Brainworks® - A Soldier Returns to School
Success Stories
A Soldier Returns to School
Matt Woodcock was the recipient of the prize in the Brainworks Fall Drawing 2009. His wife Miranda, a former client of Brainworks, had entered the contest hoping she could get Matt to Brainworks for the free diagnostic testing and 8 hours of instruction and coaching. Matt was returning to school for his MBA in Strategic Leadership Management, and Miranda had concerns. "Matt struggled with English in college, and I am so afraid I will end up having to write all his papers," she said.
Matt is a West Point graduate and a former soldier, having served two tours of duty in Irag. He is also a husband and father of two girls, ages 3 years and 20 months. He works as a Systems Engineer for a defense contractor and oversees 20 people. Most of us would think his plate was full enough, but true to his military discipline and training, Matt wanted more for himself and his family. He was willing to work hard to earn his MBA. "I enjoy working for a defense contractor because I feel like I am still helping the soldiers, but I want my MBA to further advance my career," he told his Brainworks teacher.
Matt told the staff that he had trouble staying focused at work and made careless errors in his e-mails. "Sometimes I can't think of the correct word to use in a conversation or an e-mail. I am concerned that people will think I do not take my job seriously," he said. He was also having trouble sleeping and felt stressed from always being in a hurry. The interruptions at work were very frustrating to him. He felt like some days all he did was answer questions. As a result, he often stayed late at work to finish his own tasks.
After his initial consultation, the staff at Brainworks felt that Matt had Inattentive ADHD and recommended that he be seen by a physician to be evaluated. The doctor agreed and prescribed medication to help him. Matt noticed the change almost immediately. "I am getting so much more done at work now, and when I get home at night, I am not dead tired," he reported. He was shocked that he was able to focus on whatever he was doing – at home or at work. His improved attention span was obvious during his Brainworks activities. One session while he was doing an activity to improve short- term and long-term memory, he noticed that there were two different shades of gray on the computer screen images. He had not noticed that difference before. Now that his focus was improved, Matt was ready to learn new time management and study skills that he could implement at work, at school and at home.
Matt's teacher helped him fill out a weekly calendar, scheduling both work and home responsibilities. By looking at this calendar, Matt was able to see blocks of time that he had available for studying and homework. He even scheduled special time with his daughters and his wife.
Brainworks believes in bribing the brain, so Matt chose a reward for himself when he completed his weekly tasks – basketball with friends. By organizing and managing his time better, Matt no longer felt rushed all day. His careless mistakes in writing decreased, and he was no longer "dead tired" when he got home from work. He was surprised at the changes in his day. "Before medication and learning how to manage my time, it took me much longer to complete my daily tasks at work. It is nice to be more productive with less stress."
An added bonus was that Matt implemented a system at work for responding to his employees' questions without the constant interruptions. He learned to delegate responsibility, and he created a chain of command for handling questions. He is also using the Brainworks goal setting process with his employees. In fact, his department runs so smoothly now that he is able to assist people in other departments of the company!
Matt wrote to us to let us know that he is doing great in school. He is still using his new time management skills to keep balance in his life. He is also using the study skills he learned. He was taught how to skim a chapter for important information, how to write his own test questions from the sections in the chapters, and how to combine flashcards and creativity while memorizing information. Matt wrote, "I wanted to write this note to say 'Thank You' for de-cluttering my mind and preparing me to get back into the classroom after an 8-year absence. I am looking at my school work more clearly now because of the techniques I was taught at Brainworks, such as how to memorize information and to prioritize my time. Also, my mind was challenged with problem-solving games like Rush Hour and The Ultimate Puzzle. The strategies I learned definitely strengthened my shortcomings. I feel enthused to begin school again because of the reinforcement I got from Brainworks."
His wife is also happy that Matt came to Brainworks. "Because of his time at Brainworks, Matt is not struggling at school, and I haven't had to write one paper!" she said. "I will always be grateful to you for helping my husband be his best," she concluded.