Time Illiteracy and ADHD mind

“I do not want to be late. However, it is only time that strikes, and I start to get ready to go. I am aware that I need to arrive at college for the 9:00 a.m. class. I started ordering my taxi 5 minutes before 9. When I could not find one, I began to curse. I run outside and struggle between hailing a taxi, cancelling the order, and sending an email to the professor explaining why I am late. I arrive 20 minutes late for class, hurriedly making apologies. My friends are smiling, a few are mocking. The professor is not pleased. Anxiety and stress have set in me.”  

                                                                                                                           A client

ADHD mind is afflicted by a sort of time illiteracy, which is known as “time blindness”.

                                                                                                               Dr Russell Barkley

ADHD often results in chronic lateness due to 'time blindness,' a neurological condition that impairs the ability to accurately judge how much time has passed or how long tasks will take. This is not due to laziness or disrespect but stems from how the brain processes time, leading to underestimating task durations, getting distracted during preparations, and forgetting appointments. There is an inability to anticipate future rewards and consequences, increased procrastination, and an inability to ignore the static around us — these traits all contribute to our trouble with deadlines, punctuality, and planning.

 “A client of mine had a coworker who performed tasks exceptionally well when asked to do them immediately. However, if given the option to do the task later, he often wouldn’t complete it. The task itself was simple, but managing time effectively was challenging for him.

What is being time blind?

People with ADHD tend to excel in hot cognition tasks, which involve emotional content. A study comparing time perception in neutral versus emotionally charged tasks revealed that individuals with ADHD performed worse than controls on neutral time perception tests, as expected. However, they outperformed controls on emotionally charged tasks. Research also links time blindness in ADHD to dopamine deficiencies, highlighting the importance of emotional stimulation for accurate time perception. Additionally, studies show that prescription stimulants and monetary rewards—which boost dopamine—can enhance time perception in people with ADHD.

The important thing to understand is that it’s more like a sensory issue than an intentional disregard for time.

How to manage it?

1.     Timers and alarms: Choose timers that show time passing with a physical element, like a disappearing-colored disc, rather than just numbers.

2.     Prepare for outings in advance: Complete preparatory tasks the night before, like choosing clothes or packing lunch, to reduce decision-making and potential delays in the morning. 

3.     Adding buffer time to their initial estimates to adjust the perception of time: Add extra padding to your schedule, like getting ready 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to, to avoid feeling rushed when things take longer than expected.

4.     Color-coded calendar with visual schedules: Write down your day with visual calendars or apps. Use color-coding to make your schedule easy to view at a glance.

5.     Place clocks everywhere- Put analog clocks in every room or on your desk to create a constant, visible reference for the passage of time.

6.     Put a to do list: By planning to take action at an actual time, you are more likely to get a task done, and less likely to merely react to whatever comes at you during the day. 

7.     Feel future consequences: we need to remember past experiences and bring that feeling to the present. 

8.     Take a couple of minutes at the start of your day to plan your priorities — and when you will work on them.

9.     Turn off auto-play on your various streaming services, so you see the current time between videos.

10.   Create rewards for completing tasks