'STUDY PREP FOR ADULTS'
Take Steps Now to Succeed Next Semester |
It's August and my coaching schedule is starting to
fill up with ADD Adults returning to college. Some
are simply returning after a summer break, wanting
to do better than they did last semester. More and
more, I'm hearing from older students -- in their
40's and 50's -- attempting college or grad school
for the 2nd or 3rd time. This time, they realize
they are ADD, and are determined to conquer the
lateness and disorganization problems that forced
them to previously drop out.
I love working with motivated students because the
results are so visible. With papers, projects,
exams and deadlines, we can see the progress being
made when my clients learn to change a few simple
habits and customize their study process. It becomes
obvious very quickly what works for them. The struc
ture of school is ideal for creating effective
strategies that they can apply their whole life.
If you want to be more successful at school this year,
consider this truth:
'If you do what you've always done, you'll get what
you've always gotten.'
Sounds obvious, doesn't it? Yet most people don't
think about the way they learn, study and do projects.
They continue to apply the same process that got them
into trouble before. Here are a few examples of habit
and behavior changes that made the critical difference
between success and failure.
1. Study the Way YOU Learn Best
Everyone has specific learning modalities (seeing,
hearing or movement) that work best for them in learning and focusing. Some need to SEE information in order to retain it. Others must WRITE to keep their brain
focused. You may learn better HEARING a lecture than
reading a textbook. Or perhaps you need a combination
of modalities. The key is to identify how you learn
best. Then, create the learning environment you need.
PROBLEM: Inability to synthesize information using
traditional methods
Like most students, Sam relied on his own lecture notes, though he was not a good note-taker. He had trouble
synthesizing the information as he heard it in lectures.
Since he couldn't make any sense of his notes, he often
skipped lectures. His last History exam was taken 50%
from class lectures, so Sam failed History.
SOLUTION: Since Sam was not able to learn by writing and hearing
together, he started taking a TAPE RECORDER to class.
He then scheduled an hour the same day to play back the
lecture and typed out the key points from the recording,
going at his own pace. He wrote down any questions he
had about the material, which he would ask the professor
the next week. At exam time, he could easily study from
his typed weekly lecture notes.
USEFUL TOOLS: Mini Tape Recorder
2. Develop a Time Sense and Manage Your Time
Even the most time-challenged ADDer can learn to better judge the time it takes them to complete projects,
study, write and research. They key is to determine YOUR pattern -- not your roommate's or other students.' My
TIME SENSE EXERCISE and easy instructions can now be
downloaded from my website: www.thrivewithadd.com/products/useful_resources109.
Managing your time effectively is trickier, and begins
with determining what tendencies of yours are inefficient.
PROBLEM: Poor time sense and time management
Jean vowed to pass her courses that relied heavily on
project work, despite a severe time mangement problem. She'd received her assignment list a week ago, but hadn't started working on her project since it wasn't due for another month.
SOLUTION:
Jean needs to get a sense of reality by using the TIME
SENSE EXERCISE day to day. After a week or so, it will
be clearer to her how much she habitually under-estimates
how long it takes her to do each aspect of her schoolwork.
Working with an ADD Coach, she could then learn personalized strategies to improve her efficiency.
However, even before developing a time sense, Jean should begin plotting out all the steps of her project,
working backwards from her final deadline. She would
probably discover that waiting a week to begin had cost
her previous time. Jean should use a visual calendar to
plot all the steps of her projects. She could create her
own month-at-a- glance calendar that allows her to see the
whole semester's projects on one page, with each project
color-coded.
USEFUL TOOLS: Time Sense Exercise and Visual calendar
3. Make School a Priority and Set Boundaries Accordingly
When adults take the time and money to go through school,
it usually represents an important decision in their lives. Yet, day-to-day, many behave as if passing their
courses were LAST on their priority list!
PROBLEM: Difficulty prioritizing and setting personal
boundaries
Alec feels overwhelmed at getting his Masters thesis done on time. He has lots of good ideas and loves the research. But he can't seem to get the actual writing done. Although
he plans to work a certain number of hours every day, something always comes up that keeps him from getting to the library on time. Either his wife starts an argument
at home, or he is distracted by phone conversations that
take way longer than he expected.
SOLUTION:
When we examine Alec's pattern of roadblocks to following
through on his daily project commitment, a theme emerges
of personal boundaries. Alec has a problem leaving the
house in the morning for the library where he writes best.
His wife has a tendency to start heated discussions every
morning that become arguments. This ends up costing Alec
hours of study time. Ironically, much of her unhappiness
stems from Alec not having the degree he needs to get a
higher paying job. Knowing this, Alec should act as if
school were a job, where he MUST be at 9:00 a.m. every
morning. This would get him many more hours a week at
the library. It would also help maintain harmony in his
marriage to postpone non-productive discussions til the
evening.
Other students have reported similar boundary issues
with friends or family, where long phone calls or repeated
persuasions to socialize interfered with meeting study
deadlines. Communicate firmly when you are available,
and treat your study commitment to yourself as if it
mattered. Then, go to where you study best and shut off
the phone!
USEFUL TOOLS: Your feet, and your phone's 'OFF' button.
WHY A TIMER CAN BE YOUR BEST TOOL FOR SCHOOL
A timer that you can take with you and use anywhere is the
most versatile and useful tool an ADD student can have.
Here are a few ways you can use one to improve your performance:
- Cut tendency to hyper-focus
- Reminder to leave for class
- Transition device from one activity to another
- Tool to help you determine how long you spend on reading
- Training device to help you improve your problem-solving time
- Reminder to take medication or perform tasks
The 'Invisible Clock' has been the most popular timer among my
ADD clients. They love its versatility and the way its
instructions are easy to read and understand. At $39.95,
the price is a good value!
(See the right-hand sidebar for details.)
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