All of my friends and colleagues think I’m very organized and have a fantastic memory. They’re right on the first part and wrong on the second. In my multi-task-oriented world where I’m taking care of business, learning new things and squeezing in a personal life – I’ve got to be organized. I have systems in place to help me keep all of the balls in the air. My systems seldom forget to remind me and they support my memory where it falls short.

Recently, in a discussion with Dave Farrow, creator of the Farrow Study Method, I realized that students are in the same ‘memory boat’ as I am. Between classes, studying for tests, writing papers, trying to “get a life” and maybe working a full or part-time to keep a life; they also need study systems in place to help them learn easier and never forgets to remind them of what they really need to know. Dave and I talked about the different ways that students can cope with the pressure and perform more successfully in their academics.

“For most students, it is a matter of focus when it comes to studying,” Dave told me. “If you could press a button that would allow you to be as focused as you needed to be, not only when you study for a test but also while you were taking the test, you would push it, wouldn’t you?”

I find it interesting that Dave, himself, struggled as a student with academics. He was diagnosed with both ADHD and dyslexia; making the act of keeping his mind from wandering aimlessly during studying nearly impossible. “For me, it was a matter of survival. I had to come up with a structured study system that would help me remember large amounts of information that I could trigger at will when I needed to.”

According to Dave, most humans don’t trigger full focus in the brain until there is a deadline. That’s why so many students burn the midnight oil trying to cram their brains full for a test. But even when they do, often, on the day of the test and right at a crucial moment, they draw a blank. I asked Dave, why.

“Two things are happening when you’re under the pressure of studying for a test. You experience both tension and fatigue. It’s important to find a way to trigger relaxation and focus to counter that. That will help you during the long hours of studying and reduce the effects of tiredness – and of course keep you brain sharp.”

As the Guinness World Record Holder for Greatest Memory, Dave travels the country training students, business executives and everyday people his Farrow Memory System and other study and productivity techniques. To find out what kind of impact using Dave’s system can have, I reached out to Jack Manning, Coordinator of Student Life Programs at Georgia Perimeter College. Dave has been a frequent speaker there and I wanted to get some input about some of the students who have tried Dave’s study methods and see what thoughts they had on the topic.

According to Jack, several students have tried Dave’s study methods with great success. “In fact, we had one student who said that his grades have definitely improved since he started using Dave’s methods.” Dave has been to the Georgia Perimeter College campus on several occasions and “each time he comes, the meetings get bigger. The next time he comes (April 2010), we expect the attendance to more than double.” Todd, a graduate student working on his Ph.D. dissertation writes, “I am still working to use the tips that you taught us and have found the writing exercise (to be) especially helpful these days…

I think we’ll reach out to some more students and see what kind of impact Dave is creating and why there’s such a buzz surrounding his memory system. As I learn more and more about Dave’s techniques… and my own memory, I’ll keep you posted. If you’ve used Dave’s system or had him on your campus, let me know.

PEACE.
Rick