Time blindness is a lack of the internal perception of the passage of time.
Read that again!
Time blindness is a universal trait for people with ADHD, and can look like:
- completely losing yourself in a project, and losing track of time,
- constantly (and anxiously) looking at and living out of your calendar,
- being either always early or always late to important appointments or meetings,
- feeling like no time has passed when meeting a friend you haven’t seen for years,
- you met a friend a few weeks ago, when in fact it’s been months,
- asking “how is it already 2pm?” or “how is already April?”
- miscalculating how long certain tasks can take (“it will only take 10 minutes”, and, well, it doesn’t!)
- feeling like large, stressful tasks (submitting forms, doing reports), will take hours, only to find it was faster than you thought.
Time blindness is a symptom of ADHD characterised by difficulty with managing and understanding time. You may find it difficult to set appropriate goals, stick to a timeline and stay on track with tasks.
It could be a challenge to organize your day and your time – as to how much time you have, how to use it and track it. Due to difficulty with time blindness, you may often find yourself rushing, procrastinating, or being late to appointments. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm, which can be disabling.
It’s important to note that the experience of time, and the value we place on it, is a cultural construct. Western culture places a high value on timeliness and time management, while the majority of the world tends to have a less rigid relationship with time. Think of “island time” or “rubber time”.
While generally seen as a negative trait in Western culture, time blindness can have benefits too. Losing track of time and immersing yourself in a conversation with someone (family, friend, colleague, client), can foster strong, geniune relationships in relatively short amounts of time. Likewise, losing yourself in a project (hyperfocus), can provide the creativity and space to solve complex problems and achieve amazing results.
It’s important to identify and understand how time blindness plays out for ADHDers, as it can be a major source of stress and unwanted outcomes.
However, it should be noted that time blindness, like other traits, can be managed with appropriate coping strategies and interventions ― such as the use of calendars or to-do lists, reminders, alarms, breaking down tasks into smaller components, and seeking outside help from family and friends.
Additionally, understanding the importance of taking a break, practising self-care, and engaging in mindfulness or relaxation techniques can help manage the symptoms of time blindness associated with ADHD.
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