Please Help

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I have some concerns. When I start to read something uninteresting (like a textbook) I can never focus for more than 1 minute. It is really scary because this doesn't happen (with the same vigor) in the late hours of the night (11 pm forward) or early morning (5-7.30). Most of my time after school when doing my homework at 5.30 p.m., I get distracted so easily. I try everything to remove distraction, but it rarely helps. I have even stared at my pencil or page or ink and start thinking about my childhood, tennis games, school day etc. for hours on end . Then, all of my sudden it is 8.30 and time for dinner. There goes an hour. After dinner, i read maybe five pages. Then at 11 I start working normally. I want your help on this. Should I visit a doctor or what? I think this period of mental confusion after school hurts me academically as well as in health. Please advice.</p>

<p>Hi, GK. Don't fear. I'm a parent who has been battling your symptoms since I was a kid. Realizing that you need to address these issues is the first step. You can do it, too. I ultimately graduated fourth in my class in the MBA program at the Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine, and I would have gone to the Anderson School at UCLA except that my wife and I lived in Irvine at the time. You can succeed in school, even without drugs. Here are some bits of Old Guy advice:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Get used to being a night owl. When I was in high school and college I did tons of writing between 10pm and 2am. Waiting for the family to go to be helped me focus.</p></li>
<li><p>Strangely, stimulation can calm you down, too. In my case, old, slightly boring movies on TV work well, as does certain kinds of music through headphones. After years working in an office I'm now in a cube (the VP of our division sits in a cube, too), and have my old distraction problems again. I plug headphones into my PC and listen to music all day. It's kind of a hassle, but it's better than not getting my work done. I find music that is slightly interesting is best. I had to stop using Mozart because it is too mentally stimulating. If you find yourself hearing the music so much it distracts you, find something else to try.</p></li>
<li><p>Find a study buddy. I always did my best work when I was jointly accountable with a study partner. Just make sure your study buddy wants to work and not chat. In grad school I always tried to find study partners, and I wish I'd done this as an undergrad.</p></li>
<li><p>Talk to your parents and school counselor about this now -- and make them listen. There are lots of great resources available for students with ADHD (which it sounds like you might have), including special accomodation programs at school. You might find that some sort of meds might help after you get tested, too. My younger son has pretty bad ADHD and he is much better now that he takes one pill a day. He's not a zombie or anything, he just says that he can focus whenever he wants to.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck, and get help soon. You'll be fine.</p>

<p>Thanks for the great advice. I will look into it. Wow your son can focus when he wants. That is my dream, especially with AP US and AP chem which require so much reading. What music do you listen to now to stay focused?</p>

<p>You have to remember that I'm an Old Guy. The music I've stored on my work collection mostly includes a lot of older music: Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, a collection of opera overtures, Warren Zevon, Led Zeppelin, Carly Simon, Eric Clapton, some movie soundtracks, Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle, Smash Mouth, Dire Straits, some classical tracks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, some Doobie Brothers, and "Straight Outta Lynnwood" by Weird Al. :)</p>

<p>Nice selection of music.</p>