Working Memory - anyway to improve it?

WELL I LOOK AT IT THIS WAY

THOUGH MY POSTS MAY BE LONGER THAN THE AVERAGE POST

I STILL THINK THEY ARE SMALLER THAN A SMALL CHILDRENS STORY  IN PERSPECTIVE.

MY MEMORY ISSUES ARE PART GENETIC AND PART ENVIRONMENT.

IT COME DOWN TO WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECT OF HAVING ADHD.

I BELIEVE FOR ME

1. LEARNING DISABILITY
2. AND POOR RECALL OF EVENTS

LEARNING DISABILITY

BECAUSE IVE NAVAL GAZED ENOUGH AND JOURNALED I SEE THAT TAKKE IN MORE INFORMATION THAN NTers BUT IM DISORGANIZED IN THE WAY I STORE THE INFORMATION.

WHEN I WAS ON STREATTERA (SP)  IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME.

I COULD MAKE A MENTAL NOTE WITH NO EFFORT AND  RECALL IT MONTHS LATER LIKE PULLING IT FROM THIN AIR AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT.

WHEN I TOOK A MICROSOFT COURSE  IT WAS THEN I REALISED I HAVE A LEARNING IMPAIRMENT. IN EVERYWAY I FAILED THE COURSE EXCEPT  FOR BEING THERE EVERY DAY.

I BECAME DEPRESSED  BECCAUSE THAT WAS A LUXURY TO TAKE THOSE COURSES AND I WONT GET MANY OPPROTUNITIES FOR THING LIKE THAT.

----

SO I WAS INTRIGED BY THIS.

WHY DO PICK UP INFOMATION LIKE CLIFF CLAVIN ON CHEERS THEN BLURT IT OUT TIM TAYLOR FROM HOME IMPROVEMNT.

--

A DIAGNOSIS  OF ADHD  AND THEN I TOOK MEDS.

WELL 

I STARTED TO SEE THE POSITIVE SIDE OF ADHD

YEA YEA I CAN DWELL ON THE NEGATIVES ALL DAY AND NIGHT  AND DRIVE MYSELF CRAZY.

BUT I THINK I SHOULD ALSO FOCUS ON THE PROS.

HYPERFOCUS

ENERGY LEVEL

ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY

----

AFTER JORNALING FOR SO LONG  I KNOW WHAT PRACTICES TO USE AS SKILLS TO OVER COMPENSATE  WHEN I WANT TO . not that the adhds ymptoms go away just that some things give me high confidence that i will complete tasks and goals.

I LET MY DOCTOR MANAGE MY ENERGY LEVEL 

THIS BROUGHT ME OUT OF SELF MEDICATING  AND I HAD A STABLE PERSONALITY AND IDENTITY .  CONSISTENT ENERGY AND LESS DESTRUCTIVE TENDENCIES.

 BUT THIS WAS ONLY BRINGING ME TO LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

NOT REALLY GOING AS FAR AS OVER COMPENSATING

-----------

I COULD SEE FROM SOME PEERS  THAT THEY WERE SO SKILL IN COPING WITH ADHD THAT THEY WERE MUCH FURTHER THAN NTers  WITH THE SIMILAR IQ.

I WANTED TO APPLY THIS TO MYSELF.

WHAT I DISCOVERED WAS SIMPLE

1. STRUCTURE
2. ROUTINE
3. ENVIRONMENT
4. DISCIPLINE
5. COMPLETION

AFFORD ME TO SPELL IT OUT AS A SENTENCE.

AT UNIVERSITY  AFTTER CLASSES IN THE LIBRARY  I STUDY AND MEMORIZE EVERYDAY UNTIL I KNOW THE ENTIRE SUBJECT.

THOSE WERE THE ADDers THAT WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEMSELVES NOW THAT GRADUATION WAS PASSED.

NOW WITHOUT UNIVERSITY , NO LIBRARY AND LITTLE TIME TO THEMSELVES

NO ASSIGNMENT TO FOCUSS ON  , THEY KINDA START ACTING LIKE THE REST OF US 

-----------

BOO HOO

-----------

SO I SAW THE THIS NICHE  FOR MY ADHD TO SUCEEDED WITH MY OWN GOALS

AFTER PRACTICING IT   I BECAME VERY CONFIDENT THAT COULD OVER COME MY DEPRESSIVE FEELING ABOUT MY LEARNING ISSUES.

.  SO I CAME UP WITH MY OWN FORMULA

1. STRUCTURE       SUBJECT
2. ROUTINE          ; ;   8PM
3. ENVIRONMENT    IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER OR A SLIDESHOW PLAYER
4. DISCIPLINE        DAILY EXCEPT WEEKENDS
5. COMPLETION       I USE A CHECK BOX PROGRAM TO TRACK THINGS

THIS BECAME MY POSITIVE ADDICTION

THE REWARD FOR LEARNING SOMETHING ACCURATELY EVERYDAY.

 I THROUGH IN SOME CREATIVE OUTLETS AND MINIMIZE MY DISTRACTIONS AND IT FEELS GOOD  AND MY ESTEEM IS UP BECAUSE I KNOW I CAN TACKLE ANYTHING A NTer can.

but i keep in mind  that i will be slower and they may pick up on more of the social nuances but at least im in the game .

i first did this with scrabble.

i was an atrocious speller

and as you may know an even worse writer.

but i gathered up the facts memorized the tricks and went to the scrabble club and did well for awhile.  then i lost intrests and went on to something else.

.

so

when i was a person that had adhd symptoms but was unaware of the reasons.

i settles for subsistence and blamed myself and everyone else .

but

once i sought help got good advice and focussed my llife on things to accomplish.i found some great rewards.

also i kept pressing on .

what is limit to what i can learn -  no limit

only limited by the techniques and the  time devoted .

but the adhd thrives in the routine and structure. and my esteem swells in the accumilation of subjects over time.

now with computers becoming so small  the knowlege is portable and shareable.

which gravitates to social.

hmmm

adhd kryptonite = isolation , negative self talk

adhd energizers = completion of goals , social interaction

so my way is definately  not for everone . its just my way of coping with life.

i wanted to self teach molecular complexity , chess , modern war,listening, gardening, cooking, computer operating systems, media, photography, solar system , macro universe, acid and base chemisty, forestry, horticulture, power ans alternative power: solar, wind, wave, nuclear, coal, oil , geo thermal, recycled wastes, methane, propane and compressed air. and even lightning.

its fun to use my own method about things im already curious about but does my method stand when applied to 

a new job or orientation , training or  prerequisite knowledge.

i can say  most assuredly yes for me.  and that breaks through all of my own negative self talk and low esteem .

i try to just sit and read a text book  .

i try to just sit and listen to lecture.

it still comes back to me studying at my own cognitive pace and then speeding through  reviews as media loops.

but without the structure, routine, environment, dicsiple, or practice of completion I just get distracted and impulsivle wander Indiana. 

so i keep also in mind

if im not ready to be a great listener   i wont remember things accuritly

but i can go back to my computer and start gathering information

check off what parts are correct and go pick somebodys brain  for the rest of the info.

----------

thats when i want to hit the brakes.

ssscccrrreeccchhhhh

thats way too much effort to be in the here and now.

without daily discipline   its hit or miss too.

its the constant entry that builds a bigger more complex picture of now and then.

and when im not in the moments of service or even preparing to work.

i just play with it using it as my creative outlet  learning new tools find more ways to tag and splice

thing is i ramble on and on and i just cant seem to stop one track mind .

i mean in a conversation with only 1 person i can be tolerated but in groups i find myself rambling way beyond  the original point i started speaking about.

 my spouse says i either look really bored or wont shut up.

 find myself trying convice smokers they will quit in seven attempts .

so quit every monday for 2 months

-----

or about alternative cars and power.

i just wont allow myself to drink anymore  not even just a little  to be social.

not smoke anything either.

i usually end up wearing   snack foods so i void them .

so when someone approaches me  instead of rambling on and on and on  

and on

andonsomore

i practice my listening skills .

 my beliveable laugh.

i try to stay real and not lie about being an expert about something im not .

then i tell them some sailboat stories and mention some of my intrests and try to listen intently for other peoples intrests.

when i get home and theres time to journal    i try to recall all that i can.

when i firs startdto do this it took a long tim and wasnt worth it.

but overtime i got better at noting the important details  who,contacts, relationships, who was annoying whom i annoyed. and what the intrests of the groups were. 

from there  i could look up stuff about  those intrests and at least be a novice of information.

from time to time seeing these folks again  the conversations were usually more than about the weather  and somtimes lead into more social invitations.

--------

my point is  that its the same platform -----

i was social ,listened , studied , reviewed, then suprisingly  RECALLED the next time i was social.

as oppossed to being a wallflower   or "THAT GUY" 

or my wifes distraction .

keeping notes on friends  / my social network  was a life chager .

not like a popularity thing,

more like a connected .

when i was young  i woud gather with smokers .

when i stopped smoking  it was i was shunning them  or as they would say arent we good enough or ya.

who cares  its jusy attention they want anyway.

----

it wasnt until i was 25 that people group together  . sailors with sailors

flyers with fliers

drinkers with drinkers

colleagues with colleagues

by thirty i was when i realised i was adhd.

so here i am  an

ADDer with ADDers.

------------------------------

for awhile i was a mental disorder with other mental disorders

which is kinda like the blind leading the blind.

but theres was much more to it.

------

thing is if i want to learn about something i drive into the details first aquireing its working knowledge and then become social in a goup of them not trying to be a novice expert or even something im not.

 -----------

its a hyper focus factor.

but on this site it has been abou how to engage it.

---------

as usual  i try to focus on flaws then recreate the wheel in my own interpretation.

----so here what i have to say about hyper-focus of the adhd

mental hyperfocus

staying focused on something longer than nessasary.

pros

staying withsometing to completion and then immediately restarting on modifications that are unneeded resulting in improvements and creation by accident.  

larger mental picture  of a subject and ability imagine changes of past present and future.

ability to overcompensate for inattentiveness or distractions

may add scope to a subject that larger than a typical attention timescale

cons

lossed sense of time

false sense of priority

undistracted by reality

induction of self hypnosis - resulting in akward thoughts and responses

-------------------

so i started looking at computer inititiated focus.

media slide show-

 using this  if you dont know can offer ways too study.

play list  picks the subject STRUCTURE

 good media players have new tools that have never been available before

jump to and fro    by frame,by seconds, by chapters, by file,by next in list.

this is huge. different from text and speech .

because

as youre watching

you may also use a screen capture tool.

so while youre watching/listenting to a teacher you can capture bits and pieces similar to  highlighting sentences in a book . you can capture parts of the media.

at the end you be met with review of terms, questions and add voice  comments  . there also tags .

so its copying out the parts to review later and parts that were poorly understood.

tying then to gether with a hierarchy of task lists.

though it may take twice as long to"capture a book " and creat a playlist than to read it.  it can continually be broken into smaller points until only the parts misunderstood is with a playlist. to bring focus to interpretations

this gives the focus on the subject the ability to be reviewed  at will from tv,computer or phone.

    playlist media looped review with  linked tasklist.

STRUCTURE ROUTINE DISCIPLINE ENVIRONMENT COMPLETION

i cant find a better way to hyper focus than that  

this is my method of over-compensating by electronic hyperfocus

welcome nt.

site has good search features.

best wishes

there are a number of memory imporvement books that i have read and used...

They do work.  ir rmembering shopping lists, phone numbers NAMES.

the library probabley has some if you cn't find inexpensive online versions. 

best wishes

ps

i was startled at how the posts have fallen off since i was last active a year ofr two ag o.

It is a good to post for me.

HMMM

I WENT TO THAT Site

ITS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ADHD FOLKS TO BE EDUCATED EARLY IN LIFE.

especially the meds kids.

the more accurately we learn the acedemic basics in grammer school

the less frustration we experience in middle and high school.

its not just IQ.

improving on cognition while hold impulsivness at bay .

i can do it but its not natural i have intentionally focus.

my problems seem to be in moments that initial information is coming at me.

if someone is talking to me  but didnt start with what the priority information.

so  guy says hey how are the colts doing? then sayessome real important things

1. i was tuned out at colts
2. i wasnt in priority listening mode
3. i may have some colts thoughts racing through my mind that i cant stop
4. stress of knowing im not keeping everthing in my head as he's speaking is making my cognitive interpretation go boom.

so i start with hey i didnt watch the game wether i did or not.

and make him verbate what he said. this always pays off.

if i knew i wasnt listening   i dont just sit there nodding my head.

i just simply say

let me see if i got that straight as so as possible and rattle of what he said.

recognizing when im not in a focussed  listening mode is as important as having good memory skills

--------

clicking on that green dot isnt a fair test.

if the green dot just appeared over a three week span then that would be a great indicater . it would tak a few instances to recognize it as a test and click the sucker.

but sitting there poised and ready 

knowing its about to occure

  not a real situation.

perhaps if we were graded on it as preschoolers and made to do it without thinking until graduation  . we would get really good scores now.

just like cognitive issues now

if we didnt get good at reading and understading math  it more difficult as an adult to read and follow directions and instructions.

ohhh i want go learn something.

listen skills agian for 200

You probably spend more time using your listening skills than any other kind of skill. Like other skills, listening takes practice.

What does it mean to really listen?

Real listening is an active process that has three basic steps.
1. Hearing. Hearing just means listening enough to catch what the speaker is saying. For example, say you were listening to a report on zebras, and the speaker mentioned that no two are alike. If you can repeat the fact, then you have heard what has been said.
2. Understanding. The next part of listening happens when you take what you have heard and understand it in your own way. Let's go back to that report on zebras. When you hear that no two are alike, think about what that might mean. You might think, "Maybe this means that the pattern of stripes is different for each zebra."
3. Judging. After you are sure you understand what the speaker has said, think about whether it makes sense. Do you believe what you have heard? You might think, "How could the stripes to be different for every zebra? But then again, the fingerprints are different for every person. I think this seems believable."

Tips for being a good listener

1. Give your full attention on the person who is speaking. Don't look out the window or at what else is going on in the room.
2. Make sure your mind is focused, too. It can be easy to let your mind wander if you think you know what the person is going to say next, but you might be wrong! If you feel your mind wandering, change the position of your body and try to concentrate on the speaker's words.
3. Let the speaker finish before you begin to talk. Speakers appreciate having the chance to say everything they would like to say without being interrupted. When you interrupt, it looks like you aren't listening, even if you really are.
4. Let yourself finish listening before you begin to speak! You can't really listen if you are busy thinking about what you want say next.
5. Listen for main ideas. The main ideas are the most important points the speaker wants to get across. They may be mentioned at the start or end of a talk, and repeated a number of times. Pay special attention to statements that begin with phrases such as "My point is..." or "The thing to remember is..."
6. Ask questions. If you are not sure you understand what the speaker has said, just ask. It is a good idea to repeat in your own words what the speaker said so that you can be sure your understanding is correct. For example, you might say, "When you said that no two zebras are alike, did you mean that the stripes are different on each one?"
7. Give feedback. Sit up straight and look directly at the speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you understand. At appropriate points you may also smile, frown, laugh, or be silent. These are all ways to let the speaker know that you are really listening. Remember, you listen with your face as well as your ears!

Thinking fast

Remember: time is on your side! Thoughts move about four times as fast as speech. With practice, while you are listening you will also be able to think about what you are hearing, really understand it, and give feedback to the speaker.

Sources of Difficulty by the Listener 

	Being preoccupied and not listening.
	Being so interested in what you have to say that you listen mainly to find an opening to get the floor.
	Formulating and listening to your own rebuttal to what the speaker is saying.
	Listening to your own personal beliefs about what is being said.
	Evaluating and making judgments about the speaker or the message.
	Not asking for clarification when you know that you do not understand.

The Three Basic Listening Modes

1. Competitive or Combative Listening happens when we are more interested in promoting our own point of view than in understanding or exploring someone else’s view. We either listen for openings to take the floor, or for flaws or weak points we can attack. As we pretend to pay attention we are impatiently waiting for an opening, or internally formulating our rebuttal and planning our devastating comeback that will destroy their argument and make us the victor.
2. In Passive or Attentive Listening we are genuinely interested in hearing and understanding the other person’s point of view. We are attentive and passively listen. We assume that we heard and understand correctly. but stay passive and do not verify it.
3. Active or Reflective Listening is the single most useful and important listening skill. In active listening we are also genuinely interested in understanding what the other person is thinking, feeling, wanting or what the message means, and we are active in checking out our understanding before we respond with our own new message. We restate or paraphrase our understanding of their message and reflect it back to the sender for verification. This verification or feedback process is what distinguishes active listening and makes it effective.

lastly

try and remember a 50 cent word you used in previous post.

and put it in the search tool above at the top ofthe page or at least the title.

stay away from posting links to other sites

or you may lose you username and all the threads you created .

http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31156& KW=digit

Callista Groupie Joined: 18 February 2007 Posts: 54

Posted: 18 April 2008 at 5:52am |IP Logged   I've been going through some testing to try to figure out where my skill levels are in various areas; and more than once the "digit span" test came up. It's a test that gauges your short-term memory.

meds do help

but a warning must go with it.

if you attempt to use self meds like supplements.

it can cause permanet damage  to other organs so its best to stick with a doctors recomendation

so short term gain is worth pemanet damage.

keep your skills up, practice practice practice. 

like mensa disassotiation technique.

dont let self talk (internal thinking) cause you to be an inattentive listener.

so

also learn  listening skills.

dont try to remember things by taping you fingers on things.

since the average is seven like a phone number

i try think of the first three digits as a place on a map

and the last four i keep repeating to myself for at least ten seconds  but very important to  say it out loud withing 3 minutes to put it in permanet memory.

-----------

i have an affinity for numbers.  i can at times recall 16 digits. but if its important 

i have to just rely on notes.

i use my cell phone.  set it to be rapid ready.

this much easier to get in my head if i review it later .

.

when i was around ten i used to  play with buttons on a phone.

i still the pad in my head  while it helps a little  it is a mental distrAction.

i use it when someone is speaking a phone number to me.

i ignore the area code  cause i know i can look up the area code.

so i focus on the middle three  and try and see the pattern on a phone pad.

then i try to remember the sound of the last four.

------

my brother thinks its funny to blurt numbers at me as fast as he can.

so i put him on hold - not so funny.

but it occurred to me that i was compensating  for my cognitive issue.

i was making him repeat it  over a span of time  so my mind could process it .

-------

i watched a dicover show about menory once though i dont remember it acuritly now .  there four phases

exposeser

cognitive interpretation/ 

 priority

re remembering

intentional re remembering

it takes about 10 seconds to get things into permanet recall function of the brain.

-------

so if your distracted and stressed within that ten seconds  your not really controlling the situation. 

------

thats why i keep goig back to my cell phone as my crutch.

1. i can speak into it as a recording
2. i can take a picture of the numbers or anything else

its compensating for my lack of digit recall.

its funny how a large number can be so familiar after i see it in my phone .

i also have to relax .

when i was fifteen i had a cuncushion my affinity for numbers was diminished.

i could learn numberrs and math but i had trouble recalling it it was very flustering. what was easy became impossible.

i went from the highest total score in geometry to last i was trying very hard  i was doing the work at home  but in class and on tests  i would just sit there wondering why i couldnt recall how to process an answer.

years go by and i finally look at myself not as stupid but as interupted.

i saw the need to practice digit processing . remebering numbers as method instead of as priority. 

i started to realize if i want remember a number years later i would have to practice  from time to time remebering then memorizing those numbers.

----

it was a curiosity to my friends that were with me when i fell on my head  they saw the change in me. so they were impressed  at reunions when i could recall  call thier old phone numbers.

but i do use finger tapping for other things like directions.

its frusrating to be with an NTer that wants me process information the way the do.  i just boldly control the situation -  not defy them but turn on my phone and ask them say agian.

a few smart asses take to a tease but i just ingore it.  because the reward is having the information on permanet recall.

practicing this lead me to new behavoirs.

------------------

1. realizing how important note are
2. esteem greatly improve with a method of reviewin g prioties
3. confidence in taking on more mental tasks
4. development of a day map,  or meeting or event.

i used just reflect a little in mind  as day passes to night and sometimes i would recal yesterday ans other days not so much.

so i started journaling  at first like a diary

then more like a map . the alpha digit writing just wouldnt help me recall a room and a meeting in it.

so i started keeping a placement map as well

i make a small drawing of where people were sitting  and a make a list of cronologically on the side of what happened

but then a list of the tasks that were being expidited or delagated. this helped me be a more of team player.

------

it occurred to me about a year later that i was just studying  the events.

but going back to what i said about re remembering  its important to keep re remembering as a mental skill.

this was key for me too crawl out my own self doughts and rejoin NTers as  co worker able to handle complex tasks.

---------

i went far beyond the realm of only using my own placid recall skills.

i started using slideshows on the computer-  i know sounds foolish and nerdy.

i stand tall and say  without  slide show review im like a light buld hooked to a dimmer switch  and stress is the dimming factor.

so i started working with some fast media players.

i started making more recording on my phone .

I accepted that im not a NTer (Normal Thinker) and if i want to keep up with the big boys i would have to find other ways to prioritze and act on those priority tasks.

so i used notes but a piece of paper help but doesnt over compentate.

learning media sofware was the biggest factor.

i can play voice notes slowly at first to make sure my whole attentionis on understang the cognitive parts. slow review means i understand whats implied as well as what is literal.

later i review the media speede up  as a refresher able  to loop it till i get it.

or even place tasks in a checklist if i needs be.

------------

this moved me from the confidence of dunce to compentence of master.

master of what you may ask.

master of anything  just depends on much time i want to put in too a subject.

--------

but its the little daily stuff that slips through my fingers poor recall  of what someone is saying to me when im only half listening.

i had to realize that  its a real problem for because its a dog eat dog world  and if there is a problem  arsess try to hand off thier problems to you.

so i compensate by keeping a journal of personal notes.

now  online with tagging accessible by phone and media slideshow i feel ihave over compensated and rival NTers in the expectations area. 

i know youre probably looking for a quick link to a proven method .

we all are .

but unill then i use a computer  like a mental wheel chair. but it looks like a cell phone.

its tied to email - so i get the NTers to put in print what they want.

someday  it mat become mainstream to record our own phone calls.

like its some big problem. or something.

i have done this in the past .  i ll figure out how to do it again.

in indiana   phone conversations may be recorded unknown to one party and is edmissable as hearsay in small claims court in case claims under $1800.

so i have try to buy phones that can be tapped from the head phone to a mic jack on the computer.  and walla  ..

funny how an NTer would be offended if you ask them to speak a note into youre phone. but if you call them on thier phone  they go on and on and on and on

----------

what this does for is help me relax and ask the important questions and no matter people say im focussed on intent and plan building .  cause i know i will review the conversation with scutiny and can call back for clairfication.

but i tell this is a warning    dont ever let anyone know youre recording them.

its a real no no.

even if its innocent  like for my needs.

if they think youre using thier words agianst them quit talking to you and they will tell others to quit talking to you.

-----

on the other hand . i was in a church group and the gossip was getting out of hand  so showed a few folks how to tap hier phones  and everythnig got real quiet real quick.

too quiet.

------

oooo

i wasnt watching the time i mlat for work  goto go 

Wow ommas.  Do you think that your good helpfull posts of extrordinary variety and length are an example of "hyper-focus ?

I thinsk so.  Hyper-focus has a long history of threads here on this forum...they are probablely available in search.

good for you Ommas