Time Blindness: Why You’re Always Late, Why You Underestimate How Long It Takes to Finish Something, and What to Do About It

The title seems fairly comprehensive, right? Let's get to it. ⏰

Consider these scenarios:

Despite your best efforts, you are constantly late to meetings and appointments of all kinds. You always try to cram in one more thing before you leave.

You frequently underestimate how much time things take. It’s as though every task expands to fill more time than you can afford.

No matter how early you start your day, you're always racing against the clock. At the end of the day, you wonder where all the hours went.

In one form or another, all of these statements describe time blindness. 

Time blindness is the difficulty of perceiving the passage of time. It also involves losing track of time, as well as underestimating the amount of time required for a task.

Time blindness is often associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but can also affect individuals without this condition.

People who experience time blindness may struggle with estimating how long tasks will take, remembering deadlines, or sensing the flow of time throughout the day. This challenge can make it hard to plan effectively, be on time for appointments, or manage daily tasks efficiently.

The impact can vary from minor inconveniences to significant disruptions in personal and professional life. For example, someone with time blindness might frequently be late, miss deadlines, or feel overwhelmed by tasks that require time management. 

It's not simply being forgetful or disorganized; it's a deeper issue related to how the brain processes time.

This fact is key to understanding time blindness, and an important clue in dealing with it. 

Why We Experience Time Blindness

Time blindness often occurs when the brain's executive functions, like planning and organizing, are impaired—a phenomenon common in ADHD. This impairment, usually rooted in the frontal lobe's inefficiency, leads to challenges in estimating time and keeping up with routines.

As noted, it’s not just ADHDers who experience time blindness. Factors such as stress, lack of sleep, and a busy lifestyle can worsen time perception for anyone. Social media and the never-ending news cycle adds another layer of difficulty.

In short: if you’re going through life having difficulty with time (even if you’ve never thought of it this way before), you’re certainly not the only one.

Solutions (Yes! They Exist.)

So this is the great thing. Once you’re aware of time blindness, your life can be a lot better—almost right away! Some really simple steps will go a long way. 

Just one quick note here, a note on solutions being obvious. These things are sometimes obvious to SOME people but not to everyone. Some people struggle to exercise or shower or otherwise do things that other people find pretty basic. This is a common characteristic of neurodivergence. Personally, I love showers and exercise, but try to get me to return your email and all systems fall apart. Anyway… 

First, allow much more time for transitions. 

This is it. This is what you do, and it will change your life! I’m not kidding. Leave 10-15 minutes earlier than you think you need for every meeting or appointment, and your life will be better. Watch and see.

Second, stop using your working memory to keep track of time. 

Your memory has much better things it can be working on. There are these things called clocks. They are very helpful. Rely on them to tell you the time, remind you of the time, and otherwise keep track of the time. 

Set alarms, multiple ones if necessary, for whenever you need to be somewhere (including on a call) or do anything else that’s time-sensitive. 

Third, make time more visible in your life.

Following up on the second tip: make sure you can SEE time all around you. In addition to clocks, dedicated timers are helpful. 

I got this cool one (in “dreamsicle orange”!) for like $20. I keep it on my desk and use it to track my writing time each day. I also pay for a tracking tool called Timeular. 

Since I’m not good at estimating time, I want to use tools like these to keep up with it for me. Again, stop timekeeping in your head. You’ll either get it wrong or it will take up unnecessary energy (or both). 

Fourth, learn to understand the hyperfocus/burnout cycle. 

This is more complicated, so stay tuned for a dedicated post on it. For now, understand that if time blindness is a problem, you likely also work on a hyperfocus/burnout cycle.

You don’t need to stop hyperfocusing (it’s good to work on stuff you’re excited about!)—you just need to ALSO plan for rest periods. 

That’s where the problem comes in: if you’re used to operating on this cycle without realizing it, then you tend to take hyperfocus for granted. Then, when you try to keep going after getting worn out, you’re surprised to discover that it’s nearly impossible.

To repeat: nothing wrong with hyperfocus. The problem is a) expecting it to be available on demand, and b) failing to recognize the burnout that follows. 

Hyperfocus mode is tiring! And you need to rest afterwards. This isn’t optional: your body will choose to rest even if you tell it not to.

The solution is to plan for these times.

In essence, tackling time blindness is about practical steps: leave earlier for appointments, rely on clocks and timers instead of your working memory, and be mindful of your work-rest cycles. 

If you struggle with the perception of time, doing these things will make a big difference in your life. Try them today and let me know how it goes. 💚

Conversation Starters

1. What is your earliest memory of time?

2. What’s harder for you: starting your day or winding down? 

3. Describe your favorite clock or timekeeping device. 

4. Tips for procrastination (don’t put off writing them!).

5. Your best time of day.