I've learned to manage my ADD over the years and continue to learn new methods of minimizing the negative and distracting characteristics while embarking on the use of the creative and spontaneous abilities it provides. Because I've invested much time and energy into my ADD awareness I often try to share my lessons with others in hopes that they too can learn and find new ways to overcome and manage this very real disorder. MindManager is the latest weapon added to my arsenal and I hope by sharing my story it will help and encourage others to look at products like MindJet MindManager to help in the never ending battle with ADD.

I've researched, written, and made presentations on ADD throughout the years to help in the distinction between what many like to call "pseudo ADD" and those that really battle with it every day. I've also worked with therapists to find tools, study methods, and tricks to help manage my ADD during college. Although ADD touches and affects every aspect of my life its greatest impact is on college related tasks like note-taking and studying.Unfortunately I was not diagnosed until I was a junior in high school. Not your typical ADD/hyper individual in school I did not stick out like many other ADD individuals. I often sat in class drawing pictures, day dreaming, and even was once caught counting holes in ceiling panels. At home I was a bit more off the wall but everyone assumed it was just your typical kid stuff. Despite never really studying or paying attention my grades were always excellent up until junior year of high school. My doctors say my intelligence served as a shroud hiding my disorder from others for many years. With no discipline problems and excellent grades school never revealed any of these internal wars to stay on task. Because of my late diagnosis all those years where you learn how to study, take notes in class, and find your particular learning style passed by and when I reached the point where the material no longer presented itself with ease I greatly struggled to hang on.

I went into college with a nice scholarship to a school that I really did not give much credit too. I assumed those methods of just going to class would be enough and I would never have to learn how to study, take notes or pay attention. I quickly realized that no matter what college you are at or how smart you are there comes a point in life where things are no longer easy. Faced with the task of discovering methods that allowed me to take in and learn new information as well as deal with my ADD was an incredibly over bearing ordeal. The last four years I have tried it all! There were a few successes but many more disappointments. Just when I thought I had one that worked I quickly found out what works in one class does not always work in another. Anyone that looks at my college transcript will think they are viewing the rise and fall of the stock market. There would be semesters where I would earn 3.7 and 3.8s but follow it up with a semester of 2.5s. I was so inconsistent (another characteristic of ADDers) but now try to sit back and laugh at it with humor. Nonetheless it was a difficult and challenging time.

Overcoming these challenges and experiencing both the joy of success and pain of failure helped sculpt me into the person I am today. My attitude towards ADD has also evolved as I now exploit my ADD instead of trying to conceal it. I also try to help others with ADD so when I do find something that works I can share it in hope that they too can benefit from my new enlightenment.MindJet MindManager is my most recent discovery in the struggle against ADD. How does it do this? Well it does so in much the same way it helps in managing my classes, schedule, and files. I could write about all of that again but instead will just include this excerpt from an email I wrote to MindJet a few weeks back.

On a very personal level my battle with ADD has been a true struggle at times, often leading to confusion from reading the book and sometimes even my own notes! I constantly found myself tossing back pages or rummaging back through my notes to discover the overall theme. If you have read my blog I even posted pictures of the many whiteboards and printouts that decorate my room. These were often tricks employed to keep me on track and not venture off course. The ability to expand, collapse, and easily navigate through enormous amounts of material with such fluidity will reduce the need to dress my walls with pictures of topics like glycolysis and proton motor force.MindManger is going be my central hub and Swiss-Army knife for displaying and organizing all my notes and projects. It will be truly invaluable to my studies and can honestly say it has been added to the list of programs a student must consider when purchasing a new notebook or Tablet PC.