When it comes to real estate, it’s about location, location, location. When it comes to decisions we make in our lives, it’s about timing, timing, timing! And poor timing leads to missed opportunities!
Mark Twain became one of the best known people in the world due to his writing skills and humorous lectures. Yet, his sense of timing with investments resulted in many financial setbacks!
I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had already ceased to be one. Mark Twain
College students with ADHD often experience missed opportunities.
- The most difficult semester for college students (especially college students with ADHD) is often the first semester of their freshmen year. Yet, most students and their parents seek out an ADHD coach only after one or more semesters of Ds, Fs and course withdrawals! By then, GPAs are often well under 2.0!
- The ideal timing for ADHD coaching to start is before the first semester of college actually begins! The longer parents and students delay, the more likely students will find themselves on “Academic Warning” or, worse yet, “Academic Probation.” This often leads to student anxiety or depression, shame, and hiding information from their parents. Then they start missing classes and often overlook the “Final Date for Withdrawal” from classes. This “missed opportunity” typically leads to a transcript with multiple Ds and Fs!
Of course, it isn’t just college students (and their parents) who find themselves regretting missed opportunities. Employees sometimes miss opportunities to accept a promotion, change careers, or get help before their employer asks them to leave the organization!
How can you prevent or minimize missed opportunities?
Stephen R. Covey pointed out in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that many things in life seem to be “Important, but not urgent.” Covey called this group “Quadrant II activities or tasks.” “Urgent & Important” activities are Quadrant I activities or tasks.
Most people do a fairly good job of tackling activities in Quadrant I. On the other hand, Quadrant II items are often the main source of missed opportunities. These items can “sneak” into the urgent realm without getting our attention. Important deadlines that were once “weeks away” can actually stay off our radar screen until we have missed them altogether!
College students often mishandle Quadrant II events or deadlines on their calendars and task lists. Students place a 10-page writing assignment on their calendar by listing it only on the due date. Out of sight, out of mind! When the week that the essay “due date” arrives, the student “sees it” on the calendar or gets a reminder from the professor. Now the student must write the paper in two or three days, even though it has been on the syllabus since Day One!
Most of us have Quadrant II tasks or deadlines that should jump on our radar screens much earlier than they do. We all know the importance of scheduling “work on taxes” in advance of the April 15 tax filing deadline. Similarly, we need to schedule other “Important, but not Urgent” items well before “crunch time!”
Sometimes the “cost” of missed opportunities is relatively small. Yet, often a missed deadline (or waiting too long to get started) costs someone the chance to switch college majors, graduate on time, or get into a better career.
Do you know a college student or other adult who is missing opportunities?
We specialize in coaching college students with ADHD and other adults on how to create structure and accountability so that they don’t miss important opportunities. The best time to start coaching college students is now, before the fall semester begins. Give us a call.
Comments:
Please share your thoughts in the section below. I learn as much from you as you do from me.
One of the most important things that parents can do PRIOR to sending their kids off to college is to help them learn Quadrant II skills. For example, they can make sure that their kids set up (and use!) a calendar and a “to do” list. Great online apps, like Google Calendar and Tasks, help students get in the habit of daily structure and routines BEFORE going to college. Parents can ask their kids to share their calendars and task lists with them and help them learn how to use them effectively.
Another thing that parents can do is introduce their high school children to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s a great book for all ages. Parents can also benefit from working with a Parent Coach or using a virtual parent coaching system like ProStar Coach.
Thanks, Dennis, for your thoughts on the very important topic of “missed opportunities.
Camille, These are great suggestions about tools to minimize missed opportunities. All of us are bound to miss some opportunities. We cannot do everything that we would like to do. The key is to NOT miss opportunities because we forgot about them, or were unaware of them. Yet, we often have to decide between conflicting possibilities or options.