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ADADHD isn’t broken focus.
It’s a brain trying to survive information overload.👇
If you have ADHD, your brain doesn’t calmly go
“this matters” → keep
“this doesn’t” → discard.
Instead, everything shows up at the same volume.
The main idea.
A side note.
A random example.
A sentence that might be important.
All equally loud.
So highlighting isn’t really about emphasis.
It’s triage.
Your brain going:
“Please… just let me remember something.”
Here’s the part most people don’t understand:
ADHD is closely tied to limited working memory.
Which creates this constant background fear while reading:
“If I don’t mark this now, it’s gone.”
Highlighting also sneaks in a dopamine hit:
• a small physical action
• instant visual feedback
• the feeling of progress
So you end up:
✔️ highlighting most of the page
✔️ feeling productive
✔️ finishing the chapter
❌ remembering almost nothing
That’s not laziness.
That’s a coping strategy.
If highlighting feels automatic, don’t try to stop it - contain it.
What works better for ADHD brains:
1️⃣ The one-sentence rule
After a paragraph, write ONE sentence in your own words.
No highlighting until that sentence exists.
2️⃣ Question-based highlighting
Only mark text that answers:
“Why does this matter?”
“How would I explain this to someone else?”
3️⃣ Color = function (not vibes)
🟡 definition
🔵 example
🔴 test-relevant
If you can’t explain why it’s highlighted… don’t highlight it. But also don’t feel bad for highlighting a bit more..that’s just how your brain works 💙
@adhdvision
