What’s Obvious about ADHD and Time Management

By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – August 15, 2016

9.TimeCalisthenics v2Many of those with ADHD struggle with time management, having a sense of time, being on time, and predicting time. Dr. Russell Barkley refers to it as time blindness.

What’s obvious to many organizers and time management specialists is working with time budgets as an exercise to get a sense of time. Basically, a time budget is an awareness or attention exercise. You go through your day identifying a task, predicting how long it will take, recording the actual time spent and calculating the differences…. and recording them. Repetition over time improves the prediction and a sense of time.

What is also obvious is that such exercises, like any exercise, are repetitive and boring. Those with ADHD struggle with anything that’s repetitive and boring… more than others. So, it is equally as obvious that those with ADHD are far less likely to do exercises.

Now, if my logic is obvious thus far, then the obvious challenge is how do you make time-based attention exercises less boring and repetitive so those with ADHD brains can engage to gain a sense of time and reduce time blindness. This is obviously the hard part, and it is hard for two reasons. First, it requires a lot of energy and effort to make something that is boring exciting and, second, to make what is exciting as individual as the person.

While it may not work for everyone, a companion might help those with ADHD do what they can’t do for themselves. Consider doing time exercises or time calisthenics along with someone else. If it is fun, you might improve your sense of time and time management like never before.

2 thoughts on “What’s Obvious about ADHD and Time Management

  1. Thanks so much for your “timely” time blindness article. My main one is the one more thingitis before I head out the door and am shocked that I am, once again, late for an appt. I found that it takes me about 20 minutes after I’m ready to go to do the one more thing and am now adding that time to the leave by alarm.

    I’m going to try and stick to the advised time calisthenics. I hardly ever show up on time for anything. Just figured it wasn’t that big a deal and that friends were over reacting with my 10 minute window concept.

    Lack of focus around the house keeps me from getting to my running around to do list. I did get earphones for the tv so I don’t feel like I have to sit and watch most tv programs. Now I can cook and clean and do laundry at the same time and as an ADDer I love that! Now if I can just get to that outside to do list I’d be a happy camper.

    Thanks sooooo much for your web site. Love your AHA moments.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *