Hello, fellow ADHDers. I’m in the verge of despair and irreversible frustration.

Here is my situation. I’m trying to prepare to pass a competitive service exam in Spain, Europe. I’m from Spain, by the way. So, because it’s a competitive service exam, there is always a ratio of 30 or 40 people per job offer. So, if there are 1.000 job offers and 40.000 people to pass that exam, I need to be among those 1000 best marks.

Anyway, because of that, I need to study like 10 hours per day, 6 days per week. I put one day to rest because I don’t like to be burnt out. But what happens? It happens that I’m only able to study 2 hours per day, or barely 3 during my best days. And the rest of the day, I procrastinate or do useless stuff, even when I want to study with all my strength.

I tried caffeine two weeks ago, and until today, it worked for 2 or 3 days, allowing me to study during those hours. But other days, maybe I was able to study for 4 hours, or even 5.

So, if you struggled like me and you were able to succeed, how did you do that? How can I force myself to study for 10 hours per day like normal people do with no issues?

PS: I’m not allowed to take any ADHD stimulants. No Concerta, no Elvanse… I only take atomoxetine, since March 2023.