is anyone else chronically late for class? this has been a HUGE problem for me, and i'm not sure why.

Here's what usually happens:

scenario 1:
Every once in a while I oversleep, but usually i'm awake, just being lazy and laying in bed. i'll look at the clock and think "i should get up soon" but i don't. then suddenly i only have 10 minutes left... but still dont' get up. pretty soon the class has started and i'm still in bed... when that happens i just decide it's not even worth going and stay in bed. it ruins the whole day, and then i miss everything ELSE i was supposed to do too... just becuase i'm depressed that i missed my first class!

scenario 2:
Same thing only this time I do get up like 5 or ten minutes before it's time to go. obviously it's not enough time and i end up being late.

scenario 3:
I've been up for plenty of time, (or it's later in the day) but somehow the time just flies past and suddenly it's time to go. I dont' have my mittens... lost my keys... can't find my books... late again.

scenario 4:
I've been up a long time and doing lots of things, but somthing else is just way more interesting than going to class. i put it off and put it off... if i left now i'll be too early... but suddenly that critical moment has passed and now i'm late. sometimes once i'm late i won't even bother rushing anymore... just ONE more post on the forums wont' hurt!!

I think what's happening is partly an underestimation of preparation time. the other part is a lack of motivation... any ideas? any ideas on how to be ON time?!?!

(i'm posting a poll to see how many peopel have the same problems)

I can relate to many things you are saying but not to a school situation

more general to working life

My relationship to what you are saying about class I am going to relate to a job


When I found myself in a similar situation years ago and when I was to the point where I would soon be without a job due to my lack of concern I had to re-evaluate what was at stake and what my options were.

Question yourself as to :

1. What are your options
2. What are the consequense of your action or lack of action
3. Are you prepared to pay the ultimate price for failing to make changes to a situation that you have aknowlaged that you are aware of
4. Are you prepared to accept the responcibillity of your lack of action or when the bottom falls out of your world are you going to look for someone else to blame
5.Are you sure you want to be in school or would you rather be doing something else

6. and last but by all means a very important test.

____________________________________________

Stand in front of a mirror and learn this phrase as you may end up having to say it quite a bit if you decide that your life is not important enough to put some effort into getting to class.

The phrase of the day:::::

Would you like fries with that order

and

Would you like to BIGGIE size that Order.

If you can comfortably stand in front of the mirror and look yourself in the eye and tell yourself you are comfortable and happy being able to make a living by repeating these phrases over and over and over and over and over and over then do nothing about getting to class on time.

Or take your computer and write these phases big and bold and tape them to your celing and where ever your eyes might navigate to first thing in the morning and then each mornig when your alarm calls you to the duty you are committed to Make it the first thing you see each morning , as a reminder of what you dont want to do for the rest of your life

The choice is yours

But so is the responcibillity

And so are the rewards or the lack of rewards for your effort in life

So What Do YOU Choose To Do Today

Christiana
After rereading my post the next day I realise it looks like I am speaking to you

ie "So What Do YOU Choose To Do Today"

and that is not the way I intended it to come across,

I got lost in the wording and drifted off of how I was trying to put the words.

For that I appologise as it was not intended to be a lecture and that is how it is reading to me the next morning after I reread it.


I was speaking to myself and asking myself these questions

Christiana,
I can relate now and when I was in school. When I was in school I did the same thing you did and eventually flunked out. I did work minimum wage jobs for a long time before I found something I was good at and moved up after I was hired. I am usually always on time to work or things I know ahead of time. It is estimating how long things will take and getting lost in doing things. I am always late leaving work. I am sure you will continue to do well in school!! Just be aware that if skipping class to much can cause problems. Sorry do not mean to be your dad.

Garry, no no no!! you are completely correct - I DO have control over this it's just difficult to motivate myself.

I made a BIG sign (poster board!) saying "do you want fries with that?" on it lol - it's hanging across from my bed. I thought it would work, but it didn't; I think it's for two reasons:

-putting things off for 5 mintues doesnt' seem like it will result in such a disaster
-in my HEART I already KNOW the consequences of my actions, and it doens't seem to matter (so even seeing the sign isn't enough to scare me)

I want to clarify somthing also... scenario 1 (skipping class entirely) happens only a small percentage of the time. being 5-15 minutes late is MUCH more common.

BUT, skipping class entirely HAS been happening a lot more to me in the last few weeks, i've noticed a trend in my life: whenever I have too much time on my hands everything goes grey and bleak and I loose all motivation.

This semester I'm taking a much lighter class load than I ever have before. I used to feel like this over christmas breaks and on sunday afternoons... also at many other times but I havne't felt it in a while since my classes were so difficult.

I think maybe it has somthing to do with not being a high enough stimulus. Yesterday I was craving to get out of the house, and yet I couldn't becuase I KNEW that if i left the house it should be to go to the library. The conflicting interests were too much for me and it left me in a state of paralysis.

-----------------------------------------------

I realized what was happening and started doing some research - I found a forum where ADDers were talking about somthing called "Paralysis of the Will". It sounds EXACTLY like what I'm going through.

Everything is boring. Even things that are normally fun - they just aren't as fun anymore. I dont' feel like taking a shower or eating or going to class, but it's NOT depression... it's just that it's all too BORING!! the boringness is overwhelming and pervades every area of my life.

One person on the thread I read said that Adderal XR helped her with this problem, I wish I could try it but my next Dr. appt isn't until next thursday, and she wants to try stratterra first...

it could be a while. in the meantime I have to drag myself out of it. I missed a two hour long class today - it's my hardest class too. For some reason I just coudlnt' take action! I woke up 20 minutes before the class, and I still had to take a shower (havent' taken one in 2 days) get ready and everything else. I knew that I would be late if I took a shower, but I coudl'nt go to class without taking one... I should have just gotten up and done it and been late as i usually am. But I coudln't. the thought of taking a shower and being late made me toatlly stuck. the more i waited the more stuck i was and eventually there just wasn't even any point. I knew exactly what i was doing... now i'm going to have to spend an extra 4 or 5 hours reading the material that i missed, and more time getting the notes from somebody else. PLUS I dont' get the reinforcement of the lecture.

Yesterday I went to my first class and then riding on the inertia went straight to the library. I spent 3 hours reading the chapter for my class later that day. I was totally prepared... but then i went home and ate, and checked my email. when it was time for class i didn't notice, and by the time i did i would have been about 10 minutes late. suddenly i was stuck again... even though i had prepared! I had vowed to myself that i would not be late for this class, and now i was. there wasnt' any point... i couldn't move from my chair. I ddint' do anything else during the two hour period. then i ALSO missed office hours (where i had planned on doing hte homework) Again, i did absolutely nothing during that 1.5 hours. nothing useful at all. it's so embarressing! It makes me feel really guilty and yet i feel powerless to stop it.

i've been TERRIBLE to myself!! It' like i need a jump start and once i have it i'm fine, but if i don't i'll just wallow in my misery and destroy all my plans. I was such a good student last semester... what's HAPPENING?

I seemed to have lots of those huge classes where the prof would close the door ater like five minutes. Entrance after that was either not allowed or way too embarassing. Jerks.

Well its nice to know I didnt overstep my biounds

What I hear from you is that you recognise the problem
You are thinking in adavance of ways to circumvent the problem
you are discussing it with people you trust
you are taking whatever steps you can

but you are also stuck to your chair when the time comes

I have absulutly no answer from any experencees I have ever had but I dont think you are very close to figuring it out

When you do get to the bottom of this please inform us as it is defenatly not an experence Ive heard any one else speak of and it will be good to keep in the back of the mind for future refereence

Just remeber the fries when you do find you motivation again








I read your other posts about when you were on intership for a summer and you just up and went somewhere whith no destination in mind

Isnt that a great feeling

I love doing that

I make it a matter of life and death in my mind to be on time to my classes...

I convince myself (I REALLY DO) that if I'm late I will get kicked out of my class, and being kicked out of my class will result in instanteneous death! When I read my class syllabus at the begining of each symester; I lie to myself as best I can so that this: "10 tardies will result in one day of absense on your attendance record, and you can miss 3 classes before it effects your grade" ... into this: "IF YOU ARE LATE YOU WILL DIE AND YOUR SOUL WILL BECOME A VACUME OF NOTHINGNESS!!!"

ehem! :D that's my attitude anyway. Something important could be missed in those first min (at least that's also what I tell myself.. not always true but a P.O.'d prof is never fun either, most of my classes are small and easily disturbed by a late comer, and role is taken in most so attendance habits go into the final grades, which also helps reinforce that not being late is in my favor and not a neutral issue). I went through enough hell in H.S. being up to 10 min. late for every class, if not more.

I'm still late sometimes anyway (how many times have I 'died'!!). Usually because I get a little too involved in my morning grooming habits (or start singing in the shower instead of watching the clock); or just can't get up because i didn't sleep enough, or well enough (or it's too durn COLD to get moving!!). I try to put my wrist watch on 1st thing in the morning now, and I set it on top of the toilet lid when I'm in the shower so I can read it throught the curtains.

I'm finding that my problems getting up because I'm too tired are elimenated by taking a good melatonin capsule (the best I've ever used are called Sweet Dreams, the tiniest does I've yet come across yet the most effective for me) at about 9:00 and going to bed just a tad bit drowsy at 9:30 or 10:00 (makes me feel like granny but is worth it). On a good night I'll be alseep by 11. But this way I've rested and slept enough for not only a good effort the next day, but for the ability to get out of bed having only hit my 7min snooze once ;) But I'm sure you can still find evidence that I've been here around 11:00 or later from time to time anyway!


Hmm, Paralysis of the Will! Wish I'd heard of that before, I experience that a lot. You have no reason to feel guilty, it happens, apparently. I've always called that 'mind lock'. Do you find that your thoughts race during this time, yet you cannot take physical action?

Good luck! And I think I'm going to make myself a poster now to give me reinforcingly bad flashbacks, "WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR RECEIPT IN THE BAG???"

(yeah garry, just getting up and driving is so fun!)

Thanks guys for your input; yeah, 'mind lock' is another way to put it I think. my thoughts DO go a million miles an hour yet I simply CANNOT get myself to do the thing I need to do! Sometimes it also takes the form of going back and forth to the fridge a million times but never getting anything out. (used to do that in high school)

In "You mean i'm not lazy stupid or crazy?" they have a tiny section abaout it, and i think one other book also mentions it, but i don't think anyone really has said too much about it.

here's a link to the stuff i read:

http://add.miningco.com/cs/foradults/a/paralysis.htm

in the text there is a link taking you to the forum itself.

I called my bf and told him i HAD to do somthing to get out of the house... just to get the inertia going... to get out of the funk i'm in... so we did (drove aroudn the city even though the roads are HORRIBLE right now!) now I'm going off to the library. I think part of the problem also is that it's cold and overcast outside as well.

listening to hyper music also is helping! (I think the med i'm taking to help with anxiety is doing too good of a job and causeing me to lose my feelings of urgency... i KNOW i have a big homework due tommorrow, and yet my head doesn't seem to register it as a problem. )

ok!! off to work!!!! REALLY!!!

my doc put me on effexor xr for depression, which was caused by my horrendous procrastination with homework and big projects. i'm in college right now and go through every scenario you listed all the time. it drives me bonkers!! once the meds kicked in, i lost all motivation to do anything at all. anxiety is a strong motivator to get things done, and the effexor killed my anxiety to the point where nothing really mattered. i'm almost completely off them now (in my last week) and already i want to start working out and getting back into shape...but school is still just as boring. I was diagnosed at school through our learning disabilities department, which paid for a $1000, 1/2 day intelligence, memory, and a bunch-of-other-things kind of test. a professional with lots of add experience concluded that my intelligence results were in the top 99.6th percentile with definate ADD inattentive type. because of the add result, they put me into the learning disabilities stream, which allows me to have a paid (by the school) notetaker for all my classes. someone is paid $25 per week to copy their own notes for me. how awesome is that? now i can go and fidget and just listen and debate with the teacher, which i do a lot...almost makes me want to go more :) so i guess my advice is, find out if your school has a learning disabilities department, and find out if they consider ADD to be a learning disability. schools, especially post-secondary, have fantastic resources available that are very poorly advertised or even considered by the students.

g'luck with classes...sounds like we'll both need it.

oh and what program are you in? what kinda courses are you takin?

zoltan, thanks for your story! it makes me feel a little better to know i'm not the only one... i'm becoming more and more convinced that it's the med i'm on.

My school is great about the whole students with disabilities thing - they have FREE services (counseling and psychologists, also two doctors specifically in the psychology office.) they will talk to you about anything - school/family problems, depression, anxiety, etc... we also have an office for students with disabilites specifically, and they are the ones who are doing the testing. the university of michigan has a HUGE healthcare network, and also tons of students... so all these people are full time staff. it's incredible. unfortunately they are very busy all the time.

in answer to your question i'm studying mechanical engineering. (more fun than it probably sounds!! lol)

I don't think i'm allowed to get a note-taker though... too bad! that would be cool. well... actually i'm not so sure becuase if I didn't write things down i would have a HARD time paying attention! Although as it is it's really been tough for me to keep up in lectures anyway.

good luck for you too!! yeah we both need it!!

just wanted to update you guys - I was able to pull myself to the library... I sat there for about 2 hours and did nothing but homework!!

it was very tough though. I'm still in the weird mood even when i'm at the library. the homework assignment wasn't really very hard OR very long, I should have been done in half that time or less.

Everything under the sun was distracting me and my head just refused to pull itself together. a tiny dirt smudge on my calculator... the broken chair next to me... the lines engraved into the desk...

I even went to my favorite little cubicle thingy where normally I can get a lot of work done, but people kept walking past and TALKING!! so i tried listening to music so i wouldn't hear them... it didn't work either. (listened to the music instead)

part of the assignment had to be done on the computer, and it took me almost 20 minutes to get myself to pack up from the cubicle and move to the computer lab. once i was started packing up it was fine, but just getting started was next to impossible... and i wasn't even doing anything else!! i was just sort of daydreaming.

am i the biggest whiner on the face of the planet or what?!?!
it's so bizzare.

seems perfectly "normal" to me... ;*)

Keep rembering that you are recognising the problem

Thats the hardest part of the battle

Christiana,
I am going through the same at work right now. I have had periods like this before to. It comes and goes for me. I just sit and think of all the paperwork I have to do and don't do it. I know if this continues I will be fired, but that still does not motivate me. Each day i get ready to really make headway and I don't. I also can sit for hours at a time and not do anything.
What Gary said is right you are able to observe the problem and are taking steps to solve it. I have tried a reward system. I will do a task then reaward myself in a small way. Like I will allow myself on the forum for a while and then get back to work. After the next task I will come back on. As you can see that does not always work. Just wanted you to know that I have the same issues. I am on a combo of Strattera and Adderal XR. Once the Adderal was added to the mix it has helped me to get jump started in the am. Hang in there!

I made it to class ON TIME this morning and have been doing homework all day! (still with lots of effort and distractions but at least now I'm GOING again!!)

I hope I can keep this up.

thanks guys for your encouragement, I do think it's helping some. (if it weren't for this forum I probably would have become pretty dpressed about it and went even further down in the cycle... and also it's given me the chance to identify the problem by writing it down)


i set my alarm extra early this morning to allow for the sluggish time, it worked i think even though i hardly got any sleep.

anyway, i just wanted to let you know!! I have to get back to homework now.

ok - in case anyone cares, i've actually pulled myself out of the hole I was in!! I've made it to all my classes on time for the last two days!

still behind on homework though unfortunately. that's the next step.

for anyone else who might go through this later, here's what I have been doing:

1. identified the problem and worked through what I've tried to do about it in the past and present (thanks garry - you're right about this being a good thing)

2. tried posting a big poster about the fries across from my bed (not sure if it worked or not, but i did see it)

3. called my bf and told him i HAD to get out of the house, and that i was dying of boredom even though I had tons to do. I made him drag me away and go do somthing fun and exciting. (we drove around during a blizzard and ended up going out to dinner... not that exciting but better than nothing!) the key is that you can't wait for someone to come to you. no matter how many hints I dropped even my bf didnt' really understand what needed to happen. I had to TELL him to MAKE me get off my lazy butt. it did work.

4. wrote out a list of questions about my goals and re-read it over and over trying to convince myself that i really DID have to act RIGHT NOW if i wanted to have any hope of reaching them. Somthing I've learned since then is that a lot of ADD people have a hard time looking at the long term consequences of their actions. it's not that we dont' CARE, or that we dont' KNOW, but somehow or another it's difficult to do the actions required. I guess this is part of the hunter/farmer analogy, isn't it?

5. set the alarm for 6:30 am (for a 10am class) - I was DETERMINED to get there on time no matter what it took. Even though I only got 4 hours of sleep it was worth it. it actually took ALL of the extra time to account for my sluggishness. I had time to just stand in front of the mirror doing nothing, then to sit on the couch and do nothing, etc. I actually ate breakfast and basically got the ball rolling. I started getting ready to leave 30 minutes before I normally would have (packing backpack, putting on shoes and looking for keys, etc) - somehow the time dissappeared without me even realizing it, but for once I left on time!! once I got past that obsticle I had mastered the toughest thing. (this was the most effective step for me)

6. instead of coming home I went to the library so that I wouldn't lose my momentum. I didn't do very much while I was there, but at least I didn't get "stuck" at home again. This was the main reason I made it to my second class which wasn't until much later in the day. after that class I did homework before coming home. I think coming home is the killer for motivation for me. it was excruciatingly painful to grind through the homework (I couldn't hardly get anything done at all, still not sure why my distraction levels were so high) but I was using my lack of will-power and motivation to my advantage because I my body physically refused to leave. I didn't have any choice except for the homework, and the more i did the better i felt.

it's weird how these things go. I really do think that half of it was the medicine I was on... I got permission from the doctor to stop taking it, so i'm stepping down the dose and I feel a LOT better already.

Way to go, C., you are so industrious!

I always overbook myself - you know, multi-task on one too many things & that throws my schedule out.

Last nite was good eg had class from 6-10 pm, had a womens group meeting 4-6 pm & job interview @ 5.30 pm. BTW all were is different suburbs of the city so travel time was also involved.

Clearly it was impossible to do all of these properly on this schedule - but I did it, just did not stay full time for any of them (except the job interview since I can pass for normal when money is involved)

I could never just get motivated when I was in college I was to preoccupied with other things and I found if i just did not want to go I was even mess motivated to go. Unless on meds then my focus and attention was on the most important things.

Our 1st term at uni has been going since 6th Jan & I have not made it earlier than 1/2 hour late to the Thursday night class. I think everyone is used to it now. The lecturer seems philosophical about it (perhaps he thinks it better than not arriving at all?)

Though I'm not in school, I have three kids who are,and It is most challenging!.It seems as If I'm late for everything and anything!.I admire people who can plan and I look @ other Mothers who have everything scheduled and in order,and wonder how do they do it??!!!.I want more than anything to set boundaries etc..... but bottom line is; I can't stay focused on any one task long enough to do this.I too struggle daily over mundane tasks,just daily chores are so overwhelming,and just the thought of how much time they will require!.I try hard to hide my struggles around my children but they know and I know they think I'm just lazy @ times.I'm the type of person that I will put things off until the very last min.and then it's a situation where I give everything I have into trying to make it look like I've been working on it over a long period,(doesn't always score too well though).The only one thing
I have really tried and sometimes works is; list making, I wake up
and immediately make a detailed list of what has to be done for the day,and well I don't allow anyone to see this list as it would be so embarrassing,to see that # 24 would be to eat,or to go to bathroom etc......... I think of it as a challenge/game to myself to see what all I can accomplish in one day!.I know it sounds ridiculous, but like I said; It works on occasions,and by changing
up routine tasks,it's not as boring.Good luck,and hang in there!.

My punctuality problem has taken quite a hit since I started college. I just lose track of time and procrastinate getting going. This can be a problem especially now that I commute and take the train that arrives 5 mins before class starts. Even when I lived at the dorm punctuality was an issue.

Hi all
I too have this issue...
It's not a matter of how many classes I'm taking.

I thought about WHY I am late...
and here is the list:

I do things 'last minute' and that takes up time

I don't prepare so at the last minute I'm scrambling around to get my keys etc

I am in a frame of mind where travel time is not included into the event... ie. 'class' some how translates into leaving for class at 10am, not leaving for class at 9:45am so I can get to class ON TIME

~~~~~~~

my solutions that I am going to try:

-be strict about what I do before each class... if I have not planned it, I can't do it (so no last minute tasks)

-have stuff ready so I can just head out the door before I do anything else (have bag packed, keys etc)

-make it my job to be early
~~~~~~~

as for being late... I get anxious when I'm late...
but I always make sure I tell myself:
50 minute class... even if I get in 20 minutes, it's still worth it, because it will be 20 minutes of information that I will hear.

In the long run, it's worth it when I remind myself that ANY CLASS TIME WILL BE OF BENEFIT to me. It will contribute to that much less info I have to try and learn on my own later on.

~~~~~~

I have issues with doing readings in advance... I'm usually reading stuff the morning of the midterm...

so I have tried to change my mindset that everything has to be done early.

~~~~~~

what might help is to actually make a list
what exact things do you need to do before you can settle into listen to the lecture?
-get to class
-take off coat
-get out things: laptop/notebook and pencil case
-find out where you are in the course
-get food out
-look around the room

So... this 'routine', ritual, whatever you want to call it, may take a total of (travel time) plus 10 minutes...

~~~~~~

I'm thinking of making it a game to see
How many times I can be there more than 5 minutes early.
so I have to leave at 9:45am to get to class.
Meaning, I get up, pack my bag, eat, change, then do some leisure stuff, and leave at 9:45.


Hmmm... maybe this will work?


Maybe we can start a thread for seeing who can get to class early the most number of times next week?
Winner gets.... dunno.
Bragging rights or something cool.

Hee hee...
Maybe everyone can send them a dollar in the mail?
ha ha

What's really annoying is when teachers complain about how tardiness causes disruption when they themselves are a part of it. For example, some profs lock the door when showing a film and a person has to knock. Others, on the other hand, will say some comment such as the fact they don't like tardiness.

One of the profs I had who was the least tolerant of tardiness had to have been ADD himself. He constantly jumped from one topic to another, while we frantically scribbled notes, and as the whistle went off at the end of class, he would just start listing names of famous people and events. We would be stuck there for an extra five minutes, because these were always the things he would test us on.... and then we'd all be late for our next class!

(The other annoying thing was that he was only listing dozens of names, and we had to go research them afterwards to find out what they'd done. If we didn't discover the exact same tidbit of information he wanted, we would get that question wrong on the next test. Grrrr.)

I've been chronically late my entire life... I can remember it being an issue back to the 7th grade at least - probably when I was old enough to be responsible for getting myself to school in the morning. I have been late to almost every day of school, every class in college, and almost every day of every job I've ever had, up to this very day.

I was only diagnosed less than 2 years ago, so in most of my life I've had to make up for this problem by excelling at everything I do, in classes and in jobs. This hasn't stopped me from receiving detention, getting suspended, failing classes and losing jobs. The only thing that has saved me is a few understanding teachers and employers. Even now I'm having trouble with this problem (which is further compounded by a sleep problem).

The point I want to make out of this is that the problem does not go away on its own. I always figured "once I get into the workforce, I'll be better about this," or "when I start that new job I'll never be late" but it never happens. It will not fix itself on its own and if anything, it only gets worse.

If you're in college, NOW is the time to fix it. You're on the right track just acknowledging the problem and discussing it here, but you have to go a step further and fix the problem.

The same solutions won't work for everybody.

Maybe we can start a thread for seeing who can get to class early the most number of times next week?

I think this is an awesome idea, and I was thinking about doing the same in the workplace forum. This is a form of coaching and peer pressure is a great motivator. If you know that people are interested in your progress and are supporting you, you'll have a much better chance of succeeding.

Welcome to the ADD Forums wnorman

I too had problems being late to class or not going at all when I was going to college. That's why I ended up flunking out due to not keeping my GPA up. I never got my degree. For one semester I actually DID buckle down and go to class because of a book I had read about getting straight A's. I made Distinguished Student that semester in fact. So it wasn't that I wasn't capable of doing well, but that I just didn't.

I'm newly diagnosed with ADD and I'm 37. The tardiness/attendance problem did not go away after I left college. I have not been able to hold a job for more than 3 years, and I just recently got fired from my last job.

I'm now on Adderall and Wellbutrin and while I still don't have a job yet, I am feeling more capable and I'm hoping it will help me have the self discipline to be places on time. I also posted about this in the Careers/Job Impact forum. The thread is called: ADD and chronic lateness on the job?

There's some good advice in there. The only other advice I have is to try to get this problem under control NOW! It will only get worse in the work world. And if you don't finish school and at least get some kind of piece of paper (certificate, B.S., B.A., A.A, or whatever), then a lot of employers will put you in the same category as a high school graduate, nothing more. The better paying job will require a degree, unless you can learn on your own, have a few years experience under your belt and can WOW them. But these days it's an employer market, not an employee market, so there is a LOT of competition.

You may not know exactly what you want to do, but try to find something that has interest to you, and that can be in demand these days. And get that degree, because you'll be glad you did, even if you don't work in the field you got the degree in.

I regret so much not finishing school. I'm trying to go back, but it's to a community college and I'm just going for a different field entirely probably, but I was 30-40 hrs away from a B.S. degree. Talk about not finishing.... I have moved out of state and there is no university close by where I could just finish that degree, otherwise I probably would.

I'm almost 38 and have not ever been able to support myself financially without some sort of help (parents, etc. or gov't). That doesn't make me feel very good. Not getting that degree and not being able to keep a stable job history is what has really hurt me. And this all stems from getting to class on time and attending every day you can. You don't want to end up like I have. But at least I am working to make positive changes to my situation, but it sure would have been easier if I had known and gotten on medication and therapy much sooner to realize what was wrong with me.

Good Luck!

i qualify rediculously strong for all four of those scnarios.

I enjoy the replies, all seme very informative.

-g

Im sorry to make a double post here, I just cant help myself. Im getting so excited seeing other people who share the same things as me.

-putting things off for 5 mintues doesnt' seem like it will result in such a disaster


I am the SAME Exact way. I do 5 mins, then 5 mins, then 5 more mins. Then class is started and Im in a towel on my computer.

Lately, what I have been doing is when I go to my first class, I wake up and tell myself this day is going to rock. I get up and I pack my stuff to stay on campus all day and thats what I do. I have noticed if I come home in between classes I will get distracted and most likely not go to class or be late. but if I take everything with me and just hang out in the computer lab or library in between and after my class I am getting so much done. Studying and attending classes.

My school is great about the whole students with disabilities thing - they have FREE services (counseling and psychologists, also two doctors specifically in the psychology office.) they will talk to you about anything - school/family problems, depression, anxiety, etc... we also have an office for students with disabilites specifically, and they are the ones who are doing the testing. the university of michigan has a HUGE healthcare network, and also tons of students... so all these people are full time staff. it's incredible. unfortunately they are very busy all the time.


Christina, how is your scgool with ADD, do they offer any services for it and what not? Im just kind of curious, I knwo we have a very good students with disabilities program here at my school I just have not checked it out yet.

Also a question related to a side note, Im just curious if its me or an aDD thing, if one of you guys is a few minutes or m ore late to class will you sometimes mor most time just not go because you dont want to walk in late and have everyone staring at you thinking things?

So how about it?
How many times were you late this week so far?
How late?
How many times were you on time?

I will confess...
Monday: late by ONLY 5 minutes, then to next cl*** by less than 5.
Tuesday late by 7mins
Wednesday: skipped both cl***es to cram for midterm, late to midterm by 10minutes

Tommorow, I have only one cl*** at 10am. My goal is to be 5 minutes early tommorow morning, so leaving 15minutes earlier than usual.

Keep your fingers crossed.

I am never late for class believe it or not. I could not handle the embarassment if I was. Now work is a different story, but I have improved on that.

Reasonpointzero - sorry I didn't respond for so long - I've been buried in school... blech!

My school doens't have anything really ADD SPECIFIC... (like services, etc) - but I did get diagnosed by a psychologist at the counseling center, and ever since then I've been seeing her for counseling (about 2 months i htink) they really only do short term stuff, but I can also get prescriptions through them and everything else. The bad thing though is that I can't seem to find anyone or anything to help with the practical issues like organizing time... etc... I want to try using a coach but it's just too expensive! I haven't been able to track down any names or contacts of ADD coaches in the area (although being a liberal university town you would think there would be someone!) except for one who charges an outrageous amount....

so basically I guess I would say that the university is great, I wouldn't really expect them to do any more than they are. I do wish they could point me in some direction with finding practical help for ADD though. I guess I was mostly just excited that I could find so many things for free - lol!

OH and the disabilities center - it is mostly to help advocate for you and also to get accomodations (they have a free copy machine for copying notes, and give out free cassette tapes to record lectures... etc - also they write letters to teachers for you and prof's can call them if they don't understand...)
I think that they have a lot of ADD students, but I have no idea how many, and unfortunately there are no ADD support groups or anything on campus. That surprised me actually, sicne there are about a billion student groups about everything from defending affirmative action to feeding squirrels. and there are support groups for a lot of other things like eating disorders.

well anyway, yeah!

------------------

as far as school - the 5 minutes more thing is HUGE for me... I constantly find myself doing the dishes when class has already started... (I think i'm getting better though over the last few weeks!)

I also know what you mean about having to stay on campus all day... man!! that is the story of my life!! If I come home, then I am doomed - it could be any length of time before I can get myself to leave again, no matter how strongly I want to just run in and grab that one notebook!

So lately I've been just taking EVERYTHING with me, and staying on campus all day. It is actually presenting kind of a challenge with food becuase I can't manage to prepare stuff enough ahead of time to take with me, and even if I do, I have to take at least two meals - and it gets SOOO boring!!! I can't afford to eat out all the time (can't loose the time or the money)

the last two weeks I've been spending anywhere from 10 to 16 hours away from home every single day, and it's been absolutely exhausting. It's not worth it - and even if I do it, I STILL can't get everything done!! A lot of that is becusae of distractions though. I still can't find a med that doens't give me headaches and dizziness (the side effects from trying meds are also hurting me a lot)

-----------
here's my report on being late!

*today - 20 minutes late to an EXAM!! (prof didn't mind though, so i was ok - his daughter has ADD so he understands!! lol - it was partly another professor's fault, but mostly my own for trying to do a bunch of stuff "quickly" before making the 20 minute walk from the library to his office out in the boonies...(bathroom, forgetting the room number, etc))
*this morning I was about 15 minutes late to office hours (not crucial at all, but I had vowed that I would be there on time!!)

*rest of the week - pretty good, but mostly becuase I've been packing my days so full that I can't go home in between stuff.
- in the mornings I've been trying to get to the library 1 hour before class each day so that I can study and prepare, but so far I only made it once, and only had 20 minutes. On the plus side though, it's caused me to be on time for my first class!!

----------------
oh yeah - and YES I HATE walking in late!! sometimes that DOES stop me from going altogether, (it did a lot in the past) but I try to counter that thinking by remembering how much even 10 minutes of a lecture can help with the homework and often exams. ALSO remembering that if I miss it, I will have to learn it on my own from the book or someone else's notes... and that takes 10 times longer.

Another way I've been keeping myself on time is by going to office hours a lot - that way the professor actually knows me, and I feel sort of more responsible for stuff. A lot of it is that I want to proove to the prof. that I'm trying my hardest, so if they see me missing class or walking in late, not turning in homework, missing quizzes... they will think that I don't care - and since htey KNOW me, it matters to me more. I know it's a little bit contrived, but it works for me! (unfortunately it's also making me feel bad about myself everytime I fail one of those things, esp. not finishing homeworks)


it's making me pretty overwhelmed and stressed out, and also depressed becuase I just can't keep up with the work I've created for myself. And I have a 'light' load compared to my classmates!! (a whole class less than most of them)
I'm not sleeping or eating enough, adn definatley not relaxing at all or finding time for friends. it's not good, and last thursday I had a total breakdown - now i'm making a real effort to give myself breaks and everything... but it's so difficult when you know you have SO much to do and if you don't do it you will only look lazy...

anyway... sorry for the monster post!!

I voted option #3--that sounds exactly like me. I'm a grad student and no longer taking classes, but when I was taking classes, I'd wake up 2 hours in advance and do a quick workout, take a shower, shave, eat, take my vitamins, browse the web for a few minutes, etc...all stuff that shouldn't take too long--but before I knew it it was a few minutes before class and then I'd remember something else I'd forgotten--can't find my wallet, forgot to brush my teeth or wear cologne, forgot my notebook or textbook (!), lost my homework assignment...you get the picture. Very frustrating sometimes! :o

One time I was going on a date and wasn't ready on time and was still getting things together when she showed up and she told me I was worse than a woman! Now that was embarrassing! :D

well folks, the dr increased my meds to the point where I was a spacey zombie for a WHOLE WEEK... so I missed all last week. Considering that I have 2 papers to write still and it's the end of the semester, I am NOT IMPRESSED.
So I havn't made it to class at all...
but I reduced the dose so I can THINK. I metioned that I got 2 aniety episodes and they freaked out and put me on drugs... but the episodes weren't THAT bad... just worrying and worrying.
So I think I'm going to have to stick up to them and say that I will increase my dose SLOOOOOOWWWLY.
I hope everyone else is doing better than I am!

hey slowpoke, i'm not doin' all that well either... no meds have worked for me so far - i tried adderall twice (total of three weeks, although i cna't say i took it regularly...) but it made me overfocus to the point where it was destructive....

and i've gone through some times where i was so unmotivated i just get myself to do anything. So in between I work super hard, and start to catch up and do well, but then i just destroy it again because I get so fed up and angry with everything!! it's so bad...

I missed 3 classes in a row this week and was late to allt he rest. And I didnt' start my homework until the night before on any of it... I was doing SO WELL until this week!!!!! ARGG!!!!! Thank God I didn't have any exams to prepare for yet. ugh.

we'll get through i guess... it just stinks because i thought for sure that THIS would be the semester I would start to do welland maybe get an A for once...

I do'nt know why this is so hard for me!!

Awww, C. I think you are being way too hard on yourself. If I remember correctly, you are an engineering major (can't recall which disc. ), right? I've noticed that in general, that field seems to attract folks who are naturally very driven, focused and organized. Not at all suggesting that you are in wrong field , but just bear in mind the population that you (and the professors) are comparing yourself against.

Give yourself permission to make messes and then figure out how to clean them up. I know (cause I can remember) what a huge deal class assignments, grades, exams and all the rest of it can feel like. Maybe you could try looking at it this way: you are in college figuring this stuff out, which is exactly right. This is the perfect time and place for it. As real and as tough as it feels, college is still only practice.

Please do not think I am trivializing your problems. That is not it at all. Your worries are valid, just keep them in perspective.

Acceptance into U of M, especailly the engineering school, is widely known (even down here) for being very difficult to attain. You should not forget about that difficult achievement, for that alone will open plenty of doors for you. It already has, hasn't it? ;)

Relatively speaking, you have only just begun to figure out ways to manage your ADD. While you might feel behind some fellow ADD students who were diagnosed as little kids, you are still way ahead of most of us here. So really, you are in the BEST position. You have self-knowledge, experience and autonomy that children do not have. These are valuable tools to use when figuring out ways to help yourself. What you do not have are the most serious liabilities, such as financial independence, marriage and children. Many adult-diagnosed ADDers must place these things at risk when they begin their bumpy ride towards AD/HD management.

At least you are on top of what you SHOULD be doing. As far as I am concerned, that is half the battle. A while ago, you were using the peer coaching forum. Do you think that would be helpful now?

Hang in there, girl!

FG

FG, thanks a lot :)

You're right, it's tough to keep things in perspective... I just want to disagree on one thing though - engineering seems to attract a lot of DISorganized people also; not that that makes it any easier for me... but all the same. Some of my professors are disorganized... but some are VERY organized and on top of everything. They would never understand even half of what I go through, but that's alright.

I'm not completely financially independant, but I am pretty close (my parents help me with tuition, but i pay absolutely everything else in my life; like rent, food, car, bills...) even though I really don't have enough money for all of it. In it's own way, that is also a problem - so I do understand at least a small part of what other people here go through with money.... man I really hate money. I wish I didn't have to deal with it at all....

I know you're not trivializing the problems I'm having; I guess the problem is partly that It feels like if I'm having so much trouble NOW, with not a lot of responsibility, and a ton of freedom/flexibility, how on earth am I going to be able to handle the "real world"? Do you know what I mean? It's just that... I'm really doing EVERYTHING I CAN and it's not WORKING!! But then again... the things I'm doing are coming from my own limited perspective, and are probably not totallyt he right things.

On top of that, i think I am actually doing alright now - last week was pretty bad, but it was only one week, and I'm pretty used to playing catch-up ;)
It's hard for me to remember that I've actually accomplished quite a bit. I mean... I am at COLLEGE, at a good school, in a good field, I have freinds, I have a summer internship, my grades arent' great, but they're not terrible either. I think the problem is that it seems like eveyrthing is balanced on this teeter-totter, and it could all just topple over at any second and be gone. A lot of things in my life SEEM to me like they happened only by chance, rather than hard work, and so if someone were to look behind the curtain, they would see me with all my horrible disorganized mess, and think "oh my gosh, who are YOU, and what are you doing living your life???!!"

It seems like it isn't relaly MINE, but instead a collection of luck and a few spotty things done by me. But then again, I do know (not in my heart, but I do know somewhere in my brain) that I relaly did do the work it took to get here, and I need to give mysefl some credit. I guess I just don't beleive it even though I know that it's true.

Those are the roots of my problems/insecurities. And stuff like that doesn't just go away, even though I always think that it will everytime I start somthing new (i.e. - "if I get an internship that will proove that I'm worth somthing and I'm working hard, and I will succeed after all...") but then once the new thing actually HAPPENS, I still don't believe myself. wow... I must be really insecure!! I guess I didn't relaly realize that before...

I will probably finish this semester just fine, even though it won't have met my goals... (probalby B's/C+'s in each class, when I really wanted B+'s... I didn't dare hope for an A) Most of all I guess I wanted to feel like I'd done my best, but I don't think that will ever happen. I always burn out somewhere in the middle, (usually a couple of times) and destroy all the hard work I'd done earlier.

Well anyway, those are just my thoughts :)

I guess the reason I'm not using the peer coaching forum is that I don't know what to say, or feel like I have anything concrete to post. Plus I've been trying to keep from spending tons of time on here since school is being kind of demanding... but I odn't know... maybe I SHOULD spend more time here since I didn't relaly do hardly anythign last week except for sleep and feel bad about myself. (never good)

Hey Christina!
Wow, you sound a LOT like me! (except for the engineering student part). I too am postsecondary, and my parents pay the tuition, while I work and pay for all the other stuff.
I found the peer coaching thing to not be as helpful as I would have liked, I need person to person contact. I have a tutor who helps me out a bit with organizing for school, which is good...
But you might want to start out by trying to form a habit and sticking to it for a week, then a couple more weeks... and then it could become a lot easier.
What I did was I chose something really easy... like making up a rule that NO CLOTHES were allowed to be on the floor. Sounds really simple, but up until then, clothes were all over the place, and I had a hard time walking around without tripping. So I was able to keep to that 'RULE', and it's now a habit to put the clothes in the laundry basket or on the bed.
It sounds like you, like myself, are stressed out about school... so maybe try to make a 'RULE' about studying? It can be that you spend 30 mins each day reviewing what you did for each class that day.
Or that you spend 15 minutes putting all the notes for a class in order, in its proper binder/folder etc.
The rule can be put in place to happen at a specific moment, like RIGHT AFTER the class.
I sometimes make up rules for myself about NOT stopping off at places in between classes,or else I know I will get distracted.
Good luck, let me know how you're doing OK?

slowpoke, that's a good idea - i sort of tried it a lot before, but i think maybe I was trying to do too much at once - my latest rule was to go to ALL office hours (which i could get to). I did it for a while, kind of, but it was hard, and everytime I dind't make it, I'd feel like I was going to fail everything and the teacher would hate me. Of course, I'd almost NEVER gone to office hours in the past, so it was really tough to do, and I always felt like I had nothing to say.

I've had days where I've spent no time on homework at all, but THOUGHT about it all dya, and didn't do anythign else. (like I sit at home organizing, but never actually doing the homework, or I do the dishes or somthing instead) So I waste a ton of time that could be used on either homework OR fun stuff, but never actually get to do either of those becuase I'm such a procrastinator.

Right now I think my rule is going to be going to bed at a reasonable time... i'm not sure what time that would be (probalby midnight, for tonight at least) becuase I've been staying up[ until like 5 in the morning for no reason at all. Just I dont' feel like I have any closure to the day, so I keep looking around for stuff I'm supposed to be doing. And if it's too big, then I just procrastinate more, and if it's small stuff, then I work on it a little, but overall I ususlaly end up with absolutely nothing done, and finally go to bed becuase I KNOW I HAVE TO.

I want to try the "review 30 minutes a day" rule, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it becusae for whatever reason, there will be homework due the next day, and that will have to take priority, and so I'll feel guilty about not reviewing, and end up styaing up late at night.... stuff like that. It's really hurt me in the past at least. I don't know... have you ever experienced stuff like that?

Yeah the peer coaching is good, but what I really need is a tutor who expects me to be at the library at a certain time, and will help me organize my time.... or someone to call me at night and tell me to go to bed in spite of all the things I have in my head that I want to do. Or maybe someone to stop by my house and remind me that I should be at the library. I dunno. It seems like it would be so much work for anyone to do that.

I've had a lateness problem ALL of my life, ever since I had to get to school on my own back in Kindergarden! I took a college course that started at 8:30 am in the morning every day and I was always late, and the teachers always give important information at the beginning of the class, so I'd always end up missing out on test dates and things.

I had to do a work experience for 25 days and they were pleased with my work but decided to fail me because I was consistently late. I actually thought that I could come in to work BETWEEN 8:30 am and 9:00 am EVERY morning, it turned out that was just on the 1st day.

I take my medications at 7:30 in the morning aproximately, but they don't start working till after 10. Also, I have problems waking up any time before 10 in the morning, even after I get 8 hours of sleep. Then time really does seem to fly by, and there always seems to be a wrinkle in my morning ie. can't find my keys, can't find the shirt I wanted to wear that day, still need to straighten my hair--time just seems to fly by.

I have to re-do my work experience in order to get my certificate, but I'm taking Animation next fall, and my school days will start at various times, not just 8:30 in the morning, so I should have less problems.

One thing I'm going to do is set the THREE alarm clocks I have in my room an hour ahead, not sure how this will work out because I don't think I'm all that good at fooling myself, but hopefully my imagination will do the trick.

Sometimes it also takes the form of going back and forth to the fridge a million times but never getting anything out. (used to do that in high school)


I still do that, Christiana :-)

i hope not reading the entire thread won't make this post terribly off-topic. i identify with all of the scenarios, in about the same percentages, actually. i start off a semester great, then... every reading assignment i don't do, every project that looms closer on the horizon causes me to feel "burned out" even though i know that if i just did the work i would be so motivated to go. i am not lazy: the work i do takes me three times as long as everyone else in the class to do and looks like it took me half as long to do. the work i turn in doesn't show the countless minutes spent worrying about it not turning out, or the obsessive compulsive nail-biting/skin-around-the-nail-biting/scab-picking/hand-rubbing that punctuated the effort every two minutes. so i probably have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the increasing joint pain i am feeling with age makes all of my nervous tics that much more of a burden on my energy, so i call a behavioral clinic and make an appointment to talk with a therapist. well she's great and seems to get me and then she gives me a small piece of paper with the next two appointments written on it and i do what i usually do which is to read and remember only the first date i need to know (because i cannot keep track of anything in a calendar, or on little pieces of paper) and end up remembering the second appointment instead of the first.

i show up to the second appointment and she has decided before i get there that she is going to impress upon me the importance of making it to the sessions by telling me she wants me to get a calendar and that she isn't comfortable setting up more appointments with me if i am going to trust it to memory. wow, wrong tactic for me, i can tell you that. well we talk about for the rest of the time my extremely bad reaction to this and long story short, i don't know if i trust her now... i thought she got me, but obviously she didn't if she thought i just forget things out of thoughtlessness or laziness or chosen disorganization or something. if i don't want meds, what's a graduate student with only a year left before starting thesis to do??? anyone here successfully recover from ocd without meds? i need some hope here. i spend another saturday telling myself i would get stuff done and after a day of effort i have half of the dishes washed and about half of the living room cleared of clothes. uuugh.

so... the last time someone posted on this thread was june 24th?!?! does anyone ever come here???

Welcome animatic!

I voted thusly:

"scenario 4:
I've been up a long time and doing lots of things, but somthing else is just way more interesting than going to class. i put it off and put it off... if i left now i'll be too early... but suddenly that critical moment has passed and now i'm late. sometimes once i'm late i won't even bother rushing anymore... just ONE more post on the forums wont' hurt!!"

Can't stand the idea of being early with nothing to do and there's so many things I'd like to do now so I keep packing them in. Usually I make it in the nick of time or a little bit late but worse for the wear if it turns into a panicked skamper off to my appointment.

i hope not reading the entire thread won't make this post terribly off-topic. i identify with all of the scenarios, in about the same percentages, actually. i start off a semester great, then... every reading assignment i don't do, every project that looms closer on the horizon causes me to feel "burned out" even though i know that if i just did the work i would be so motivated to go. i am not lazy: the work i do takes me three times as long as everyone else in the class to do and looks like it took me half as long to do. the work i turn in doesn't show the countless minutes spent worrying about it not turning out, or the obsessive compulsive nail-biting/skin-around-the-nail-biting/scab-picking/hand-rubbing that punctuated the effort every two minutes. so i probably have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the increasing joint pain i am feeling with age makes all of my nervous tics that much more of a burden on my energy, so i call a behavioral clinic and make an appointment to talk with a therapist. well she's great and seems to get me and then she gives me a small piece of paper with the next two appointments written on it and i do what i usually do which is to read and remember only the first date i need to know (because i cannot keep track of anything in a calendar, or on little pieces of paper) and end up remembering the second appointment instead of the first.

i show up to the second appointment and she has decided before i get there that she is going to impress upon me the importance of making it to the sessions by telling me she wants me to get a calendar and that she isn't comfortable setting up more appointments with me if i am going to trust it to memory. wow, wrong tactic for me, i can tell you that. well we talk about for the rest of the time my extremely bad reaction to this and long story short, i don't know if i trust her now... i thought she got me, but obviously she didn't if she thought i just forget things out of thoughtlessness or laziness or chosen disorganization or something. if i don't want meds, what's a graduate student with only a year left before starting thesis to do??? anyone here successfully recover from ocd without meds? i need some hope here. i spend another saturday telling myself i would get stuff done and after a day of effort i have half of the dishes washed and about half of the living room cleared of clothes. uuugh.

sheesh...and here i thought this was just me. (jk, lol)
i prefer to take afternoon/night classes, so that i can stay up until 4 am and still get to class on time, not that i ever do. i've learned that having classes in one big block, such as noon until 5, is better for me, because once i get to my first class i run straight to my next one, instead of having an hour to waste in between. if i have that, i never get to any classes.

i've had times where i get a little depressed (missed assignments, quizzes, etc) and i just stop going to class. one time, last fall, i just stopped going to my calculus class for an entire month. guess what? i failed. the weird part is that i've had that class before (now i need to take it for the 3rd time) and i had the first half of it in high school. i know the material inside out, but i just can't seem to pass it. heh, maybe if i wait long enough i'll forget it all, and it'll be new and challenging again.

what i often find is that i'll skip a class out of 'paralysis of will' (i like that phrase) and to occupy my time, i'll play a video game or something. now my parents and counselors think that i'm skipping to play video games, when that completely isn't the way it happens (normally anyways).

> my parents and counselors think that
> i'm skipping [classes] to play video games,
> when that completely isn't the way it happens

Playing video games to avoid going to class is more like it!

: - )

sorta, it's more like this:
skip class, get bored, play video games for sensory stimulation

O.K...

today I don't have time to read all the posts for this thread but here is my latest story based on this theme...

my summer class is now over, final last thurday-an english liturature class at 7:00 a.m.!!!

i was late for the first class, and then for most of the rest...

at my mid-term conference i told my instructor i couldn't figure it out, i left the house with plenty of time and i travel against the flow of traffic...

the day after my conference i was on time, but after that i just couldn't get there without being at least 5 minutes late, maybe i subconsciously like to make a grand entrance!!!...

oh well, i got an a-, i missed some of the writings during the first few minutes of class...

:cool: sneekkers:cool:

Hi all!
I can relate to getting depressed and anxious, embarrassed about missing quizzes and assignments being late... and stop going to class. But I've found that the teachers are realoly empathetic if you approach them and explain that you are anxious and really sorry for handing in stuff late... and that you get worried and it keeps you from coming to class again...
I get to write the test in a private room, so I dont have to worry about people thinking badly of me if I walk in on a test late.
So this coming year... with the help of my watchminder, I am going to make it a habit to show up 10 minutes early so I can sit and read and look all nerdy and studious reading notes. That is the impression I want to make on other people. I think that if I say I HAVE to make it to class early because I HAVE to get some reading done before the class actually starts, it might work.
Another thing is to fight the avoidance technique when things get tough and I miss assignments... or I miss class.
I think that having someone else meet up with you or come to your place to walk to school with you, or drive with you or bus with you (etc) may help as well. My boyfriend goes to work a bit after me, so I know that I'm on track when I get up before he does.
My watch is set to 5 minutes faster, and I'm trying to make that my reality... and it worked for this morning... I stayed on my schedule of getting to work 5 minutes before I have to start teaching... but in reality it was 10minutes before now that I changed my watch. I don't know how it worked but it did...
I'm hoping that I can try to shift the 'Stress' of being late, to getting stressed out if I'm less than 10 minutes early for anything.

So, hopefully I can kick the habit... one step at a time. I think many of us just get discouraged about being late... and don't realize that the ONE time we are early DOES MATTER A LOT!!! because if we can do it ONCE, we can do it again, maybe not the next day, but seomtime in the near future.

Cheers... that's all I got in my brain.. it's getting late

I am generally not late for class. Usually, I am extremely early instead. Like energizer bunny, I have a problem with being late for work. It works in stages. Some weeks, I will be late every day. Others, I will be there on time every day. I am quite unpredicable at times. As far as class, I either go or I don't. Generally, if I am going to be late, I just don't go. Atomic. Discrete. Whatever you want to call it.

I replied to this post before starting my animation course, and I wish I'd kept my mouth shut about having "varied" class times. ALL of my classes are in the mornings, and most of them start at 8 am, even worse than before!! Even though I live just a minute away from the college, the whole ordeal of getting up in the morning, getting ready to go, well actually just getting out of bed without my mom around to nag me is so hard. My work is getting so much better, I've learned a lot this year, but the number of class absences I have is really bad. The instructor says I'm "flirting with below 50" for my marks, I'm really scared. This is the 2nd last week of classes before the end of the term and I could royally screw myself over.

When I did college, I had one class my freshman year, first semester that started at 8:00 am. I quickly learned...sooooo not for me. The rest of my college career...classes started at 9 or later. If it started at 8...I didn't need it that badly or it wasn't a required class. I really wasn't late for class...but I also took college really seriously since it was on my dime not so much my parents. **shrug**

I was like highfunctioning...I was always early for class. :o

I am constantly late for class. Yes, this website is probably part of the prob! I have to check my email in the morn, then look at somthing else......the list goes on. I swear the clocks are faster at school. That has been my escuse for years! It's really bad when u are at school, in the same buliding as your class is in, and your still late. I guess thats ADD for u!

I tried asking if there were any later class times than 8 am and unfortunately for me there wasn't, so I just have to pray that next semester I'll have better luck.

Haha I apply to all of those, which one do I vote for?

I've also have been late to every event I'm required to attend. From classes (going for my Masters next year, which is quite a bit of late days-LOL !) to work (have been late every single day by 7-20 minutes for duration of being employed with this employer), going on dates, or other social events- EVERTHING! Sometimes I freak out, sometimes I run so late, I nix whatever plans I did have.
I've gotten up two and a half hours prior to going to work, only to be late still.
I don't think it's something I'm proud of, but something ALWAYS distracts me, like cleaning something that just can't wait, or researching a subject I have to know NOW, or stopping to get gas because I didn't get it the evening before, as always.
I more than make up for it though by staying late at work, or volunteering to work for others when we have scheduled days off, and studying my butt off to get really great grades.
I don't wear a watch, either, and have no desire to start wearing one. :*

this is so funny. i fit scenario 3 perfectly.

i had an entomology class one semester at 8:30 am. i got to that class 15 or 20 minutes late every single day, but i had the highest grade in that class at the end of the semester.

anyhow, the problem was not getting up on time or any of that. i would have been up for a long time, reading or posting on forums or doing something else. i would get ready and have a lot of time left over. somehow though i wasn't delegating the proper amount of time to get into the class at 8:30.

totally stupid.

Quite interesting! I fit n° 3 most of time and n°1 as well.
for scenario number 1, I've found a trick: I just set my alarm clock an hour earlier then normal (which means 0615am, which is quite early), but helps me to take my time, enjoy my bed a while longer, decide if I really need to go to that class, find a good reason why I wouldn't go to it.... but after half an hour or so, I get bored being in bed, so I get up and get going!!
That way, it's sure I won't be missing my class!

for scenario number 3: The night before i make a list of what I need (or base myself on an old list). The next morning I just go through the list.
....But honestly this isn't very succesful! Yet I still miss read my list and forget something and end up rushing back home and missing my bus!!!
:p

I have worked really hard on myself, in regard to time. My issues are with motivating my children in the necessary amount of time. See, I don't want to do it all for them, because that is how my parents were...and I ended up never really learning how to do much for myself. I want them to recognize they need to self motivate, so they are dependent only upon themselves. The younger ones, obviously need me more than the older children. Much has hinged upon effective time management--and they need me to model this effectively in order to model it in themselves. Those last minute things that eat up time? We try to do a lot of that the night before. I keep the keys in the SAME place, the coats and shoes in the same place, clothing is selected the night before. Backpacks and anything that needs signed, etc is placed by the front door before we even go to bed. Showers are taken the night before. I use timers and check off lists, and encourage them to do this as well. It took a while to get into this routine, but it has proven very effective for all of us. The real test comes on days when I am sick, and not able to get to work. The older two must dress and feed themselves, and walk to school. They have to be there by 8:15 am, and the few times this has happened, they have risen to the occasion beautifully (albeit a bit mismatched)! Every day is a work in progress. I HAVE to get up considerably earlier than they do, in order to make sure we all have taken our medication, and start the day with our best foot forward. This morning, I had to be dressed long before they were even out of bed, because it snowed last night. I had to make sure the car was cleared off, and warm, before we usually would leave. I'm telling you: check off lists and timers can be VERY helpful. :)