College Confidencewith ADD

The Ultimate Success Manual for

ADD Students, from Applying to Academics,

Preparation to Social Success, and

Everything Else You Need to Know

MICHAEL SANDLER

College Confidencewith ADD

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● Organic foods. I’ve gone 90 percent organic. I shoot for 100percent, but it doesn’t always work out. I try to avoid anythingwith preservatives, pesticides, artificial ingredients, and things Ican’t identify or pronounce. I’ve also cut out all meats. (Exceptfor the occasional piece of sushi—I need my sushi!) I just don’tknow what the antibiotics, additives, and low-grade feed theyput into animals will do to me. (As an added benefit, since goingorganic I no longer get the colds, flu, bronchitis, and sinus infec-tions that used to plague me!)

● Juice. This may surprise you, but I don’t drink any juice. And I’mvery careful about eating fruit. I want to make sure I’m keepingclose tabs on my blood sugar, and fruit sugars (particularly injuice) tend to spike it and drop it. As a general rule, I always tryto have protein when I have fruit so that I’ve got something slow-burning to go along with the instant energy.

● Soft drinks and sugar. Out. I’m a recovering sugara-holic. It was a form of self-medication for me. Butthe more sugar I had, the more spiky things got andthe more moody I was. I don’t add sugar to my cere-al, eat candy (peanut M&M’s excepted), or have any drinks (evenGatorade) with sugar in them. My only vice here? Newman’sOwn organic chocolate cookies. Okay, I’m still a chocoholic, butthey do use organic sugar!

● Eggs and milk. Out for the same reasons as meat.● Fast food. Completely out because of all of the above.● Medication. While there are subtle changes over the course of a

year, at present I take a long-acting Adderall when I get up eachmorning. It doesn’t make it all the way through the day, so I add ashorter-acting Adderall after it wears off. I’ve also added a concen-trated berry drink product in the afternoons that’s touted to helpwith focus and concentration. It’s Ageless Xtra from Oasis(www.oasislifesciences.com).

● Other dietary supplements. My cabinets are full of other sup-plements, a few of which I take on a regular basis. The one Ibelieve works the best of the bunch is flax seed oil or fish oil.

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● Meditation. Meditation has worked wonders for meand is as important as medication in calming themind and giving me greater focus throughout theday. I try to meditate for twenty minutes when I getup and again before I go to bed.

● Exercise. I’m a fanatic when it comes to a morning and eveningwalk, hike, or run, preferably in nature. I feel it sets my bodyclock (which helps me to wake, concentrate, and then sleep),relaxes my mind for the day, keeps me in touch with the “big pic-ture,” and gives me a sense of calm and tranquility to weather theday’s storms.

● Sleep. The key here has been regularity. Though it’soften a challenge, going to bed at the same time andwaking up at the same time every day is essential. Ioften have to set an alarm to make sure I go to bedat the same time. Then I keep my curtains wide open to help mybody wake before my alarm, according to the sun. This helps mybody set its clock to the sun, waking me up after a more naturalperiod of sleep rather than harmfully during deep sleep.

● Regular schedule/routine. It’s been hard, but Ikeep trying to fine-tune or balance my day and rou-tine to keep from being overextended. The slowermy day, the more downtime I build into it (to letthe mind unwind), the calmer, more focused, and more produc-tive I am throughout the day. It turns out the more I try to cramin, the less I can get done!

● Watching my input—books, movies, music, and news. Thinkof your mind as a computer, constantly processing what’s beingput in, making new neural connections, and rewiring based onsoftware. I find certain music, movies, and news to be triggers fornegativity, unhappiness, and even an inability to sleep. I have onlyso much mental energy, so I want to keep it on the positives.

● Feeding the mind. Listening to audio books helps me stay ontrack, remember what’s important, and learn cool life stuff ratherthan just the classroom stuff. This is a great life habit, not just for

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college, and can be a great way to keep your mind where youwant it to be! For me, listening to a spiritual book in the morn-ing helps me keep my eye on the ball (so to speak) throughout theday, giving me greater patience and compassion for others, and abetter ability to laugh at the day’s challenges, no matter how uglythey may be!

● Music. Just like a good steady beat can help you workout and pound out a sweat, I’ve found other kinds ofmusic to be incredibly beneficial. The right music at theright time can calm you down, help you relax and focus, or get you going.

● Background noise. I tend to have a fountain and/or naturesounds (birds chirping and the like) going in my room. It helpsground me to nature; the water or rain sounds are incrediblyrelaxing, and I feel better in general.

● Uncluttered environment. Every object has an energy, and hav-ing things strewn all over the place makes our thoughts jumbledaccordingly. A clean desk and work-space is essential for me to getwork done.

● Social outlet. ADDers are social animals, and regular social interaction helps us reconnect with the world around us. It’srecharging, energizing, and healing.

● Creative outlet. ADDers are wired for creativity. And I think wego bonkers if we don’t stretch our creative muscles or have a cre-ative outlet. I try to do creative writing or photography daily tokeep these muscles in shape. It helps me feel productive andrelaxed, which spills over into everything else!

● Self-care. Massage or self-massage, acupuncture, and properhygiene help you feel more confident, more relaxed, and betterabout yourself. I try to take care of myself each day because howI look on the outside is often a reflection of how I feel (or wantto feel) on the inside.

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Additional Tips and Hints

Know How You Like to Work

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fearthe results of a hundred battles.” —Sun Tzu

Ask yourself how, when, where, why, and what helps you work best.This helps you take control of your schedule and set the ship’s coursefor where you want it to go.• If you need a break before you can switch gears and get

going again, make sure you build in time between classes.On the other hand, if you have an easy time going fromclass to class but trouble getting to the first one of theday, then putting a few classes in close proximity to one anothermay not be a bad idea. There are positives and negatives to eachstrategy; you need to know which will best suit your style.

• Having classes back-to-back is great for getting them out of the way forthe day. Problems arise when assignments are due in both classes on thesame day or when there are tests in both classes on the same day. If thisis how your schedule looks, eventually you’ll end up having to cram fortwo tests or complete two assignments for the same day.

• Having a lot of time between classes gives you the chance toreview your notes and do homework immediately after classends, before switching gears for lunch or another class. Youcan work on new assignments while the professor or yourclassmates are still around and get their input. You also eliminate thetransition time you would normally need. And that transition time typ-ically eats into your study and homework time; opening books and get-ting into the material always takes longer than you think it will.

Avoid Night Classes If PossibleSometimes a course you need is only offered as a night class with con-tinuing education students. These courses have the advantage ofmeeting fewer times during the week, but the class period can be very

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lengthy—if you lose concentration easily during an hour-long class,you could be setting yourself up for disaster by taking a three- or four-hour night class. Additionally, if you tend to get tired after five o’clockthis is not the best time for you to be stuck in class; the tiredness willjust make you lose focus faster.

Avoid Lunchtime Classes or a Schedule that Leaves YouLittle Time to Eat

Make sure you aren’t going to die of hunger pangs in themiddle of class. If you like to eat at noon, don’t schedule aclass then. If your schedule requires back-to-back classes

near the lunchtime hour, beware: you could be setting yourself up forfailure. It’s very hard to pay attention when you’re famished.

Keep Your Fridays LightThis isn’t always possible, but I’ve found it to be a greatstress reliever. By Friday, my brain is fried from the rest ofthe week, and I’m thinking more about the weekend thanI am about school during the day. So I try to put an easier class onFriday mornings and try to avoid classes in the afternoon altogether.

Schedule Your Hardest Class for MondayNot early Monday morning—remember, this isn’t supposed to be arecipe for disaster! Scheduling your hardest class on Monday givesyou the maximum time to study, prepare, or do coursework; if youneed to, you can devote almost the entire weekend to this single class.

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PDAs and Calendar Software to the Rescue!

There are oodles and oodles of software out thereto help you organize your schedule (see schedulingsection on how to use these most effectively). If you

Tech Tip: What Do I Do Next? Tech Tip: What Do I Do Next?

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that the place is available during your peak hours of per-formance. If you know you retain information best around11:00 p.m., and the library closes at ten, you’ll have to findsomewhere else to study.

Build this spot into your study routine. This makes it automaticand ensures you get the job done. For instance, if you know you’llblow off studying if you head back to the dorm after class, take yourstudy materials to class with you. This way, you can totally avoid thedorm and its distractions and head directly to your studying spot.

Organize Your Study TimeDon’t needlessly force yourself to study for four hours straightor tie yourself to a chair until your studying is done—youmay get through the material this way, but I doubt your reten-

tion will be all that good. Stretch, walk around the block, send an emailor two, grab a snack, or pick up a magazine every thirty minutes or soduring your studying. Keep the breaks short, but make sure you giveyour brain a rest every now and again so it can refresh itself. You couldalso reward yourself (with a little block of chocolate, or a half hour ofvideo games) for each block of time that you study.

ReviewReviewing your notes on the day you write them can double yourretention. Here are some easy ways to review:• Daily review time. Schedule a regular time to review your

notes each day, either immediately after class, during abreak, in a study hall, or after school. Building it into yourroutine means you’ll remember to do it and makes it seem natural,not extra work.

• Rewrite. Consider transferring your notes onto fresh paper. This notonly makes them clearer and easier to read, but it helps you determinewhat information’s most critical and what you might have missed.

• Make them visual. Create a visual map or flow chart of your notes,or color-code them for quick and easy recall. If you’re a highly visualperson, this can be invaluable.

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• Highlight, highlight, highlight. No time to rewrite or draw?Highlight key information as you reread your notes to burn the mate-rial into your brain and help you when it’s time to study for a test.

• Read them out loud. If you’re an auditory learner, read your notesout loud to sink the ideas into your mind, or read them into arecorder for later review.

Do the ReadingSome classes will definitely have more assigned reading than others, butrest assured, you’ll be doing at least some reading for every class you take.And no matter what you might think, it’s crucial to read everything theprofessor recommends. Here are some ways to ensure you do it:• Schedule daily reading time. The easiest way to get reading done is

to have a set time and place for it each day. Experiment to figure outwhere and when you read best, and then make it a partof your routine.

• Put your most difficult reading first. If you put the hard stuff offuntil later you risk never getting it done or being too tired to reallyconcentrate on it when you finally get around to it. So set a time foreach subject, hardest to easiest, and stick to that order.

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The minute you have a great thought or an emer-gency thought, take electronic action.

Write yourself an email and send it to yourselfright away, or set an alarm on your calendar soft-ware. Don’t have your laptop? Set an alarm onyour PDA, watch, or even your cell phone. Theminute you remember something, get it down. Ifyou don’t remember when something is due, butyou know you forgot about it and it’s due soon,set an alarm for later in the day to check.

Tech Tip: Electronic RemindersTech Tip: Electronic Reminders

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• Break it into bite-sized pieces, and take breaks. Don’t fry your brainby tackling too much at once—give yourself frequentbreaks and reward yourself for your accomplishments.

• Color-code your reading. Just as you do with yournotes, highlight the key portions of your reading for quick and easyreview.

• Take notes. Take notes while you’re reading so you don’t have toreread the material later—you’ll have the important points alreadydistilled in front of you.

• Read out loud. If hearing it will help you remember, find a secludedplace and read out loud.

• Note what you don’t understand. Make a list of any informationfrom the reading that you don’t understand so you can ask about itin class or talk it over with your professor.

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ADD Challenges: Staying Stimulated

Sometimes our brains are moving so fast and pro-cessing so much that one stimulus at a time justisn’t enough. If we focus only on the professor, orthe boss, or any one object, our brain ends upwith too much idle time and we start to drift.Adding stimuli—for instance, a blaring radio—tothe situation can help bring us back into themoment and keep us on track.

Stimuli come in many forms. For oneperson it may be pacing; for another,fidgeting. I’ve heard squeezing Silly Puttyor a stress ball helps some people to concentrateand stay on task. For other people it may meanhaving a TV or radio on in the background.

For still others, the preferred tool is multitasking.While those with ADD are said to have an inabilityto focus, this is far from the case—it’s actually an

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Working in college can be risky, but if you go into it with youreyes wide open and aware of the risks, there’s a good chance you canset yourself up for success. And believe it or not, there are some greatadvantages of working while in school for those with ADD. Forstarters, you won’t have much time to get into trouble or worry aboutwhat to do with the free time you do have.

Advantages of Working• Provides spending money. A part-time job can give you some

money to play with or help you pay for school. This alwayscomes in handy.

• Helps you stay anchored. Since you can’t just skipwork and keep your job, work forces you to keep to aschedule. This can be very comforting and stabilizing.

• Keeps you busy and productive. A lot of ADDers (myself included)do best when we’re busy nearly all of the time. It can push us to be atour best and keep us from falling into complacency or lethargy.

• Builds self-esteem and gives you a break from school. Earningmoney and getting you out of the classroom makes you feel moreproductive and gives you something to be proud of. Also, no matterwhat’s going on in school, you can separate yourself from it com-pletely while at work: it's a great break from the rigors of college.

• Teaches skills useful later in life. In today’s economic climate,employers are looking for previous job experience, even from recentgraduates. A part-time job or internship can help you get the expe-rience you need, or even help you get your foot in the door of a com-pany that may hire you after you graduate.

Disadvantages of Working• Takes up more time. We already have enough to juggle,

and one more thing can put us over the edge.• Makes it difficult to prioritize. We often work in “triage” mode,

taking care of the highest-priority emergency first and then movingdown the line to put out the other fires. When we have a boss

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I also do a short meditation at night to give thanks for an amazing day,unwind, and dream of an incredible future. It helps me fall asleep andhave more positive, restful dreams. I often wake up in the morning smil-ing from the previous night’s meditation! (I know this sounds loony, butisn’t it better than waking up dreading the day and feeling just awful?)

Repeat a positive mantra each night in bed. Just like meditating beforebed, repeating a positive mantra before you sleep can make a huge differ-ence. Somehow it repeats in your head overnight, and you’ll find yourselfstill saying it when you wake up. This helps bring these thoughts intoexistence. In essence, you’re burning a positive message into your brain.

Put Positive Affirmations around Your Room Place positive statements and affirmations about things that are hap-pening to you and around you now—they will help you reach your

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• I am strong, healthy, and happy.• I am positive, friendly, and outgoing.• I am good at chemistry, math, and all subjects.• I am healthy. I am happy. I am loved.• (If there’s a cold coming on) I feel healthy and

happy.• I am thankful for my health.• (If you’re going to bed way past your bedtime) I

feel energetic and refreshed.Stay away from negatives, such as “I will not be

sick.” Your mind doesn’t understand don’ts,can’ts, and won’ts. Don’t believe me? Okay, givethis a try: don’t think of a black cat. Haaaa! Getmy point? You immediately thought of a black cat.That’s how our minds work. So keep your mantrason what you desire, rather than what you don’t! “Iwill be strong and healthy” will have you waking upenergized, healthy, and ready to go!

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fly with more passion, and fly with more heart. We all know we canchange our bodies through training. We can become stronger, faster,more agile, and more able than ever before. And we can do the samethings with our minds.

ADD doesn’t just mean Attention Deficit Disorder; it means “add,”as in addition. We have minds that have something extra, somethingspecial, something uncommon that others don’t have.This isn’t a good thing: it’s a great thing. This ADD or“ADDition” can lead us to greatness. The farther I go inlife, the more I’m discovering that the “ADDed” thingmay be our creativity. I’m even starting to think of us as hyper creative,which would explain many of the challenges all of us with creativeminds face. It all comes back to living with that Ferrari mind in a schoolbus world. But when we can express our creativity, boy do we fly!

We can mold and shape ourselves into anything we want. We canincrease our focus and attention. We can learn to control our impulsiv-ity. We can become Zen masters, shaping our minds to do whatever wewant them to do. It takes practice, time, and knowledge, but we are notlimited by our minds, whether we have “ADD” or “XYZ”; we areunlimited because of our unique minds and our creativity, intuition,energy, enthusiasm, and passion.

Believing anything less is selling yourself short. You are here for apurpose, and you have amazing talents and gifts. Your job is simply todiscover your passion and watch your talents unfold before you. Liveyour passions and your dreams and you’ll find your purpose, live anamazing life, and help others in the process.

Now go forth and conquer with confidence. You can do it, and Iknow you will!

“All our dreams can come true, if we have thecourage to pursue them.”

—Walt Disney

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