Hiya all!
I am only taking two courses this semester b/c I didn`t do well last year. I thought that I could take more work on...but am finding that it`s not working...
My schedule is:
M/W 9:30am-10:50am class, 3:30pm-7:30pm work
T/Th 2-3:20pm, 5:30-8pm work
Sun 10:30am-5pm work, 10pm-11pm residence association meeting

This sounds easy...but I`m already behind!
The T/Th class is Math, and I have an assignment due each Thursday... now I know all of you understand what a big deal that is, since math isn`t exactly AD/HD friendly... I spent an hour on a question, and then realized that I had added 1+3+5+6 wrong...!

I`m feeling like I don`t have time to study, b/c by the time work is done, I am exhausted, and evenings are of course the worst time to try and concentrate.

I was just wondering if anyone else can relate, and if you have found a good type of work schedule?

I teach swimming lessons on M/W after 2 hours of guarding, but the T/Th shift is all guarding, as is the Sunday shift

I am seriously considering getting rid of the T/Th shifts, so I`ll be down to 14.5hrs/week, and I`ll have time after math class to digest the stuff. I can also then take up triathlon club swimming on T/Th from 3:30-4:30...which will be good since I`m not doing anything active right now.
I also wanted to start getting back in touch with my faith, and the group meets on Thursdays at 7pm... so that would be another plus.
It would still leave Tuesday night open for me to do the reading for Wed am class.

Any insights as to how to go about planning one`s work schedule? I can basically pick and choose when I work, since it`s all based on seniority and I have been working there the longest.

Thanks!

I think you're doing wise stuff right now... don't feel guily about reducing your workload...

I spent most of my time in school dropping classes that I knew I couldn't handle!

As for when to schedule work, I have a very simple question for you. Are you a morning person, evening person, or night person?

The answer to that ought to help you... :D

Hey slowpoke, I know this message is really old but I am replying to you to take an insight into your life until you were diagnosed and see that when you were challenged did u work more and manage more?..cause this has happened to me in my first semester this year and I am upping my courseload and maybe you should just stick to one job. SOmetimes, what happens is that we have so much time and we mess it up by sitting and looking at our woes.

Hey,
I actually have been restricted to a few courses, because it turns out I have an anxiety disorder as well. The medication situation is more under control but I am still struggling with working on written papers.
The main things I am doing that help are to work on recognition of what exactly I'm doing that is keeping me, and more importantly, WHY/HOW it happens. It's not enough to know what I'm doing, that's easy to see: I'm not working on the papers, I'm not starting, I'm doing other stuff like replying to message boards (he he he)...
Knowing that doesn't help much, unless you understand what is making me do these actions.
So, I have figured out that I have a habit of making things seem worse than they are, in other words, being super sensitive to difficult situations... I dread being confused and working things out, because in the past it's been so hard for me to do so.
Recognizing that I do this, and that it can be changed has helped.
I have actually only started to really work on this the past couple of days specifically (there were a whole lot of other things in the way before that).

But recognizing when the dread starts (realizing that is harder than it seems...) and then sitting down and working out WHY I'm avoiding it, and why it's flawed thinking.

The concentration thing is a lot better now. I've stayed at the same dose of methyphenidate (riatlin) for a few years, a good sign.

Anyhoo, cutting back on the courses, not working so much so I have time to deal with the stress and give myself time to figure out coping mechanisms (this includes firguring out WHAT I need to LEARN, and then the time needed to actually LEARN them).

In the past few months I have done the following things, which have all had a great impact on my learning capabilities and outlook on school in general:
-get a desk, place to put scraps of paper I find with info on them so I can file them later

-let go of feelings that I "should" be able to effectively use one method over another; instead I have realized that it's better to use what I am comfortable with, and what I can use well (example is using paper planner, instead of feeling as though I need to use the PDA I got as a gift)

-colour code things for courses extensively: in planner, binders, file folders

-pay attention to how things look: nice looking things help make it easier to get to work, makes it more comfortable (sounds silly, but this includes: cool looking binders, nice gel pens - not ball point pens, thicker notebook papers, fancier sticky notes)

-aggressively monitor my attitude so I can "talk back" to the negative voice that kicks in, the negative voice is what leads to the panic attacks and learned helplessness

-use REALLLLY REALLLY short time intervals. ONE THING ONLY, I mean, REALLy small bit. (take out notes. check. clear things not related to task off desk where I can't see it. check.)

-keeping a journal that is used for overcoming anxiety and procrastination

There are more things, but you get the point...

You probalby have learned some or a lot of this yourself, I'm in my 6th year for a double major... I hope that you have started to work on this earlier than that!

What are your insights? I'm interested in hearing about them.

Slowpoke: I had to say "hi" as reading your last post brought back major memories for me...from over 20 years ago!

I, too, double majored...6.5 years for both. Got SUPER lucky cause program for the second major was changing and I completed in 1.5 years.

I use a lot of your same tricks for work to this day, only my post-its and pens can't be cute or gel..post-its must be plain and not yellow, pens must be extra fine ball points(extra hard to find these days) and no yellow legal pads. Keep your preferences in mind and spend the extra money on yourself when you start work. The secretaries will even feel sorry for you and start buying them for you sometimes!

Hang in there with school, you'll make it. My last 2 quarters my parents actually gave me permission to quit my job, but when I went to my boss, he begged me to just work weekends and study through the week. This turned out great, and I even managed to squeeze in a date occasionally. Unfortunately I saved 3 classes that I hated for the last quarter so it almost killed me. Try not to do this!!!

Good Luck and Don't forget to plan your grad weekend partying ahead of time!

Hey slowpoke,
glad to see your reply...
My suggestion to you is to try the Automatic Thought Record which is a part of Cognitive Behavorial Therapy to help combat anxiety and other thoughts.
If you have questions about it, I'll be happy to let you know.
And writing down the negative voice immediately helps the most buddy, trust me!
And instead of going into why the negative thought came, combat the thought as well with a positive thought that disintegrates the basis of that thought.

Anxiety is basically irrational thinking that causes ourselves to worry about something that doesn't need to be thought about. Like you've said about making it a big deal, it's right, it's blowing up proportions to a whole new level which are irrational.

"Example: My thoughts when I was sitting in the counselling center at my uni: Oohhh boy, someone is going to see me, I'm gonna get screwed. Somebody will see me and think that I am crazy."
My feeling were obviously anxious and tense at that time.
The solution is that I wrote it down and then LATER looked at it and said .... "People will think I'm crazy?.....hmm...well let them cause it's their lives i can't change their thoughts. The important part is I am here sitting and getting myself better for brighter days ahead. And that person might be torturing him or herself living through anxiety and atleast I have a solution for it.

Kapaoie...that's it...I felt so much better and now I don't think those things when i'm waititng to meet my counselor in the waiting room of the counseling center at the university.