The Performing Arts Make You Smarter.
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Use Distributed Practice to Enhance Your Memory.
Click here.
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Why ADHD Kids Have Trouble Doing Homework: No Payoff.Click here.
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Physics Fun: Think you know what happens when a drop falls into a pond? Think again....
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Can You Outsmart Yourself?
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One of the most powerful techniques for managing the myriad details of modern life is to use the times when you are clear and able to use foresight to pre-organize those times when you know you will be unable to remember what needs to be done or to follow through with what you know you ought to do. I call this "outsmarting yourself."
When you are finishing a conversation with a friend, for example, and you say, "I'll call you on Wednesday," pay attention to that nagging little voice in your head that objects and says that you are really not going to remember to call, that you are a very busy person, that your promise to call your friend will almost certainly get lost in the blur of life between now and next Wednesday. Acknowledge that if you really want to call your friend next week, you'll need to be reminded. You could ask your friend to call you, but then you put it out of your control. Instead, you could choose to outsmart yourself by placing a reminder in your environment, a reminder that will be delivered at the right time and place - what psychologists call the point of performance.
This sort of thinking and planning is obvious to many people, but it is definitely not obvious to many people who have learning disabilities and/or attentional disorders. You could write a Post-It note and stick in on your bathroom mirror, but after having seen it for several days in a row, it would become another unremarkable part of the room. And unless you are in the habit of making phone calls while you're brushing your teeth, the reminder would come to you at the wrong time. You could write a reminder to call on your to-do list in your date book, but unless you are in the habit of looking at your book several times per day, how would you remember to look at it? More effective ways to remember would be to program a pop-up reminder on your computer or on your mobile phone. Wherever the reminder is, it should include all of the information necessary for you to carry out the task, in this case the friend's name, phone number, and maybe a quick description of the reason for the call.
This is a simple situation with an easy solution, but amid the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of individual items you need to do in a week, this one, or another important item, could easily get lost. Complex tasks, like writing a research paper for school or a meeting agenda for work, are composed of many smaller, interim tasks that may have to be completed in flexible sequences by firm deadlines. These tasks can also me effectively managed by leaving strategically placed "breadcrumbs" in your environment.
Some ways to outsmart yourself:
· Send yourself a text message.
· Leave yourself a voice mail.
· Program a reminder in your computer or phone.
· Create an old-fashioned "tickler" file.
· Plan to do difficult tasks at times when you will be most alert and least likely to be interrupted.
· In each reminder include all necessary information (phone number, topic list, notes, names, addresses, etc.)
· Email completed work to the recipient immediately upon completion, even if you will be mailing or hand delivering a hard copy later.
· Email a copy of completed work to yourself, as a backup.
Email me with your own creative ways of outsmarting yourself!
kevin.dohmen@verizon.net
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Sincerely, 
Kevin D. Dohmen, M.Ed. Learning Consultant21 West Caton Avenue Alexandria, VA 22301-1519 --- 703.683.9617 kevindohmen@verizon.netwww.kevindohmen.netthe art of learning for the information age
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