1. "Sitting around with nothing to do with my mind actually causes me to get anxious. I crave the next object of my attention."

"I have had ADD all my life and it has caused me to constantly crave new sources of entertainment...or, later in life, academic material. The learning part was a big revelation for me at Berkeley. I don't need to be watching TV or talking to friends all the time. But my brain needs to be stimulated most of the time, even if I want to relax. I found that one of the most calming things I can do is actually to listen to academic podcasts in my downtime from studying. Not only do I find them interesting, but listening actually relaxes me, whereas, if I did nothing for 15 minutes after studying for 45 minutes I would actually be less rested to begin my next study sprint. Sitting around with nothing to do with my mind actually causes me to get anxious. I crave the next object of my attention.

I still think that my ADD has limited my productivity, however, I did manage to get pretty good grades at one of the most competitive undergraduate programs in the country. I have learned that by creating a study plan and switching up subjects as well as the objects of my attention I can actually sometimes use my ADD productively.

On the other hand I can barely get through an episode of TV on Netflix before wanting to start a new show. Oh well." —Alec Strachan