You plan to send “one quick text” before heading out the door. The next thing you know, you’ve been scrolling social media for an hour and you’re late for work. Time blindness strikes again.
“Time blindness is a term that describes people who have difficulty perceiving and managing time,” says Lisa MacLean, M.D., a psychiatrist at Henry Ford Health. It’s particularly common in people who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. It can also affect people with other conditions, including autism spectrum disorders.
“Time blindness can impact a person’s ability to show up on time, meet deadlines, stick to routines and even remember to eat. But it doesn’t mean you’re lazy, unmotivated or self-centered,” Dr. MacLean says. She explains what time blindness looks like and shares helpful workarounds for people who struggle with it.
What Is Time Blindness?
Anyone can get caught up in something and lose track of time. But people with time blindness have frequent difficulties managing and perceiving time. Some common symptoms of time blindness include:
- Getting stuck in “waiting mode”—such as watching TV instead of starting homework because it’s almost dinner time, when in fact dinner is an hour away
- Having trouble creating and sticking to a schedule
- Having trouble organizing tasks in the right sequence
- Not realizing how much time has passed
- Procrastinating until the last minute
- Struggling to estimate how much time you previously spent on an activity or how long ago a particular event occurred
- Underestimating or overestimating how much time you need for a task
The Science Behind Time Blindness
Time blindness isn’t a formal diagnosis, but it’s a common symptom of ADHD. Time blindness has been linked to several differences in the brains of people with ADHD.
Behavioral Health Services
For instance, men and women with ADHD may have lower levels of activity in parts of the brain involved in time perception. They can also have a disruption in the connections between brain regions involved in mind wandering.
People can also experience time blindness without ADHD. It’s linked to conditions that impair executive functioning—the set of mental skills including memory, planning, attention and decision-making. Conditions that affect executive function include:
- ADHD
- Alcohol use disorders
- Anxiety
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Depression
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Traumatic brain injury
How Time Blindness Can Impact Life
Time blindness can show up in different ways. “Often, it occurs when you’re hyperfocused,” Dr. MacLean says. You might be playing a favorite game or deep into a favorite hobby, when suddenly three hours have passed, and you’ve forgotten to eat dinner again. “You go down a rabbit hole and completely lose track of time,” she adds.
People with time blindness also have trouble estimating how much time something will take. Case in point: You plan to do a quick load of laundry and pack the morning before leaving for a trip, because “there will be plenty of time.” The next thing you know, you’re dashing to catch your flight.
Time blindness can affect relationships, too. Friends might think you’re flakey for always being late. A partner might think you don’t care about making time for them.
But don’t beat yourself up if you struggle to juggle your time well. If you’re the parent of a child with ADHD, try to give them some grace. “Remember, the brain of someone with ADHD doesn’t naturally create this framework for time management,” Dr. MacLean says. “Give yourself space to say my brain—or my child’s brain—is wired a little differently, and work with that without blame.”
Time Blindness Strategies
If you experience time blindness, Dr. MacLean says, “reflect on how it affects you. Once you’ve pinpointed areas for improvement, consider incorporating strategies to help.” She often points her patients toward the following tips.
- Set a timer: Alarms and timers are great tools to remind you to stop one task and move on to another. Time management apps can also help.
- Make a visual schedule: Time is an abstract concept. Make it real by writing it down. Use to-do lists and visual calendars to plan your schedule. Dr. MacLean likes color-coded calendars to see your schedule at a glance.
- Break it down: If you’re facing a daunting task, break it down into smaller bite-sized tasks. Cleaning the garage might be overwhelming, for example. Instead, plan to take it shelf by shelf.
- Make time for you: When you’re building a schedule, don’t focus only on chores and assignments. Build in blocks of time for hobbies and other things that bring you joy.
- Be aware of time sucks: If you know you or your child is likely to hyperfocus on a certain activity, put some guardrails in place. Set a timer to ring when 30 minutes of video game time is up. Then stop, no exceptions.
- Build in padding: Give yourself some breathing room. Get up a little earlier in the morning so you’re not so rushed. If you think running an errand will take 10 minutes, give yourself 20, just in case.
- Get help: ADHD medications may help some people better manage their time. “But medicine is just one tool,” Dr. MacLean says. If you’re still having trouble, help is available. “A mental health professional or an ADHD coach can work with you to develop strategies for managing your time,” she says.
Reviewed by Dr. Lisa MacLean, a psychiatrist specializing in adult ADHD treatment at Henry Ford Behavioral Services in Detroit.
