Some people seem to have a fully functioning internal clock—they instinctively know how much time has passed or how much time they need to complete a task. Others, however, struggle to locate their "clock" at all. This disconnect is often referred to as time blindness, a phenomenon that impacts many individuals with ADHD or executive dysfunction. In this blog post, we’ll explore what time blindness is, why people with ADHD experience it, and how to manage time blindness with executive function strategies. If you are familiar with the frustration of constantly running late or losing track of time, you’re not alone—and there are tools to help.
What is Time Blindness?
Time blindness is the inability to accurately perceive the passage of time or to estimate how long tasks will take. For someone with time blindness, five minutes might feel like five seconds—or five hours. This can lead to significant challenges in managing daily responsibilities, meeting deadlines, or simply getting out the door on time. According to this article in Psychology Today, here are some common indicators of time blindness:
- Difficulty managing time effectively
- Chronic lateness
- Struggles with transitioning between tasks
- Frequent procrastination
- Impulsivity
- Trouble meeting deadlines
If you are the parent of a student with ADHD, you may recognize some of these behaviors in your student! If you have ADHD yourself, are you relating to the signs on that list? It’s a shared experience by many people with the executive function challenges that come along with ADHD, so know that you’re not alone! But why is this so common for these groups?
Why Do People with ADHD Experience Time Blindness?
ADHD is characterized by challenges in executive functioning—the mental skills that help us pay attention, plan, prioritize, and manage time effectively. These skills play a crucial role in how we perceive and manage time, and research shows that difficulties in these areas because of ADHD can lead to demonstrating symptoms of time blindness. These differences make time management uniquely difficult, but understanding the root causes can help us approach solutions with empathy and practicality. In particular, individuals with ADHD often struggle with:
- Working Memory: Holding multiple pieces of information in their minds, such as a mental timeline of what needs to happen next.
- Time Perception: A neurological difference in how the brain processes time. For many people with ADHD, time is either “now” or “not now,” making it difficult to estimate or plan ahead.
- Task Switching: Moving seamlessly from one task to another without losing track of priorities.
- Attention: Being able to both maintain focus and change focus as needed. Hyperfocus is a common experience for people with ADHD and this may lead to a lack of awareness of the passage of time.
Strengthening skills in these areas of executive functioning, as Beyond BookSmart coaches do with their clients, can help lessen the impact of time blindness on students and adults with ADHD.
The Impact of Time Blindness
Time blindness can have far-reaching consequences, impacting both personal and professional life. Some of the most common challenges include:
- Missed Deadlines: Time blindness can lead to poor follow-through on important tasks, causing stress and anxiety about completing work tasks. It may also negatively impact your reputation at work by inaccurately reflecting your true skills.
- Strained Relationships: Chronic lateness or procrastination can frustrate coworkers, friends, and family members.
- Emotional Toll: The constant struggle to stay on top of time-related demands often leads to feelings of guilt, shame, or inadequacy.
While these impacts can feel overwhelming, it’s important to remember that tools and strategies are available to mitigate the effects of time blindness.
Strategies for Managing Time Blindness
Effective time management doesn’t have to rely on your internal clock. Experiencing time blindness can be very frustrating and with intentional strategies, you can help set yourself up for success. And, luckily, none of these strategies require a complete overhaul of any system you’re currently using, so don’t be intimidated! Here are some practical tips:
1. Use Visual Time Awareness Tools
Wearing a watch or placing visible clocks throughout your environment can provide consistent reminders of the time. Consider investing in a Time Timer, a visual tool that makes the passage of time visible, helping you stay on track. You may have seen these in classrooms, but students and adults with ADHD can use these visual clocks! They’re not just for kids!
2. Use Notifications
Set reminders on your digital calendar and to-do lists to alert you before key events. For example, I use notifications set to 1 hour, 30 minutes, and 10 minutes before any scheduled event. While this might sound excessive, it keeps me paying attention to what’s coming up and gives me sufficient time to prepare. Pro tip: Be sure to delete any unnecessary phone notifications so that the important alerts don’t get lost in the shuffle.
3. Set Alarms and Timers
Alarms can serve as checkpoints to keep you from losing track of time. Try setting an alarm for when you need to stop working on a task to transition to the next activity. This can help you focus without the worry of missing important appointments. For those who like to slip into focus mode when working on something they’re enjoying or motivated to complete, an alarm can relieve that anxious feeling that can come from worrying that you’ll miss something important. I use alarms this way daily!
4. Break Tasks into Manageable Steps
Breaking tasks into smaller, actionable steps reduces the cognitive load of large projects and helps you make steady progress. Tools like the Steps, Time, Mapping, and SMART Goals frameworks are excellent for this purpose. It can be tempting to skip this important planning step but knowing what the next step is can be the answer when monitoring your time as you progress through a task.
5. Consider Your Peak Performance Times
Not all hours of the day are created equal. Identifying your Peak Arousal Times can help you maximize your efficiency and reduce the chance of losing track of time. The Yerkes-Dodson law states that “there is an empirical relationship between stress and performance and that there is an optimal level of stress corresponding to an optimal level of performance”. When we pay attention to when we’re most alert, focused, and productive, we can challenge ourselves just the right amount by scheduling the most demanding tasks during those windows.
Another action that supports us being alert, focused, and productive is to take care of our foundational routines - sleep, movement or exercise, nutrition, and socialization. When we are well-rested and well-fed, we are more likely to be able to handle the stress of life and reach our peak performance when it's needed to complete our daily tasks.
6. Build Awareness with Routine Reflection
Ask yourself regularly: What kind of internal clock do I have—fully functional, somewhat helpful, or missing in action? Reflect on what strategies work best for you and adjust your approach as needed. Try out the budgeted vs. actual tool, where you test your own ability to estimate how long tasks will take. This can help us understand how our internal clocks function. Taking time to reflect will always pay off, especially when we’re trying to understand and manage our time-blindness challenges. I revisit this tool periodically to time different tasks. The knowledge about my own relationship with time is very useful for planning my days
The Takeaway
Time blindness can feel like an invisible barrier that complicates everyday life. However, by understanding the root causes and implementing proactive strategies, you can regain a sense of control over your time.
Whether it’s using visual timers, setting alarms, or breaking tasks into smaller steps, the key is finding tools and systems that work for you. Working with a Beyond BookSmart Executive Function coach can help you suss out what your time blindness is caused by and which strategies can help. And, as we learned at the beginning of this article, time management skills are not the only skills that come into play with time blindness. Consistent support from a coach who understands challenges in all Executive Function areas is an excellent tool to use while moving towards an understanding of your own time management challenges.
Ready to tackle time blindness? Click here to read more about how Beyond BookSmart's Executive Function coaching can help you find strategies that work for you.