Some of us have ADHD. I personally taught students who had ADHD with SmarterDA Dental Assisting Boards Review, and they all have been amazing and successful.
But the struggle can feel harder when it is time to study for the exams or just be present in a classroom.
This is the science behind ADHD: ADHD brains tend to have a net deficit in dopamine, an organic chemical which plays a significant role in reward and motivation. A lack of (or too much) dopamine impacts your willingness to work —, especially on under-stimulating tasks.
That must be why when you sit down and tell yourself, even in the tone of a scary drill sergeant “I’m going to get this done!” your brain says, “OR, I could plan our next great vacation!”
But when we study, we have no choice but to get things done. Your radiology exam will not wait for you, neither will your patients. So we have to just tackle the challenge of being in #DAschool. Here is one technique (that I already shared with you earlier) called the Pomodoro Technique.
In summary, here is how it works:
- List the 5 most important task you want to accomplish
- Create “Pomodoro” or “circles” next to each task.
- Turn on the 25-minute countdown timer and focus on the task. Do NOT touch your phone, do NOT open your planner, do NOT shop online, do NOT think about your party. FOCUS (I know easier said than done).
- When you are done with the 25 minutes, color the Pomodoro and take a 5-minute break.
At the end, your list will look like this:
But what if your ADHD kicks in and you think about a million other things to accomplish? Every time you have a distracting thought or idea, you’re encouraged to write it down before powering on with the rest of your Pomodoro.
But because your new and exciting idea has been written down, instead of continuing to bounce around in your head like a ping pong ball, you can continue with your Pomodoro session without having the feeling that you could be doing something much more earth-shatteringly exciting right now.
In Psychology Today’s “Intrinsic Motivation and Magical Unicorns” blog, author David D. Nowell further explains how the Pomodoro Technique can help those with ADHD cut down on their FOMO (or “Fear of Missing Out”) by using the Pomodoro Technique.
We are talking about 25 minutes, not 45 minutes — dear God, please, no!!! — but certainly, for 25, you can.
And then feel free to return to your list of ideas. Surely, there are some creative gems in there that you can accomplish during your next session.
Ask me any other questions! I am extremely passionate about dental assisting education and efficiency. It is my mission to make all SmarterDA users become successful, so always reach out to me. If I don’t have an answer right now, we will find it together!
Receive FREE Mini Reviews Weekly!
Author: Claire RDH, MS
Claire is the founder of StudentRDH and SmarterDA – exams prep solutions for the dental hygiene and dental assisting students. The online solutions deliver content of the highest quality through the latest e-learning technology. According to some students, studying is now “addictive!” Prior to her career in the dental field, Claire Jeong was an education specialist at Boston Children’s Museum. Claire is licensed to practice in the United States as well as Canada. She provides personalized mentorship and can be reached at ClaireJ@SmarterDA.com and support@SmarterDA.com.