If you have ADHD, you may be familiar with time blindness. While everyone has days where they lose track of time, if you struggle with time blindness, procrastinating, missing deadlines, and being late for events are part of your normal routine. Time blindness affects a person’s ability to perceive, estimate, and manage time. It leads to under (or over) estimating how long a task will take, resulting in constant lateness. Time management techniques for ADHD brains include finding tools to plan and prioritize, utilizing reminders and alarms, and creating an ADHD treatment plan. Here’s what you need to know about time blindness and ADHD, plus tips to help.
Time Blindness and ADHD
Not everyone with ADHD experiences time blindness, however, it’s a common symptom for those with the disorder. Time blindness affects a person’s ability to perceive, estimate, and manage time. It’s why those with ADHD often run late or completely miss a plan or deadline. Most neurotypical individuals possess an internal clock that can generally gauge how much time has passed. People with ADHD, on the other hand, have problems with time perception, which leads to time blindness. Researchers believe that the internal clock our bodies use to keep track of time while we’re doing other things relies on our working memory. The ADHD brain struggles with working memory, so if that’s not functioning properly, it’s harder to keep track of time. People with ADHD are also more likely to hyperfocus on certain activities and not notice time passing by. This can lead to lateness or fully missing an event.
What is Time Blindness?
Time blindness is a cognitive condition that causes difficulty recognizing how much time has passed or to estimate how long something will take. It can make every aspect of a person’s life more difficult, from failing to get to work on time, to chronically missing deadlines, to arriving late or completely missing social plans. Since tasks can take so much longer than expected for those with time blindness, it can feel almost impossible to live up to expectations (whether they’re your own or others). The consequences of time blindness can lead to heightened levels of stress and anxiety. The constant feeling of inadequacy and letting others down can be extremely discouraging for anyone dealing with time blindness.
What Causes Time Blindness?
The exact cause of time blindness isn’t fully understood, but there are a few factors that may contribute to time blindness:
- Brain structure and function- the ADHD brain experiences low levels of activity in certain areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex. The frontal cortex is linked to time perception and executive functions, and a lower level of activity in this region can lead to poorer time perception.
- Disruption in dopamine signalling- dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with attention and time perception. A dysregulation in dopamine can affect your ability to gauge the passing of time.
What Does Time Blindness Look Like?
- Under or over estimating how long a task will take
- Missing appointments
- Overcommitting to work and social events
- Losing track of time, especially when hyperfocused on an activity
- Trouble estimating how long ago an event or activity occurred
- Having difficulty creating or adhering to a schedule
- Procrastinating on tasks until the last minute
- Struggling to switch focus between tasks
- Making impulsive decisions without considering the time needed to complete them
6 Ways to Manage Time Blindness
1. Set Reminders and Alarms
Reminders and alarms are a must if you struggle with time blindness. Use a digital calendar to keep track of your appointments, meetings, and social events. Set a reminder to go off when you need to start preparing for an event. Make sure to give yourself a time buffer (say, 30 minutes) incase of any delays or distractions.
2. Avoid Hyperfocus Activities
If there are certain activities you tend to hyperfocus on, try your best to avoid them when you don’t have time for them. For example, if you often hyperfocus while browsing social media, online shopping, or painting, avoid these activities before bed, and before you need to leave for an appointment or social event. This will help reduce the risk of losing track of time.
3. Time Your Daily Tasks
It can be super beneficial to do a time trial for tasks you do on a regular basis, especially the ones where you often underestimate how long it takes to do. For example, showering, getting ready for the day, school drop-off, or your nighttime routine. This will give you a good understanding of how much time you need to complete each task, and allows you to make adjustments where necessary.
4. Use a Paper Planner
Many individuals with ADHD are visual learners, so using a paper planner is often the way to go. It can help you wrap your mind around time management as you can use it to plan out the hours (and even minutes) of your day. You can divide your day into chunks of focused work, and also plan time for breaks, walks, workouts, and chores. Being able to check things off in a paper planner also provides a sense of accomplishment.
5. Break Projects Into Chunks
Having a big project with an over looming deadline can be extremely overwhelming for those with time blindness and ADHD. Try breaking your project up into smaller chunks with their own individual due dates. This way, you can tackle each piece one by one up to your main deadline. It will feel a lot more manageable and less stressful than thinking about it as one huge to-do.
6. Create a Treatment Plan
Many people with ADHD benefit from a combination of therapy and ADHD medication. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you figure out where time blindness impacts you the most and develop better time management skills. A therapist can also help you implement practical changes to your daily routines to help manage your time. Stimulant medications are thought to improve time perception. This may be due to the regulation of dopamine levels in the brain, as dopamine plays a role in attention and time perception. Talk to your doctor about whether medication is right for you.
If you experience time blindness as an ADHD symptom, try these tips and tools to help!
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