Time Blindness to Time Awareness - When you have ADHD

Time! We have too much or too little. With a boring task, time stands still. When we are doing a thing we enjoy, time gets away from us.

Many of us procrastinate, are chronically late, we don’t plan or prioritize well, we underestimate how much time we need, we start many projects that we never quite finish. We stay up until the wee hours, playing catch up when the house is quiet. We don’t get enough sleep and wake up exhausted, putting us further behind. We over promise and under deliver. Just where are we going wrong?

Researcher Russell Barkley calls this “time blindness." It is an issue many of us struggle with due to the cognitive challenges of ADHD. Time is slippery and once it’s gone, we never get it back. How do we get on top of something we can’t touch, see, or hear?

Try This

• Face it. Place an analogue clock where you can see it. That is, a clock with a face and hands. It will help you to see the passage of time.

• Set it. Set an alarm or clock that either rings or chimes on the hour so that you begin to feel yourself in the context of time

• Time it. Guess how long it takes to do something. Then time that task to see how long it actually takes. How close are you?  People who take a stimulant medication tend to judge time more accurately.

• Guess it. Guess what time it is at several points throughout the day. See how close you are.

Ask Yourself

• Do I manage time or does it manage me?

Go from time blindness to time awareness by speaking to a certified ADHD coach! Don't wait, schedule a free consultation today!