Could Your ADHD Be Making You Time Blind and Stealing Minutes?
As a critical executive function, a good sense of time involves knowing what time it is, how much time is left in something or before the next commitment and how quickly time is passing. Individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (or ADHD) are often less aware of the passage of time and frequently struggle to use time effectively.
This ADHD Awareness Month, take steps toward a better sense of time:
Make note of activities that lead to losing track of time. Are there instances in which you should avoid these activities? Would a timer put boundaries on your engagement in those time-stealing activities?
Consider crafting playlists assigned to certain routines or blocks of time to keep you on track. For example, maybe you create a playlist that’s the length of time you allocate for your morning routine or that’s long enough to fill the 25-minute work block in the Pomodoro Technique. Would calm white noise or energizing, upbeat tunes better your productivity?
Replace each digital clock with an analog one. The arms moving in an analog clock enable more easily seeing time disappear, helping internalize the passage of time without having to calculate how many minutes have passed, similar to how the Time Timer functions.
Break each project into tiny, actionable steps. Instead of being overwhelmed by thinking about an entire project, focus on individual tasks, starting each with a verb, assigning deadlines to each step and working through the list in chronological order by due date.
Address your physiological needs first. Since no one can pour from an empty cup, it’s important to follow the airlines’ advice to “Put on your own oxygen mask first”… Include in each day regular movement, mindfulness or meditation practices, staying hydrated, healthy eating away from your desk, having living things in your general proximity (like a plant or flowers) and gratitude journaling.
Delegate what makes more sense for someone else to do. There are two instances in which delegation is most helpful: instances in which the task that needs to be completed can be done as well as or better than you can do it; instances in which you’ve procrastinated and keep moving the due date forward such that it’s more and more obvious you will not get it done yourself. Once you’re clear on the desired outcome, you can easily ask someone else to fulfill what’s needed.
Gain clarity on the answers needed to get done what matters most. Who is really best to complete the task? What is the objective and what is really to be done? When is a realistic deadline for the task’s completion? Where can the task be completed most efficiently? Why is the task to be done, particularly by you? How can you best achieve the desired results?
Put time-blocking to work so you organize for success. Time-blocking is a time management technique where you segment out a specific amount of time for completing an assigned task without any distractions. Shut down your email. Send all phone calls to voice mail. Alert your colleagues that you’ll be available before or after that time and turn off all notifications, setting emergency contacts to VIPs or Favorites so only they override your devices’ Do Not Disturb setting. These appointments with yourself are vital to get things done.
ADHD results form an imbalance of chemical messengers or neurotransmitters within your brain, and it’s definitely real. It’s a breakdown of the communication networks between regions of the brain that control arousal, emotion, attention and behavior. Although ADHD is sometimes mistakenly believed to affect only children, it often gets worse with age. This common, non-discriminatory disorder does not make one unable to do assigned work; instead, ADHD makes it harder for those who have it to do work in ways that look like how others do their work, greatly impacting productivity. Although it’s difficult to diagnose, treatment for ADHD can be life-changing, and these productivity-boosting steps are a powerful start.
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