I quit my job and am taking about a year off. I’m not really sure what the year off would be considered - a long honeymoon (we married the month I quit), a time to travel (we are in New Zealand), or a chance to work on my own projects (I’m writing.) Writing . . .
That is why I am writing this post . . . it is hard to motivate myself to stick to it. I’ll have little burst where I can write for hours without a pause, but most days I end up gazing out the window.
I only brought a dozen of my pills (Focalin), and I’ll be in New Zealand for about 6 months. I wish I would have refilled my prescription or figured out how to get more while I was here. The worst part is when I use a pill and then end up being out of the house for most of the day - its like a wasted a magic bean or something.
I’ve tried to talk to my husband about helping me stay on track, but he says he doesn’t want ‘to be my boss’. I need something - maybe this is a good time to try to tackle ADHD the old fashion way. Sticky notes, small rewards, phone buzzer reminders, fake deadlines. I dunno. I wish I had an editor or something so I could have real deadlines.
While studying for the GMAT I was hopeless until I got the pills. Even with medication I sometimes had trouble. Taking the Manhattan GMAT class really helped because I had a schedule to follow. Maybe I need to make my own schedule now. BUT what made the class easy to follow was knowing that every Tuesday I had to be prepared or I would embarrass myself.
What do you do to stay motivated?
I kind of abandoned this blog after I took the test, but something made me check it today and I noticed a few comments. So . . . how did I do - pretty good!
I still really want a 760 so I can try for a tutoring job at Manhattan GMAT, but a 730 should be good enough for a full scholarship at a decent (not great) school. I actually spoke to the admission director of my state school at an information session. She told me that I would get a full scholarship just because of that score. I was stunned she would say that without seeing my application - so stunned that I made her repeat it three times.
Well, I applied, interviewed and am waiting. I still haven’t received official confirmation that I’ve been accepted, much less the full ride. I’m very nervous because after she assured me I would be able to go for free I decided not to apply anywhere else. So . . . I’m just waiting.
If I don’t get in I’ll go back to studying and I’ll try for the job at MGMAT.
Only 6 days until I take the official GMAT. I’ve taken a few days off of work to study. Today I drove to my testing location at 7:30. I feel confident that I will get there in plenty of time on Monday, and I know where the bathrooms are located. =)
After checking out the location I came home and tried to take the test in conditions as real as possible. I didn’t eat between sections and I didn’t keep a glass of water near my computer. Fortunately, I got the best score I’ve had so far! 710 - if only I can do even better on the real thing. It was really important for me to get timing down. I’ve either ran out of time or had way too much time left over. This time I finished both sections with less than 2 minutes to spare, so I’m confident timing will not be an issue on test day!
Here are my exams thus far:
| Date | Test | Total | Quant | Verbal |
| 28-Feb | MGMAT | 690 | 43 | 40 |
| 21-Mar | MGMAT | 620 | 38 | 36 |
| 26-Apr | MGMAT | 610 | 34 | 39 |
| 17-May | MGMAT | 630 | 40 | 36 |
| 20-Jul | PowerPrep | 660 | 39 | 41 |
| 1-Aug | MGMAT | 690 | 46 | 38 |
| 4-Aug | PowerPrep | 710 | 44 | 42 |
I have been struggling with remainder problems from the GMAT Official Guide. I really don’t like the explanation of how to do these problems provide in the answer key, so I went to my Manhattan GMAT Guide to see how it suggested solving them. I found a formula and several techniques, but my test is in a week and I can’t memorize everything.
This is the formula from Manhattan GMAT:
x=QN+R
x = Dividend
Q = Quotient
N = Divisor
R = Remainder
I changed the symbols in the formula to this:
T=QB+R
This I can remember with the phrase a touchdown equals the quarterback plus the receiver. (I must come up with silly saying to remember anything!)
T = Top of the fraction
Q = Quotient
B = Bottom of the fraction
R = Remainder
Now the GMAT might ask you a question similar to:
If T divided by B equals 8.12 what is a possible remainder?
2
8
9
26
44
Set up your equation T=QB+R
T=800B+.12
Now make .12 an integer
100T=800B+12
Simplify by dividing by 4
25T=200B+3
Now the Remainder is (3), so any remainder of T/B must be a multiple of 3
This makes my answer to the problem C – 9
Try a problem from the Official Guide!
12th Edition of the Official Guide, Page 22, Diagnostic Test Q 13
It has been a while since I updated this blog. I am only taking the Focalin occasionally. I signed up for the Manhattan GMAT online prep class. I take my test in 3 weeks and I’m terrified. Here are my scores so far:
| Date | Test | Total | Quant | Verbal |
| 28-Feb | MGMAT | 690 | 43 | 40 |
| 21-Mar | MGMAT | 620 | 38 | 36 |
| 26-Apr | MGMAT | 610 | 34 | 39 |
| 17-May | MGMAT | 630 | 40 | 36 |
| 20-Jul | PowerPrep | 660 | 39 | 41 |
Week 5
So, I had my follow up appointment with the psychiatrist the other day. We talked about how I felt on the medication. I told him I thought it was working because I got a promotion and I started seriously studying for the GMAT again.
He asked me about side effects. I mentioned that the side effects don’t seem bad unless I take the medication for more than 5 days in a row. So I take it for a few days, and then I take a break. I think the side effects are lack of appetite and difficulty falling asleep.
He also asked if it started to wear off later in day. I do think it wears off, but I haven’t figured out what time of day. I told him if I knew I was going to study in the afternoon I would take the medication later in the morning. He suggested a non-time released pill. So I should start that soon, but only when I need it.
Overall I am very happy with the medication. I have taken it everyday this week (Monday to Thursday) and I’ve had a very productive week.
I didn’t take the Focalin on Saturday or Sunday. I noticed a huge difference in my ability to study for the GMAT. The previous weekend, I took the medication on both days, and I made huge progress in my studying. Not only did I study for longer periods of time, but I comprehended things much better. There were problems that I had struggled with before that I was able to answer with ease on the Focalin. One particular problem had driven me crazy for weeks because I couldn’t figure it out. I took it to my GMAT prep class, and no one in the class could work it. I also sought help on GMAT forums, but the people’s explanations didn’t make sense. On the Focalin, not only was I able to solve the problem, but I solved it quickly! – It is very important to be able to solve problems quickly on the GMAT.
I am starting to notice the side effects of Focalin. I hardly ate anything today and the little I did eat I had to force down. My weight is still the same, actually a half a pound heavier, so I’m not concerned. I’m also wondering if the Focalin is affecting my sleep. Saturday night I stayed up late reading a book, so I only slept for 6 hours. Sunday night I expected to sleep well. I went to bed at 11, but woke up at 5am! I couldn’t go back to sleep, so at 6am I rolled out of bed and started my day. I was fine all day, not the least bit tired. I hope that since I took the Focalin at 6am, it will not affect me tonight.
Week 4 Continued
I had to quit taking the Focalin, at least for a few days. I hadn’t slept much in a week and my appetite was completely gone. The first day I didn’t take it I slept like a baby. It was so wonderful to wake up feeling refreshed. I might have to do a few days on and a few days off. My concentration the first day I was off the Focalin was horrible. I think part of the reason was that I hadn’t slept well. The second day, I was my normal, easily-distracted self.
End of Week 4
I didn’t take the meds for two days, but I wanted a productive Friday, so I took them again. I think they worked a little, but I also think I might get more of an effect after a few days of taking them consistently. I was very hungry all day (as usual). So my appetite doesn’t appear to decrease until I’ve been on them for a few days in a row.
Week 3 – Half Focalin
I didn’t take the ADHD medication again until Wednesday, so I had almost a whole week without it. Today is Sunday, and I’ve taken it every day since Thursday. I am 80% sure it is having a positive effect. One thing that clued me in was this blog. I tried writing the last weeks post three times, but I never made it past the 2nd sentence. I just finished the post now. It seems as though when I am on the medication I can actually complete tasks. I still think I am a procrastinator, but once I actually get started on something I finish it!
I don’t think I would have appreciated the difference with the medication if I hadn’t taken the week off. I didn’t get anything accomplished when I wasn’t on it. Gosh, that scares me! I don’t want to be on the medication everyday for the rest of my life! I wonder if I am a better person on the meds. I mean. . . I think I might listen to people (my friends) more. I actually wait until they finish telling a story. I always cared, and I always wanted to listen, but I don’t think I really listened before.
I still am not sure if I really believe ADHD is a disorder. I mean, is creativity or lack of creativity a disorder? If there was a pill that would make people better artists would America embrace it like Ritalin, Adderall and Focalin has been embraced?
Wednesday night I stayed up late, so I knew I would be tired and less productive on Thursday. I decided to skip my medication that day, because the previous Monday when I took the medicine after a sleepless night I was really out of whack. I felt jittery and tired. It was a lot like drinking too much coffee to try to stay awake. Friday I skipped the meds too. I noticed I was a little hyper on Friday. I’m not sure if that is the ‘normal’ me and I just hadn’t noticed it or if it was my body being free of the meds.