Welcome
This guide is designed for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science students who identify as neurodivergent, including those with ADHD, Autism, or Dyslexia. It focuses on using Super Productivity, which is a free tool created to help manage executive dysfunction and time blindness.
Setting Up Your Digital Clinic
Vet courses have fragmented schedules with rigid lectures and unpredictable clinical shifts. To manage this, use the Projects feature to separate different modes of work.
- Project A: Theory. Use this for Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology modules.
- Project B: Clinical. Use this for placements, farm rotations, or lab reports.
- Project C: Life Admin. Use this for laundry, meal prep, and travel bookings.
Tip: Use colour coding for projects. For example, use red for urgent clinical deadlines and blue for theory. This helps your brain instantly recognise which hat you need to wear.
Battling Task Paralysis
Large tasks like writing a pathology essay can feel overwhelming and lead to freeze mode. Use Nested Subtasks to break work down into tiny steps.
Instead of a vague task like "Study Equine Limb," create a parent task and add specific timed subtasks:
- 10 minutes to review diagrams.
- 20 minutes to quiz yourself on bones using flashcards.
- 15 minutes to draw the stay apparatus from memory.
Ticking off these small items provides a dopamine hit that builds momentum.
Managing Time Blindness
If you often underestimate how long case studies or memorising doses will take, use the Time Boxing method. Assign an estimate to every task. When you start, hit the play button to run a timer. If you go over your estimated time, the bar turns red. This provides non-judgmental feedback to help you learn your actual pace for future sessions.
The Procrastination Helper
When you feel stuck and find yourself scrolling on your phone, the "I am Stuck" button can help. If the app detects no movement for a while, it will offer prompts such as "What is one tiny step you can do right now?" or "Is there something blocking you?" This acts as a digital body double to guide you back without shame.
Handling Rotation Fatigue
After a long shift at a clinic, your brain might feel too tired to focus. Use the Daily Summary feature to dump your brain. If you saw an interesting case but cannot study it now, create a task and move it to the Backlog. This allows your brain to relax, knowing the information is captured safely for later.
Exam Season Workflow
| Step | Action | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capture every worry into the Inbox. | Clears working memory and reduces anxiety. |
| 2 | Drag three items to Todays List. | Prevents feeling overwhelmed by the mountain of work. |
| 3 | Start the Pomodoro timer. | Externalises focus so you do not have to watch the clock. |
| 4 | Turn on Focus Mode. | Hides all other tasks except the one you are doing. |