A series of unfortunate events has finally revealed to me (via the psychiatrist) that I'm most likely not bipolar, but rather ADD. My life would have been a lot easier and less chaotic if we had figured this out in high school or early college when it started to take its toll (for instance, I think I would have continued as a bassoon performance major if I had had the attention span to practice for hours on end...).

Anyway, now I'm a master's-level Physician Assistant student, and my study habits have not only sucked, they've been non-existent. I essentially gave up on studying during my undergrad because it was such a frustrating, fruitless, and emotionally painful endeavor. I rarely had to study through high school. To this point, I have survived on a pathetic series of last-minute cram sessions and all-nighters. It's a stressful (and depressing) way to live.

Now I have adderall which does a good job of clearing my mind, but when I face my 2,000+ page reference book, I still get overwhelmed because I realize that I just plain don't know how to study. I'm still afraid to start something I worry I won't ever finish - I don't want to cover just some topics in such detail that I wouldn't have time for the others.

So, for those of you with ADD, especially those in college or in a professional/graduate program like me, what works for you? I have some general books on ADD and how to organize yourself and work with it, not against it, but I feel like they're geared more toward people who are already out working and have more control over their lives. While similar in some respects, I feel that studying is different because it is much less structured and requires greater self-discipline than any job I've had.

I just need a guide on "How to Study if You're ADD." I'm not just talking time management, removing distraction, and taking breaks - I don't even know how to organize myself. I have a history of all-or-nothing studying (where "all" is definitely implausible for a mere mortal), so I need help finding the middle ground and creating study plans that are reasonable, appropriate, and doable.

Any advice or resource is greatly appreciated. Thanks!