Strategies for getting through grad school with ADHD

[rheya19]

Hello!

I'm in my second year of my PhD program (religious studies) and have an MA as well. A couple of weeks ago I got an official diagnosis for ADHD. So I'm here to seek out other grad students with ADHD or other challenges and start a thread comparing strategies that help us handle the workload, organize our time, get through readings, write, finish what we start, start what we need to finish, etc. etc. 

I've realized that I get very overwhelmed by large amounts of information, so I have to take certain preventative measures to not get overstimulated. So when I have a lot of reading to do in one book, I might cover the opposite page of what I'm reading and track the lines that I'm reading with a note card. In general I also do the 25 minute read/5 minute rest thing. I take more notes than I used to and stop after each chapter to sum it up in a few bullet points. I also use a meditation timer on my phone to play a little chime every 1-2 minutes in case my mind starts straying. 

I've taken great pains to organize my planner and keep a "dump list" to write down the odds and ends I think of when I'm in class so I can jot it down and return to listening. I've gotten really anal about my keeping my planner just-so, but it does give me a sense of structure and direction. 

What I still need to do is work on a plan for writing my seminar papers. I have FOUR this semester. >_<  So I'm meeting with my professors whose writing is clear and organized to see if they can give me any advice. So far I have a general outline structure to follow (Intro, Warrant/Relevance, Opposition, Evidence and Rebuttal/Qualifier, Conclusion). I'm hoping by making tight outlines, I can manage writing more easily. Boo. I'm scared to have to write all these papers. 

I'm also working with my advisor to create more structure around my comps reading, like weekly deadlines, prioritizing readings, and more frequent check-ins. 

What are you all doing? At least hanging in there?