Preparing for College; Help for a Slow Worker

[Psycho]

Hey, how's everyone on the forums doing? Here's my situation: I've been into personal development for about a year now, and I'm about to graduate from high school. If at all possible, I would really like to spend my Summer essentially revolutionizing my life, starting with my efficiency and productivity.

You see, the speed in which I work is perhaps my life's greatest challenge thus far. I'm probably one of the smarter students in my graduating class to never take an AP course. I've managed to maintain an A average while participating in athletics throughout much of my high school career (Varsity Cross Country and JV Track during my last two years, wrestled JV this year), but not without many sleepless nights.

I've been living like this since fourth grade. For whatever reason, I just can't seem to think and/or write as quickly as most of the people I know. I'm just about always the last person to finish taking notes in class. I can't seem to do anything on a regular basis either than eating, working, sleeping, showering, and taking bathroom breaks. I really want to end this cycle once and for all.

It might also be worth mentioning that I come have a pretty loud, stressful family. When I'm not getting much homework, there's usually some kind of argument taking place at night, interrupting my precious sleep time. I've decided to live in this house for at least another two years, so that's something I might have to do something about as well. To be honest, I guess my time management skills might also need a bit of help, too. If I have an opportunity to do so, I'll usually procrastinate on my homework. It just seems like I've just given up on getting things done early.

I've heard that I might be able to make it in my college's cross-country team. I would really like to make things easier for myself in college so that I can continue my athletic career, enjoy the benefits of sleep and pursue other goals (such as restoring my natural eyesight, lucid dreaming, getting more exercise during the off-season, meditating regularly, developing practical psychic abilities and perhaps find a mate ). Tips, advice, and/or recommendations of any kind would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Before anyone starts feeling sorry for me, I would like to say that I've had many positive experiences. Although you might not be able to tell from this post, my peers have always recognized me as a light-hearted and upbeat person, long before my learning of the law of attraction. In spite of my somewhat limited social life outside of school, I've enjoyed extreme popularity to go alongside my academic success. I credit this to my unconditional love, which has allowed my to connect with all kinds of people from many different walks of life. Although I have never dated (boo hoo ), I've meet some wonderful people who've really inspired me to seek my full potential, and have enhanced the quality mentioned in the previous sentence. It appears that this chain of events has lead to my discovering the LoA, as well as wonderful resources such as this site. IMO, my crowning achievement thus far is being voted "Most Likely to Brighten Your Day" in my school yearbook. My ultimate goal in life is to be of maximum benefit to the world.

Sorry for the long read. I've just read that expressing oneself is healthy for the throat chakra .

[silicon toad2000]

sounds like the environment at home might not be too conducive to study, which might be part of the cause of the slow issue.
You could always start training your brain. Download tests and answers in your field and time yourself, make yourself think quicker. It's hard and sometimes can make you feel weird but worth it in the long run.
Keep practicing thinking quickly.
Read Steve's article on how he finished his degree in 2 semesters.
After one of my exams for my grad cert, I studied the whole subject in 2 weeks (2 hrs a night each night for 2 weeks) and got a distinction, but I felt like my brain consited of three balls which I had been juggling, after the exam they had stopped moving and were slowly floating to the ground.
anyway, train your brain like you train your body.

[coffeedave]

Hey psycho,

Sorry for reviving a month old thread but I just want you to know that the fact that you're able to get A's while having such a busy life shows me that you're a really smart guy and could do really well in college. When I was in college, I had the same problem because I was really busy coaching and playing for a team, working and studying fulltime. Usually by the end of the day, I am really exhausted and don't feel I have enough energy to think and concentrate. I say the best way to overcome this, especially in a college setting, is to do things more efficiently and manage your time better. A book that I found really helpful in this respect was: How to Study in College by Walter PaukAmazon.com: How to Study in College: Books: Walter Pauk

I heard another good book was from Ron Fry.

In terms of procrastination, I usually find that if I go to the local library, a semi-quiet coffee shop or a study carrel at university, I could study much better. Sometimes the trick is to mentally dedicate this zone strictly as your study only area.

I also agree with sillicon where the more practice you have, the better you will be. It may be a hard and slow process but you will definitely see results.

I have been a tutor for the past 5 years, if you need any advice in terms of studying for college and whatnot, please don't hesitate to PM me.

[Psycho]

Thank you very much, coffeedave! Your compliments, help and offer for assistance are greatly appreciated.

[samsilburt]

wow, you're situation is surprisingly familiar.

In my case, my major setbacks are social integration and time management (with respect to tests and labs)...i too consider myself bright (i was 10th in my graduating high school class and am performing well in university). I did play houseleague basketball for a time, and was good at it, but i wasn't good enough for high school play. I have never been in an intimate relationship (as in with a female) but i am always looking and adapting to widen my chances.

I come from big family, 6 children and 2 parents, and its always hectic where i live. Fortunately, i live on campus at my university and being away from the challenges of living in a big family has had its benefits. I'm very self-conscious and independent and this has created much distance between me and my peers. I'm also worried that i'm not equipped for the job world; during summers, i've been fired 3 times working in service industry and was able to hold on to a job 2 times, before voluntarily backing out.

I'm very interested to know your background, perhaps to compare it with my own, and see where we cross paths. Maybe we could talk on MSN? anyway, your decision. in terms of giving advice on faster working, methinks your brain is pretty well solidified (of course i don't know you this is just my instinct)...mine too?, what i do is try to blend in as much as possible and hope for the best. for mid-terms and exams, i apply for extra time through SAS (student accessibility services) and this has proved beneficial. Perhaps you should do the same?

Cheers.
~Sam.