every day for a month. The concept of writing consistently every day didn't start in academia, but academics hopped on. Some folks write a book during this month, but others use the time to write their dissertation or submit an article in December. The main idea is to write consistently everyday. How I made it work for me in the past Anything that requires consistency is going to be at least a little challenging for me. As ADHD folks, we're consistently inconsistent. Knowing I would struggle at times, I made myself the most ADHD-friendly writing month ever. I've participated twice now and I definitely didn't try and write a book. I gave myself a lot of grace.
I made a goal for each day, tweeted it, and reported back. There were times I did not reach my goal, even when it was easy (by my ADHD standards easy). I would make up for the missed days the next day. That's it. That's literally all I have done in the past. Overall, this worked perfectly for me. I participated, I didn't feel guilty about being ADHD, and I didn't stress. It was exactly what I needed as an ADHD person trying to write consistently. (It's also what I would recommend if you're thinking of starting Academic Writing Month for the first time: lots of grace and patience with yourself!).
0 Comments
Five sentence summary
Body doubling or using an accountability partner is a great ADHD trick. Support groups, especially for ADHD or neurodivergent folks, can also be a life saver, introducing us to new tricks and perspectives. Here the virtual work and study group options that I know about and feel comfortable recommending.
Support groups for work or school, whether for mentoring or sharing strategies, are crucial for ADHD folks. When the world isn't designed for ADHD folks, we need to rely on each other to share advice and swap stories. Of course, finding a local support group might prove to be a challenge. Not to mention, there's still a significant stigma associated with ADHD, so finding something local might not be what you're looking for.
That's where virtual options can fill the gap. Here the options I know about and feel comfortable recommending. If you know of more, please comment and I will add them! Support groups
For Black women and gender minorities, ADHD Babes offers support groups and sometimes specific working groups. They also have a Discord channel and do body-doubling.
ADHD Hive is worth checking out. They do regular meet ups and they also have multiple groups, like their co-working group and their writers' group. ReASoN (Researchers & Students on Neurodiversity) Network is somewhat newer but they also do regular meetings. This is a research network focused on neurodivergent students, researchers, and staff in higher education. A website should be forthcoming, but right now they're on Twitter at ReASoN_Network. If you're not on Twitter, try contacting [email protected] for more information. Update: They're setting up a Discord channel for members and can include a writing group if there's interest! ADHD Central Student Community has a Discord channel and they do events, body doubling sometimes, etc. They're also on Twitter. ADHD Adult UK has a Discord community that includes a channel for academics, a channel for accountability buddies, and many other channels. It's pretty active! CHADD of San Fernando Valley does a substantial amount of virtual support. They have a weekly virtual work group and and an adult peer support group as well as groups focused on youth. Thank you @petequily on Twitter for sharing all that this group does! Note that some of these groups also run body doubling sessions. Five sentence summary:
Before the semester begins, determine add/drop dates, pick back-up classes, make sure you have your accommodations in place and potentially ask if there's anything new that might apply to you, and organize all of your sticky notes, calendars, highlighters, etc. Once the semester has begun, start feeling out your courses and potentially dropping ones that won't work and adding ones that show more promise. Set yourself up for success as much as possible by quitting classes with ableist instructors or ones that don't have the best overall design for your interests. Finally, once your schedule is finalized, add all the major deadlines for all classes to a calendar and identify if you'll need to book any tests with the disability office.
I almost always found the start of a new semester overwhelming when I was an undergraduate. There's so much to think of, so much new information, and our routines, our systems to stay on track all change. It's a lot. Honestly, the start of the semester is still overwhelming from the flip side, but I've learned a few things.
Before the semester starts
1. Determine your class registration dates and times. When can you register? Set alarms.
2. Determine when the add/drop period is. You can typically change courses for a week or two after the semester starts, but find out the date and find out any policies and procedures if you haven't done this before. 3. Pick your classes, your back-up classes, and balance your schedule. If you need to take five courses this term, find eight that you could take this semester. You'll want alternatives (keep reading to find out why). Don't take too many hard classes in a single semester. Hard may be hard in terms of they include a lab component, hard may be hard in that the classes bore you to death but are required. Make sure you have a good balance of classes that will be fun and exciting and classes that are boring and/or more work. You also want to make sure your week/days are balanced. If you don't do well with morning classes, don't expect this to suddenly change. 4. Register with the disability office (if new) or remind yourself of what the process is for notifying your professors of your accommodations. In some cases, the office handles it all for you. At other schools, you need to fill out an online form every semester. 5. Review what accommodations are available to you and ask your disability advisor if there is any new technology that you should consider. Yes, you may not have needed to record your lectures your first year, but you may find that one history lecture that is three hours long is harder to maintain your focus during. Schools also get new tools, so something unavailable last year might be offered this year. What are some potential accommodations for ADHD? 6. Buy your notebooks, pens, sticky notes, and etc. Organize all of it too so you're ready to go. Make sure to pack some snacks and some sort of drink in whatever bag you use for that first week. That break you have for lunch might be shorter than you thought or the class you planned to eat dinner during might not allow food. Throwing in a charger for your phone and any other electronics you rely on isn't a bad idea either. |
Categories
All
AuthorThere's a reason theADHDAcademic is an anonymous account and there's a reason why this website will remain anonymous. That said, there are some basics it might be helpful to know about me: DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional or a lawyer of any kind. All text, graphics, and content on this website are for educational purposes only. Any and all content should not be substituted for medical or legal advice. Although I strive to provide the most accurate, current, and scientifically sound information, content should never be substituted for professional advice. Always consult a medical and/or legal professional before making any decisions. Links are provided only for reference and do not necessarily imply endorsement.
|