The hottest new library on campus: JJ’s Place.

11 pm Thursday night. I was trudging through my The Turn of the Screw close reading essay for my First-Year Writing Class, making quite pathetic progress. Yes, it was only four pages, and I had enough notes to write at least ten. But something got in the way—a dark looming force of evil. It possessed my every thought, leading my consciousness astray from all my most meaningful pursuits. It was… 

ADHD.

After a few hours of trying to push myself to write more than one lonely sentence, I realized I had had enough. It was too quiet when my roommates were gone, but too distracting when they were there. I couldn’t listen to music because I couldn’t even fathom the thought of trying to start another task (Actually, if I’m being honest, I think I just forgot music existed for a bit). I thought of when I was my most productive in high school: study hall. The hustle and bustle of the cafeteria or senior commons. Too loud where you don’t find yourself entertaining the thread of each random thought. Too much that you can’t distinguish the nuances of different conversations. Perfect background noise. 

So, I did what any reasonable person would do in this situation: I went to JJ’s. I got myself a chocolate milkshake and set myself down to work. I was gonna be there a while. 

It worked. It really worked. Something clicked inside me at that very moment. I entered a state of hyperfocus, my brain whirred faster than my fingers could transcribe their thoughts, and time stopped. All I could hear was the boisterous chatter around me, the physical embodiment of warm lights and a hot cup of tea. My eyes widened; my heart raced. This truly was the most productive I’ve been in my first month of being here. I’m seriously considering eating breakfast in my dorm every day so I can save my extra meal swipes for JJ’s studying. 

Honestly, I was probably only there for like…twenty minutes. But that’s only because my computer decided to die suddenly and dramatically. Otherwise, I’m sure I would have finished the whole essay. Besides, I got a whole two pages done in that time, compared to the two hours I spent just staring at a blank screen. 

Moral of the story: if you (1) have ADHD or (2) prefer to focus with unintelligible background noise, then JJ’s is the studying spot for you. 

Myself via Bwog Staff