The Time Blindness Trap: Always Late with ADHD?
The Reason Might Surprise You
I wake up every morning with about an hour and ten minutes to get ready and get out the door for work. In theory, this should be enough time. I take a half hour to heat my food and put it into my thermos, pour my coffee, wash and pack my blueberries (oddly specific but okay), feed my two cats, and have a bite for breakfast. I spend the other half doing my hair, brushing my teeth, and applying makeup. It’s plenty of time…so why am I always late?
Okay, there is an easy fix: I’ll give myself more time. Now instead of waking up at 5:00 A.M., let’s do 4:30 A.M! Now I should definitely make it. But man, with all that extra time, I can unload some dishes from my dishwasher. I can clean the litterbox. I can reply to some texts, maybe read an article or three on Medium—wait—how is it time to leave already!? I just woke up!!!
Let’s Talk about Time-Blindness
Hello, my name is Steph, and I am many things. I am a chatty introvert, a writer, an artist, a mother of cats, a caffeine adorer, a hiker of trails, a wife—and a chronically late person.
I also got diagnosed with moderate to severe ADHD in my thirties, which at the time was a shock, but now that I am more educated, it’s pretty freaking obvious and I wonder how I didn’t notice anything sooner.
Did you know that some people who have ADHD suffer from something known as time blindness?
My father was always late, too. And that’s interesting to me because I am pretty sure he too had ADHD. Now I’m not saying just because you’re often late means you have this, but hear me out: Do you have difficulty estimating how long a task will take? (I often overestimate how much time I have and underestimate how quickly I can do something.) Do you lose track of time doing certain things, especially when you are intensely interested? If this sounds like you, there is a chance you’re like me, and suffer from a degree of time blindness!
Note: Though I have done my research on the topic, I suggest you do the same if you wish to learn more! I am by no means a medical professional and am writing this through the lens of my perspective — the thing I do best!
The thing with time blindness is that it’s a sensory issue, not simply a blatant disregard for time or a lack of good manners. One of the most accepted theories is that neurotypical people have an internal clock that helps them to be able to roughly estimate time based on their pulse-rate. For example, you can probably guess with a fair amount of accuracy approximately how long a minute is because on some level you know how many times your heart beats in one (or rather, your brain does). This is referred to as scalar expectancy theory (SET).
This theory suggests that our brain should take information and combine it with other sensory input it’s getting — like brightness levels, and temperature shifts to help create a somewhat accurate picture of how fast you’re moving through time.
But the thing is, it’s thought in some individuals that process is defective or disrupted. It’s easy to mislabel this as poor time management. It may look like the following:
- Having a slower reaction time. Example: Someone throws you a water bottle but you misjudge when to raise your arm to catch it
- Having trouble with knowing how long ago something happened, even if it wasn’t that long ago. Example: “When was the last time we went grocery shopping? Wasn’t it just a couple of days ago? Oh, it was last week…”
- Often feeling like time is slipping away
- Losing track of time
- Frequently arriving late or missing appointments/deadlines, even for things you are looking forward to
- Misjudging how long a task will take, or how much time is left before an anticipated task. Example: “Okay I’ll be done in five minutes.” But when you are actually done, twenty minutes have passed. (This one is what I am most guilty of.)
There seems to be a link between how well an ADHDer manages their time and their level of impulsivity. How well one can stay “on task” as it were.
People with ADHD seem to do better overall with emotionally charged tasks when compared to a control group. This suggests a need for emotional stimulation to view and understand time more accurately with people prone to time-blindness, which seems to be tied to a lack of dopamine.
So if you are like me and suffer from time blindness, what do you do?
…No, really, what do you do? I’m asking.
Here’s what I have heard a few experts suggest:
Use time-tracking apps to help you.
Apps that remind you and monitor time are your friends. Constantly track how much time X, Y, and Z takes to help give you a better idea.
Set timers.
Okay, great. I have already started implementing this! I usually time myself when I sit down to write anyway so that I can take breaks to help re-center myself every 30 minutes. I also set timers for when I use social media, like TikTok, because it is EASY to lose track of time on there. Setting timers is recommended for things of more importance, like cooking so you don’t walk away for “just a minute” and end up with a fire or a dry pot or God knows what else.
Include a little “grace time” in your schedule.
Okay, so I try to do this one (as you read earlier). It simply doesn’t work for me because the more time I give myself the more tasks I will do…but I suppose if I could keep myself from doing that, this in theory would help! Perhaps the amount of buffer time I give myself needs to be increased from a half an hour to an hour.
Get some extra dopamine.
This can help with staying engaged and as a side effect, keep you on schedule for those whose impulsivity leads them down distraction alley. You can do something simple like drinking a cup of coffee, taking a walk in the bright sun, or exercising and it could help you stay on task when it counts— or so they say.
Listen to music.
Some studies suggest people with ADHD can better keep track of time with music playing in the background. I feel this is probably true, but for myself, I find music too distracting if I am doing something important.
So where does that leave me?
So far, still late most of the time, but a little more hopeful. It helps to have friends and family in the know when it comes to time blindness — especially my husband who lovingly calls me “My time-blind wife” while giving me gentle reminders. I’m sure I would be late for even more things if it wasn’t for him! I do think if I were to put away every possible distraction in the morning (especially my cell phone) and stick to a timer, this might just help. The timer must be obeyed — never disregarded! Ahhh (Power Thirst roar, anyone? No? Just me? That’s okay!)!
So, I’m going to give it all another go. Maybe. Probably.
I hope you enjoyed my silly (yet hopefully somewhat informative) article.
Do you or someone you know experience this? Do you have any other tips for me?
If you enjoy reading about ADHD on Medium, I highly suggest this article here. Also, check out her profile! (She’s a much better writer than I am, and you’ll probably learn more, too!):
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