From our March 2025 Newsletter
Ever felt like you just blinked… and an hour disappeared? Or maybe you know you’ve got somewhere to be in 15 minutes, but somehow it still doesn’t feel urgent… until, suddenly, you’re running late?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many people with ADHD (and other neurodivergent brains) struggle with time blindness – a real, brain-based difficulty in sensing, managing, and predicting time. It’s not about being careless or lazy; it’s about how the ADHD brain processes time.
Why Does Time Feel Different When You Have ADHD?
For neurodivergent people, time doesn’t always flow in a neat, predictable way. Instead, it often feels like there are only two time zones:
⏳ Now (happening right this second), and
🚀 Not now (so far away that it might as well be next year); this is what I call an ethereal sense of otherness for anything other than NOW – and what Ed Hallowell calls ‘Now or Not Now’ – with ADHD people being very much in the NOW.
This is why deadlines can sneak up out of nowhere, why getting ready can take way longer than expected, and why hyperfocus means you suddenly look up and six hours have disappeared.
Research has found that ADHD affects dopamine levels, which impacts motivation, focus, and, you guessed it, time perception. So, if you or your child constantly feel like time is either rushing past or dragging forever, that’s not just bad time management; it’s how the brain experiences time.
What Does Time Blindness Look Like in Everyday Life?
- Children and young people might struggle to stop playing and start their homework because “five more minutes” doesn’t feel any different from 30.
- Adults might plan to do a quick task before leaving the house… and then wonder why they’re suddenly 20 minutes late.
- Routines can feel impossible because time doesn’t give the usual “nudges” that neurotypical people rely on.
So, What Helps?
For Children and Young People
✅ Make time visible
Timers, clocks and countdown apps help turn time into something they can actually see.
✅ Use reminders and transition cues
Instead of saying, “We need to leave in 10 minutes,” try, “When the timer beeps, we’ll put on shoes.”
✅ Break tasks down
Instead of “Get ready for school,” try “Put on socks, then shoes, then coat.” Small steps work better.
For Adults with ADHD
✅ Use external cues
Alarms, sticky notes, or digital reminders with actual labels (not just “Reminder” at 3 PM).
✅ Build in buffer time
If you think something takes 10 minutes, assume it’ll take 20.
✅ Body doubling
Working alongside someone else (in person or on a video call) can help keep focus on track.
✅ Dopamine-friendly tools
Apps that make time management a bit more fun (for example, habit trackers or productivity games) can be really effective.
And Also…
This article isn’t really about schools. It’s for families, young people, and adults who live with time blindness every day.
If time always feels like it’s working against you, it’s not your fault. With the right strategies, we can make time work for us instead.
Wishing you the very best
Jannine
