This week, it took me 5 hours to do a piece of code. My teammate did a similar job in 30 minutes. Fortunately, it does not really affect me today. But I remember a time when I would have felt extremely miserable for taking so much time to complete a task while my friend blinked and it was over for him.

Over time, I realized that we do not have to be perfect, or be good at everything. What is important, in my opinion, is the result. Am I able to complete the task? Yes. The time required does not matter to me. I know that many of you who read these lines may have difficulty thinking like me. Let me tell you all the good things working longer will bring to you.

My story

I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD). As early as kindergarten, my teachers talked to my parents about my attention deficit and encouraged me to get medication. Now that I’m 22, I’ve been taking medication for more than a decade. It helps me a lot. On the other hand, it always takes me so much time to complete a task!

Whether it’s a task like a homework I need to complete for school or a task I need to do for a personal project, it doesn’t matter. It takes time.

You are no less good because you study longer than others

This person faster than you probably have more experience in the subject! Let me make sure it’s clear:

• You’re not an idiot
• You have your place in your field of study, whether it’s computer science or anything else
• You will eventually succeed in this difficult task, like all the others before!

This more difficult aspect of your personality makes you who you are. And I dare say it can help you in other areas of your life. Have you already realized? Let me tell you about this problem that can transform you positively.

Why Working Longer Than Others Is a Good Quality

1. You will be determined and perseverant

And yes! When you have to work 10x more hours than anyone else around you, well… it makes you very determined and perseverant! Even if it’s difficult, even if you can’t do the exercises given by your professor, you’ll always work hard to make it happen once and for all.

We are all developing ways to succeed: whether to go to our teachers every week, send them emails continually, raise our hands in class, anything, we want and we will succeed at any price! And that is a quality that many employers are looking for.

2. You will be hard-working

When we have to work that much to succeed… let’s say that we get used to working hard, long, and we never stop until we reach our goal. So you are someone who works, and who is not afraid to put the required hours in order to succeed. Being a hard worker is a magnificent quality!

3. You develop your organization

Having more difficulty, we find ways to overcome our problems. One of the ways I found is to be very well organized. For example, as soon as I have a question to ask a teacher, I write it on a post-it in the margin of my sheet. That way, when I’m in front of the teacher, I can ask him or her all my questions quickly and efficiently!

I now use a digital calendar to record all the events I attend, as well as the Todoist application that I use every day to remind me of the tasks I have to do. You need so much time to work, you learn to find ways to plan your time so you have enough time slots to succeed!

4. You better understand the theory than your friend

Even if your friend spent 30 minutes doing the exercise while you took 5 hours, you’ll have a much better understanding of the theory than he or she did. It’s a bit like the 80/20 rule. For little effort, your friend knows 80% of the material, but the remaining 20% is hard to pick up and requires many more hours to reach it in full.

However, you are able to do this remaining work and you are not afraid! Yes, the ratio effort/result is not very good for you, but at least you have the merit of having given your 100% at all times.

Maybe you don’t see the result of your work in your grades today, but…

Let me talk to you about me again. Throughout high school, my grades were not up to my efforts and my study hours. By cons, quietly, my notes began to rise. Then, in CEGEP, I started to get the best grades in my life. It’s a bit like something was unlocked in me. Finally, my work was showing in my grades, and they are even better now that I’m at university!

If this is your case right now and you do not see the result of your efforts, don’t lose hope. I’m sure it’ll come someday! That day, you will be so proud of yourself! I assure you, it’s worth it!

Conclusion

I wrote this article today because I consider that many people live this problem of loneliness and do not realize that this flaw can be positive in their lives. Not too long ago, I realized how happy I was to be who I am today, with my flaws and qualities.

I am very proud today to be the one I am talking about in this article: determined, persevering, hardworking, organized. And I would not be this person without the flaw of needing a lot more time than anyone around me to complete a task.

This flaw gave me today 4 beautiful qualities, so who am I to complain?

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